Geoffrey Chaucer

Geoffrey Chaucer (English poet, 1342-1400 CE)

"Our will is always catching on the nail,
Wanting a hoary head and a green tail,
Like leeks have got; the strength to play that game
Is gone, though we love foolishness the same.
What we can't do no more we talk about
And rake the ashes when the fire is out."

• From The Canterbury Tales (The Reeve's Tale) by Geoffrey Chaucer, translated by Nevill Coghill. New York, Penguin Classics, 1977).

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