The Court Of Love Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: ABABBCD AEAEEAA BFBFFGG ECECGGG GFGGHH IEIEEJJ KHKHHHI EAEAEII HIHIII A A AA JEJJAA HIHIIII IAIAAHH HFHFFI HEHE II IHIHHHH HEHEEAA AIAIIHA JIJIIHH AIAIIJJ IAIAAH AAA AAA IIIIIFF HHHHHF AI I AA HKHKKII HKHKKII AEAEEH

With timerous hert and trembling hand of dredeA
Of cunning naked bare of eloquenceB
Unto the flour of port in womanhedeA
I write as he that non intelligenceB
Of metres hath ne floures of sentenceB
Sauf that me list my writing to conveyC
In that I can to please her hygh nobleyD
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The blosmes fresshe of Tullius garden sooteA
Present thaim not my mater for to borneE
Poemes of Virgil taken here no roteA
Ne crafte of Galfrid may not here sojorneE
Why nam I cunning O well may I morneE
For lak of science that I can not writeA
Unto the princes of my life a rightA
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No termes digne unto her excellenceB
So is she sprong of noble stirpe and highF
A world of honour and of reverenceB
There is in her this wil I testifieF
Calliope thou sister wise and slyF
And thou Minerva guyde me with thy graceG
That langage rude my mater not defaceG
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Thy suger dropes swete of EliconE
Distill in me thou gentle Muse I prayC
And thee Melpomene I calle anonE
Of ignoraunce the mist to chace awayC
And give me grace so for to write and seyG
That she my lady of her worthinesseG
Accepte in gree this litel short tretesseG
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That is entitled thus 'The Court of Love '-
And ye that ben metriciens me excuseG
I you besech for Venus sake aboveF
For what I mene in this ye need not museG
And if so be my lady it refuseG
For lak of ornat speche I wold be woH
That I presume to her to writen soH
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But myn entent and all my besy cureI
Is for to write this tretesse as I canE
Unto my lady stable true and sureI
Feithfull and kind sith first that she beganE
Me to accept in service as her manE
To her be all the plesure of this bokeJ
That whan her like she may it rede and lokeJ
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When I was yong at eighteen yere of ageK
Lusty and light desirous of pleasaunceH
Approching on full sadde and ripe corageK
Love arted me to do myn observaunceH
To his astate and doon him obeysaunceH
Commaunding me the Court of Love to seeH
A lite beside the mount of CithareeI
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There Citherea goddesse was and queneE
Honoured highly for her majesteeA
And eke her sone the mighty god I weneE
Cupid the blind that for his digniteeA
A thousand lovers worship on their kneeE
There was I bid on pain of death t'apereI
By Mercury the winged messengereI
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So than I went by straunge and fer contreesH
Enquiring ay what costes to it drewI
The Court of Love and thiderward as beesH
At last I sey the peple gan pursueI
Anon me thought som wight was there that knewI
Where that the court was holden ferre or nyI
And after thaim ful fast I gan me hy-
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Anone as I theim overtook I saidA
'Hail frendes whider purpose ye to wend '-
'Forsooth ' quod oon that answered lich a maidA
'To Loves Court now go we gentill frend '-
'Where is that place ' quod I 'my felowe hend '-
'At Citheron sir ' seid he 'without dowteA
The King of Love and all his noble rowteA
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Dwelling within a castell ryally '-
So than apace I jorned forth amongJ
And as he seid so fond I there trulyE
For I beheld the towres high and strongJ
And high pin cles large of hight and longJ
With plate of gold bespred on every sideA
And presious stones the stone werk for to hideA
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No saphir ind no rub riche of priceH
There lakked than nor emeraud so greneI
Baleis Turkeis ne thing to my deviseH
That may the castell maken for to sheneI
All was as bright as sterres in winter beenI
And Phebus shoon to make his pees agaynI
For trespas doon to high estates tweynI
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Venus and Mars the god and goddesse clereI
Whan he theim found in armes cheined fastA
Venus was then full sad of herte and chereI
But Phebus bemes streight as is the mastA
Upon the castell ginneth he to castA
To plese the lady princesse of that placeH
In signe he loketh aftir Loves graceH
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For there nis god in heven or helle y wisH
But he hath ben right soget unto LoveF
Jove Pluto or what so ever he isH
Ne creature in erth or yet aboveF
Of thise the r vers may no wight approveF
But furthermore the castell to descryI
Yet saw I never non so large and high-
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For unto heven it streccheth I supposeH
Within and out depeynted wonderlyE
With many a thousand daisy rede as roseH
And white also this saw I verilyE
But what tho daises might do signify-
Can I not tell sauf that the quenes flourI
Alceste it was that kept there her sojourI
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Which under Venus lady was and queneI
And Admete king and soverain of that placeH
To whom obeyed the ladies gode nineteneI
With many a thowsand other bright of faceH
And yong men fele came forth with lusty paceH
And aged eke their homage to disposeH
But what thay were I could not well discloseH
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Yet ner and ner furth in I gan me dresseH
Into an halle of noble apparaileE
With arras spred and cloth of gold I gesseH
And other silk of esier availeE
Under the cloth of their estate saunz faileE
The king and quene ther sat as I beheldA
It passed joye of Helisee the feldA
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There saintes have their comming and resortA
To seen the king so ryally beseynI
In purple clad and eke the quene in sortA
And on their hedes saw I crownes tweynI
With stones fret so that it was no paynI
Withouten mete and drink to stand and seeH
The kinges honour and the ryalteeA
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And for to trete of states with the kingJ
That been of councell chief and with the queneI
The king had Daunger ner to him standingJ
The Quene of Love Disdain and that was seenI
For by the feith I shall to god I weneI
Was never straunger non in her degreeH
Than was the quene in casting of her eeH
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And as I stood perceiving her apartA
And eke the bemes shyning of her yenI
Me thought thay were shapen lich a dartA
Sherp and persing smale and streight as lyneI
And all her here it shoon as gold so fyneI
Dishevel crisp down hinging at her bakJ
A yarde in length and soothly than I spakJ
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'O bright Regina who made thee so fairI
Who made thy colour vermelet and whiteA
Where woneth that god how fer above the eyrI
Greet was his craft and greet was his delytA
Now marvel I nothing that ye do hightA
The Quene of Love and occupy the placeH
Of Citharee now sweet lady thy grace '-
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In mewet spak I so that nought astertA
By no condicion word that might be herdA
B ut in myn inward thought I gan advertA
And oft I seid 'My wit is dulle and hard '-
For with her bewtee thus god wot I ferdA
As doth the man y ravisshed with sightA
When I beheld her cristall yen so brightA
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No respect having what was best to doonI
Till right anon beholding here and thereI
I spied a frend of myne and that full soonI
A gentilwoman was the chambererI
Unto the quene that hote as ye shall hereI
Philobone that lov d all her lifeF
Whan she me sey she led me furth as blyfeF
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And me demaunded how and in what wiseH
I thider com and what myne erand wasH
'To seen the court ' quod I 'and all the guyseH
And eke to sue for pardon and for graceH
And mercy ask for all my greet trespaceH
That I non erst com to the Court of LoveF
Foryeve me this ye goddes all above '-
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'That is well seid ' quod Philobone 'in dedeA
But were ye not assomoned to apereI
By Mercury For that is all my drede '-
'Yes gentil fair ' quod I 'now am I hereI
Ye yit what tho though that be true my dere '-
'Of your free will ye shuld have come unsentA
For ye did not I deme ye will be shentA
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For ye that reign in youth and lustinesseH
Pampired with ese and jolif in your ageK
Your dewtee is as fer as I can gesseH
To Loves Court to dressen your viageK
As sone as Nature maketh you so sageK
That ye may know a woman from a swanI
Or whan your foot is growen half a spanI
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But sith that ye by wilful necligenceH
This eighteen yere have kept yourself at largeK
The gretter is your trespace and offenceH
And in your nek ye moot bere all the chargeK
For better were ye ben withouten bargeK
Amidd see in tempest and in rainI
Than byden here receiving woo and painI
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That ordeined is for such as thaim absentA
Fro Loves Court by yeres long and feleE
I ley my lyf ye shall full soon repentA
For Love will reyve your colour lust and heleE
Eke ye must bait on many an hevy meleE
No force y wisH

Anonymous Olde English



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