A YEMAN hadde he and servantz namo
He had a Yeoman and no other servants
At that tyme, for hym liste ride so,
at that time, for he preferred to ride like this
And he was clad in cote and hood of grene.
and he was dressed in a green coat with hood.
A sheef of pecock arwes, bright and kene,
A sheaf of arrows with peacock feathers, bright and sharp,
Under his belt he bar ful thriftily
he carried very carefully under his belt.
(Wel koude he dresse his takel yemanly;
(he knew well how to care for his arrows in a yeomanly way;
His arwes drouped noght with fetheres lowe),
His arrows did not fall short because of bad feathers)
And in his hand he baar a myghty bowe.
And in his hand he carried a powerful bow.
A not heed hadde he, with a broun visage.
He had a close-cropped head, with a very dark face.
Of wodecraft wel koude he al the usage,
He knew everything about woodcraft,
Upon his arm he baar a gay bracer,
Upon his arm he wore a bright archer's arm guard
And by his syde a swerd and a bokeler,
and by his side a sword and a small shield,
And on that oother syde a gay daggere
and on the other side a fine dagger
Harneised wel and sharp as point of spere;
nicely ornamented and sharp as the point of a spear;
A Cristopher on his brest of silver sheene.
There was a medal of St. Christopher of shining silver on his breast.
An horn he bar, the bawdryk was of grene;
he carried a horn, with a green shoulderstrap;
A forster was he, soothly, as I gesse.
he was a proper forrester, I guess.