Cruise to Nowhere Tales -- General Prologue

CRUISE TO NOWHERE TALES A MODERN VERSION OF CHAUCER'S CANTERBURY TALES INTRODUCTION Geoffrey Chaucer (1342 - 1400) wrote his masterwork, The Canterbury Tales, from around 1392 to the end of his life, when he left it unfinished. It consists of a series of tales told by a group of pilgrims on their way to visit the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral. Cruise to Nowhere Tales is a rewrite of The Canterbury Tales for modern times. It consists of a series of tales told by a group of tourists on a cruise to nowhere while they wait for their friends and lovers to finish gambling on the deck below. Each prologue and tale is an adaptation of its counterpart in The Canterbury Tales, told in the same verse form and with similar characters and plot elements. This contrast in tales is meant to highlight the differences between Chaucer's world and ours. But the tales can also be enjoyed on their own. GENERAL PROLOGUE When sweet April, with its gentle showers Winter's desert turns to Spring's bright flowers; And Daylight Savings Time the early gloom Banishes, that restless souls might soon Emerge from their long labors into light, Enjoying the long segue into night; And Spring Break the youthful heart invites To travel south for undisclosed delights; Then do folks again seek out their muses, Making pilgrimage on tours and cruises. Some spend ten days on islands in the sun, While others tour three cities on the run; Still others like to gamble, win or lose, On land or on a luxury liner cruise