喬叟《坎特伯理的故事》中＜米勒的序言與故事＞簡介
英文來源：SpakNotes
中文翻譯：陳宇佑、談玉儀
Source: http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/canterbury/section7.rhtml

“The Miller’s Prologue and Tale”
Fragment I, lines 3109–3854

Summary

The pilgrims applaud the Knight’s Tale, and the pleased Host asks the Monk to match it. Before the Monk can utter a word, however, the Miller interrupts. Drunk and belligerent, he promises that he has a “noble” tale that will repay the Knight’s (3126). The Host tries to persuade the Miller to let some “bettre” man tell the next tale (3130). When the Miller threatens to leave, however, the Host acquiesces.
After the Miller reminds everyone that he is drunk and therefore shouldn’t be held accountable for anything he says, he introduces his tale as a legend and a life of a carpenter and of his wife, and of how a clerk made a fool of the carpenter, which everyone understands to mean that the clerk slept with the carpenter’s wife (3141–3143).
The Reeve shouts out his immediate objection to such ridicule, but the Miller insists on proceeding with his tale. He points out that he is married himself, but doesn’t worry whether some other man is sleeping with his wife, because it is none of his business. The narrator apologizes to us in advance for the tale’s bawdiness, and warns that those who are easily offended should skip to another tale.

朝聖者讚許騎士的故事，喜悅的主人請求憎侶與騎士較量一番，但在憎侶說話前，米勒卻打斷了憎侶的話。個性喜好喝酒且好辯的米勒允諾將回報騎士的一個「高尚的」故事 (3126)。主人試著說服米勒先讓某些「較適當的」人講下個故事（3130)，但當米勒揚言要離開，主人也就默許讓他說故事。
米勒提醒大家因為他醉了，所以可以不對他說的故事負責任。這是個關於木匠夫婦和神職人員如何愚弄木匠的傳奇故事，大家都明瞭這意味著神職人員與木匠的妻子有染(3141-3143)。
雷夫立即怒斥他，反對這樣嘲笑，但米勒堅持繼續進行他的故事。 他表示他已結婚，並且不擔心他的妻子是否與他人上床讓他帶綠帽子，因為這不關他的事。此時，敘述者先對讀者道歉，表示米勒將要說個淫穢的故事，並警告容易受到冒犯的人不應該聽這個故事，而直接跳到下一個故事。

The Miller begins his story: there was once an Oxford student named Nicholas, who studied astrology and was well acquainted with the art of love. Nicholas boarded with a wealthy but ignorant old carpenter named John, who was jealous and highly possessive of his sexy eighteen-year-old wife, Alisoun. One day, the carpenter leaves, and Nicholas and Alisoun begin flirting. Nicholas grabs Alisoun, and she threatens to cry for help. He then begins to cry, and after a few sweet words, she agrees to sleep with him when it is safe to do so. She is worried that John will find out, but Nicholas is confident he can outwit the carpenter.

米勒開始說他的故事：曾有一位牛津學生尼古拉斯，嫻熟占星術及愛情的藝術，他寄租在富裕卻無知的老木匠約翰家中，約翰是個容易吃醋的老公，對於自己既性感又年輕的十八歲妻子愛麗桑佔有慾極強。某天木匠外出工作，尼古拉斯和愛麗桑立即互相調情，尼古拉斯強霸著愛麗桑，使得她尖叫，但在幾句甜言蜜語後，她接受在不被老公發現的情況下與他共渡春宵，她擔心約翰會發現蛛絲馬跡，但尼古拉斯確信他能以智取勝。

Nicholas is not alone in desiring Alisoun. A merry, vain parish clerk named Absolon also fancies Alisoun. He serenades her every night, buys her gifts, and gives her money, but to no avail—Alisoun loves Nicholas. Nicholas devises a plan that will allow him and Alisoun to spend an entire night together. He has Alisoun tell John that Nicholas is ill. John sends a servant to check on his boarder, who arrives to find Nicholas immobile, staring at the ceiling. When the servant reports back to John, John is not surprised, saying that madness is what one gets for inquiring into “Goddes pryvetee,” which is what he believes Nicholas’s astronomy studies amount to. Nevertheless, he feels sorry for the student and goes to check on him.

不單單只尼古拉斯渴望著愛麗桑，還有位自負的神職人員艾伯所隆也迷戀著愛麗桑。他每晚為她唱情歌、贈送禮物、甚至金錢，但都徒勞無功，因為愛麗桑深愛著尼古拉斯。尼古拉斯設想將和愛麗桑一起共渡春宵的計劃。他安排愛麗桑告訴約翰尼古拉斯病了。於是，約翰派遣僕人去關注他的房客，卻發現尼古拉斯一動也不動地凝視天花板。當僕人回報時，約翰並不驚奇，只說「窺視上帝秘密的人終會發瘋」，因為木匠相信尼古拉斯的瘋狂是因為過度專注研究天文學而造成的。然而，他為學生感到抱歉，因此親自去關心他。

Nicholas tells John he has had a vision from God and offers to tell John about it. He explains that he has foreseen a terrible event. The next Monday, waters twice as great as Noah’s flood will cover the land, exterminating all life. The carpenter believes him and fears for his wife, just what Nicholas had hoped would occur. Nicholas instructs John to fasten three tubs, each loaded with provisions and an ax, to the roof of the barn. On Monday night, they will sleep in the tubs, so that when the flood comes, they can release the tubs, hack through the roof, and float until the water subsides. Nicholas also warns John that it is God’s commandment that they may do nothing but pray once they are in the tubs—no one is to speak a word.
尼古拉斯告訴約翰上帝的訊息，他預示一件可怕的事件將發生。 下星期一，有比諾亞洪水還大上兩倍的水患，將席捲土地、摧毀人類的生命。就如尼古拉斯所預期到的結果，木匠十分地相信他，並且深怕他的妻子遭遇不測。尼古拉斯指示約翰在穀倉的屋頂緊緊懸掛三個木桶，每桶都裝滿糧食及一把斧頭。星期一的夜晚，他們將在木盆裡休憩，當洪水來時，他們可以斧頭砍斷拴住木桶的線，讓木桶漂浮在水上，直到水消退。尼古拉斯也警告約翰這是上帝的旨意，一旦他們在木桶中，就只能一直禱告而且不能和他人說話。

Monday night arrives, and Nicholas, John, and Alisoun ascend by ladder into the hanging tubs. As soon as the carpenter begins to snore, Nicholas and Alisoun climb down, run back to the house, and sleep together in the carpenter’s bed. In the early dawn, Absolon passes by. Hoping to stop in for a kiss, or perhaps more, from Alisoun, Absalon sidles up to the window and calls to her. She harshly replies that she loves another. Absolon persists, and Alisoun offers him one quick kiss in the dark. Absolon leaps forward eagerly, offering a lingering kiss. But it is not her lips he finds at the window, but her “naked ers [arse]” (3734). She and Nicholas collapse with laughter, while Absolon blindly tries to wipe his mouth.
Determined to avenge Alisoun’s prank, Absolon hurries back into town to the blacksmith and obtains a red-hot iron poker. He returns with it to the window and knocks again, asking for a kiss and promising Alisoun a golden ring. This time, Nicholas, having gotten up to relieve himself anyway, sticks his rear out the window and farts thunderously in Absolon’s face. Absolon brands his buttocks with the poker. Nicholas leaps up and cries out, “Help! Water! Water!” (3815). John, still hanging from the roof, wakes up and assumes Nicholas’s cries mean that the flood has come. He grabs the ax, cuts free the tub, and comes crashing to the ground, breaking his arm. The noise and commotion attract many of the townspeople. The carpenter tells the story of the predicted flood, but Nicholas and Alisoun pretend ignorance, telling everyone that the carpenter is mad. The townspeople laugh that all have received their dues, and the Miller merrily asks that God save the company.

到了星期一的夜晚，尼古拉斯、約翰和愛麗桑從梯子登入懸掛的木桶。當木匠開始打鼾，尼古拉斯和愛麗桑爬了下來，並跑回到臥房敦輪。在黎明時刻，艾伯所隆經過愛麗桑的住處，他停下腳步只為一親芳澤（也許不僅於此），他側身走向窗口呼喊她，但她苛刻地回復她已有愛人，但艾伯所隆很堅持，因此愛麗桑允許在黑暗中給他一個吻。艾伯所隆熱切地飛奔而去，等待許久，卻發現自己所吻的不是她的嘴唇，而是她「赤裸的臀部」 (3734)。當艾伯所隆在黑暗中擦拭嘴唇時，卻聽到和愛麗桑與情夫尼古拉斯笑得不支倒地的聲音。
艾伯所隆決定要報復愛麗桑的捉挾，氣得趕緊回到鎮裡找鐵匠，得到了一個熾熱的鐵拑。他回到那個窗口又敲了一次，請求親吻，並許諾愛麗桑一個黃金戒指。這時，尼古拉斯起身來到窗前，將他的臀部伸出窗口並且放了隆隆巨響的臭屁，艾伯所隆馬上用火熱的鐵拑在他的屁股狠狠的烙印，於是尼古拉斯跳躍起來且大聲呼喊，「救命阿! 水阿! 水阿!」 (3815)。此時，睡在懸掛木桶的約翰，認出了尼古拉斯的叫聲，抓起斧頭砍斷繩子，木桶撞擊地板，傷了胳膊。這陣喧鬧的聲音引來許多市民的注意，木匠講了洪水預言的故事，但尼古拉斯和愛麗桑假裝不知情，告訴大家木匠發瘋了，市民笑著，因為每個人都得到應得的報應，而說故事者米勒也愉快地請求上帝赦免他的同伴們。