But for to telle yow al hir beautee,
It lyth nat in my tonge, n’ yn my konnyng;
I dar nat undertake so heigh a thyng.
Myn Englissh eek is insufficient.
It moste been a rethor excellent.
– Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales, The Squire’s Tale. Attempting to describe the beauty of the Tartar king Cambuskan’s daughter Canace, the Squire simply can’t find the words and says it is beyond his ability. It would take a great orator to describe her beauty, he adds.