THE CANTERBURY SAILS
We glide over the tiny rocks that oppose our motion;
Us and Aladdin attack the traveller with black eye.
And we praise the bravery of our horses;
But our horses are large;
And we bob up and down in them.
We are propelled by the air on their black manes.
The Baker is a plump round eater.
He fills the horses' nostrils with the stench of dough.
We find this makes the horses run wild and free;
So we just give 'em a t'ing or two to do.
They do it well and in ordered fashion.
In reward they are nailed to conifer trees, given sweets.
And an archer exists with mighty bow.
Total and accurate shooting, he knows how.
With muffled attack and rampant ending wow!
He uses his power for our magical dhow.
And once a mechanic came aboard;
His meticulous charge on metal incessant.
He tried for some gold to hoard;
But big hunter Viking made him look like a peasant.
So Captain Scarlet now bids us goodbye.
Ship sinking, peasants gambolling, guards barking.
We jump parabola fashion into our fluid;
And here we submit to the sails.
The sails rest now peacefully at the depths;
And here to thy profess, is witness to the end;
The wise ancients of the Canterbury Tales.
About This Poem
This imaginative work reimagines Chaucer's famous "Canterbury Tales" as a maritime adventure, transforming the land-based pilgrimage into a nautical journey. Written in January 2000, the poem cleverly substitutes ships for horses—"our horses are large; And we bob up and down in them"—and reconceives Chaucer's memorable characters (the Baker, the Archer, the Mechanic) as crew members on a "magical dhow." The poem maintains the spirit of Chaucer's original work: a diverse group of characters from different social classes embarking on a journey together, each bringing their distinct personality and skills. However, this journey ends not at Canterbury Cathedral but at the bottom of the sea, where "the sails rest now peacefully at the depths." This dramatic conclusion transforms the pilgrimage into something more mythic and timeless, connecting the medieval storytelling tradition with the ancient archetype of the doomed voyage, creating a bridge between "the wise ancients of the Canterbury Tales" and eternal seafaring narratives.