The Best Translation of The Canterbury Tales
The Canterbury Tales was written in Middle English. 2 recommended editions, ranked — with Gröblé’s verdict on which to read first.
Nevill Coghill
Penguin Classics · 2003 · 528 pages
Coghill's verse translation has been the doorway into Chaucer for two generations. The bawdy parts stay bawdy and the Middle English stops being a wall, which is most of the battle.
Every recommended edition, compared
Jill Mann's Penguin keeps the original Middle English with full notes and a glossary. Chaucer's language is easier than it looks once your ear adjusts, and after a few tales the modern verse versions start to feel thin.
Please support us by purchasing through these links, at no extra cost to you!
Reading The Canterbury Tales in translation
The Canterbury Tales was written in Middle English, so unless you read Middle English, the translator decides the book you actually experience — its register, its pace, how it sounds read aloud. Two editions of the same work can feel like different books.
The ranking above is Gröblé’s: one reader’s verdict on which English gets you closest, not a publisher’s blurb. Start with the top pick; reach for the others when you want a different angle on the original.