And for to putte us fro swich ydelnesse,
That cause is of so greet confusioun,
I have heer doon my feithful bisynesse
After the legende in translacioun
Right of thy glorious lif and passioun,
Thou with thy gerland wroght with rose and lilie –
Thee meene I, mayde and martyr, Seint Cecilie.
– Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales, The Second Nun’s Prologue. The Second Nun tells how she played her role to prevent the sin of idleness and sloth, the cause of such great ruin. She diligently and faithfully translated the life and suffering of the Roman martyr Saint Cecilia, the subject of her tale.