A Proper Trewe Idyll Of Camelot Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: ABCCDD EEFFGGGGHH IIJJKKGGLLDDDDABGG GGHHGGGG JJFFFFMBNNKKDDCCCCGG FFJJ GGGG OOGGHHDDPP GGQQGGKKHHGGHH HHGGGGHHGGGGNNRRGG PPGGGGGGDDCCJJGG JJGGDDGGDDGGGSDDDDFF GGGGGGGGDDJJ GGGGGGGGGG

Whenas ye plaisaunt Aperille shoures have washed and purged awayeA
Ye poysons and ye rheums of earth to make a merrie MayB
Ye shraddy boscage of ye woods ben full of birds that syngC
Right merrilie a madrigal unto ye waking springC
Ye whiles that when ye face of earth ben washed and wiped ycleaneD
Her peeping posies blink and stare like they had ben her eenD
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Then wit ye well ye harte of man ben turned to thoughts of loveE
And tho' it ben a lyon erst it now ben like a doveE
And many a goodly damosel in innocence beguilesF
Her owne trewe love with sweet discourse and divers plaisaunt wilesF
In soche a time ye noblesse liege that ben Kyng Arthure hightG
Let cry a joust and tournament for evereche errant knyghtG
And lo from distant Joyous garde and eche adjacent spotG
A company of noblesse lords fared unto CamelotG
Wherein were mighty feastings and passing merrie cheereH
And eke a deale of dismal dole as you shall quickly heareH
-
It so befell upon a daye when jousts ben had and whileI
Sir Launcelot did ramp around ye ring in gallaunt styleI
There came an horseman shriking sore and rashing wildly homeJ
A mediaeval horseman with ye usual flecks of foameJ
And he did brast into ye ring wherein his horse did dropK
Upon ye which ye rider did with like abruptness stopK
And with fatigue and fearfulness continued in a swoundG
Ye space of half an hour or more before a leech was foundeG
Now tell me straight quod Launcelot what varlet knyght you beL
Ere that I chine you with my sworde and cleave your harte in threeL
Then rolled that knyght his bloudy een and answered with a groaneD
By worthy God that hath me made and shope ye sun and moneD
There fareth hence an evil thing whose like ben never seeneD
And tho' he sayeth nony worde he bode the ill I weenD
So take your parting evereche one and gird you for ye frayeA
By all that's pure ye Divell sure doth trend his path this wayB
Ye which he quoth and fell again into a deadly swoundG
And on that spot perchance God wot his bones mought yet be foundeG
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Then evereche knight girt on his sworde and shield and hied him straightG
To meet ye straunger sarasen hard by ye city gateG
Full sorely moaned ye damosels and tore their beautyse haireH
For that they feared an hippogriff wolde come to eate them thereH
But as they moaned and swounded there too numerous to relateG
Kyng Arthure and Sir Launcelot stode at ye city gateG
And at eche side and round about stode many a noblesse knyghtG
With helm and speare and sworde and shield and mickle valor dightG
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Anon there came a straunger but not a gyaunt grimJ
Nor yet a draggon but a person gangling long and slimJ
Yclad he was in guise that ill beseemed those knyghtly daysF
And there ben nony etiquette in his uplandish waysF
His raiment was of dusty gray and perched above his lugsF
There ben the very latest style of blacke and shiny pluggsF
His nose ben like a vulture beake his blie ben swart of hueM
And curly ben ye whiskers through ye which ye zephyrs bleweB
Of all ye een that ben yseene in countries far or nighN
None nonywhere colde hold compare unto that straunger's eyeN
It was an eye of soche a kind as never ben on sleepeK
Nor did it gleam with kindly beame nor did not use to weepeK
But soche an eye ye widdow hath an hongrey eye and wanD
That spyeth for an oder chaunce whereby she may catch onD
An eye that winketh of itself and sayeth by that winkeC
Ye which a maiden sholde not knowe nor never even thinkeC
Which winke ben more exceeding swift nor human thought ben thunkC
And leaveth doubting if so be that winke ben really wunkeC
And soch an eye ye catte fysshe hath when that he ben on deadG
And boyled a goodly time and served with capers on his headG
A rayless eye a bead like eye whose famisht aspect showsF
It hungereth for ye verdant banks whereon ye wild time growsF
An eye that hawketh up and down for evereche kind of gameJ
And when he doth espy ye which he tumbleth to ye sameJ
-
Now when he kenned Sir Launcelot in armor clad he quodG
Another put a nickel in and see me work be godG
But when that he was ware a man ben standing in that suitG
Ye straunger threw up both his hands and asked him not to shooteG
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Then spake Kyng Arthure If soe be you mind to do no illO
Come enter into Camelot and eat and drink your fillO
But say me first what you are hight and what mought be your questG
Ye straunger quod I'm five feet ten and fare me from ye WestG
Sir Fivefeetten Kyng Arthure said I bid you welcome hereH
So make you merrie as you list with plaisaunt wine and cheereH
This very night shall be a feast soche like ben never seeneD
And you shall be ye honored guest of Arthure and his queeneD
Now take him good sir Maligraunce and entertain him wellP
Until soche time as he becomes our guest as I you tellP
-
That night Kyng Arthure's table round with mighty care ben spreadG
Ye oder knyghts sate all about and Arthure at ye headeG
Oh 't was a goodly spectacle to ken that noblesse liegeQ
Dispensing hospitality from his commanding siegeQ
Ye pheasant and ye meate of boare ye haunch of velvet doeG
Ye canvass hamme he them did serve and many good things moeG
Until at last Kyng Arthure cried Let bring my wassail cupK
And let ye sound of joy go round I'm going to set 'em upK
I've pipes of Malmsey May wine sack metheglon mead and sherryH
Canary Malvoisie and Port swete Muscadelle and perryH
Rochelle Osey and Romenay Tyre Rhenish posset tooG
With kags and pails of foaming ales of brown October brewG
To wine and beer and other cheere I pray you now despatch yeH
And for ensample wit ye well sweet sirs I'm looking at yeH
-
Unto which toast of their liege lord ye oders in ye partyH
Did lout them low in humble wise and bid ye same drink heartyH
So then ben merrisome discourse and passing plaisaunt cheereG
And Arthure's tales of hippogriffs ben mervaillous to heareG
But stranger far than any tale told of those knyghts of oldG
Ben those facetious narratives ye Western straunger toldG
He told them of a country many leagues beyond ye seaH
Where evereche forraine nuisance but ye Chinese man ben freeH
And whiles he span his monstrous yarns ye ladies of ye courtG
Did deem ye listening thereunto to be right plaisaunt sportG
And whiles they listened often he did squeeze a lily handeG
Ye which proceeding ne'er before ben done in Arthure's landeG
And often wank a sidelong wink with either roving eyeN
Whereat ye ladies laughen so that they had like to dieN
But of ye damosels that sat around Kyng Arthure's tableR
He liked not her that sometime ben ron over by ye cableR
Ye which full evil hap had harmed and marked her person soG
That in a passing wittie jest he dubbeth her ye crowG
-
But all ye oders of ye girls did please him passing wellP
And they did own him for to be a proper seeming swellP
And in especial Guinevere esteemed him wondrous faireG
Which had made Arthure and his friend Sir Launcelot to swareG
But that they both ben so far gone with posset wine and beerG
They colde not see ye carrying on nor neither colde not heareG
For of eche liquor Arthure quafft and so did all ye restG
Save only and excepting that smooth straunger from the WestG
When as these oders drank a toast he let them have their funD
With divers godless mixings but he stock to willow runD
Ye which and all that reade these words sholde profit by ye warningC
Doth never make ye head to feel like it ben swelled next morningC
Now wit ye well it so befell that when the night grew dimJ
Ye Kyng was carried from ye hall with a howling jag on himJ
Whiles Launcelot and all ye rest that to his highness toadiedG
Withdrew them from ye banquet hall and sought their couches loadedG
-
Now lithe and listen lordings all whiles I do call it shameJ
That making cheer with wine and beer men do abuse ye sameJ
Though eche be well enow alone ye mixing of ye twoG
Ben soche a piece of foolishness as only ejiots doG
Ye wine is plaisaunt bibbing whenas ye gentles dineD
And beer will do if one hath not ye wherewithal for wineD
But in ye drinking of ye same ye wise are never flooredG
By taking what ye tipplers call too big a jag on boardG
Right hejeous is it for to see soche dronkonness of wineD
Whereby some men are used to make themselves to be like swineD
And sorely it repenteth them for when they wake next dayG
Ye fearful paynes they suffer ben soche as none mought sayG
And soche ye brenning in ye throat and brasting of ye headG
And soche ye taste within ye mouth like one had been on dead SocheS
be ye foul conditions that these unhappy menD
Sware they will never drink no drop of nony drinke againD
Yet all so frail and vain a thing and weak withal is manD
That he goeth on an oder tear whenever that he canD
And like ye evil quatern or ye hills that skirt ye skiesF
Ye jag is reproductive and jags on jags ariseF
-
Whenas Aurora from ye east in dewy splendor hiedG
King Arthure dreemed he saw a snaix and ben on fire insideG
And waking from this hejeous dreeme he sate him up in bedG
What ho an absynthe cocktail knave and make it strong he saidG
Then looking down beside him lo his lady was not thereG
He called he searched but Goddis wounds he found her nonywhereG
And whiles he searched Sir Maligraunce rashed in wood wroth and criedG
Methinketh that ye straunger knyght hath snuck away my brideG
And whiles he spake a motley score of other knyghts brast inD
And filled ye royall chamber with a mickle fearfull dinD
For evereche one had lost his wiffe nor colde not spye ye sameJ
Nor colde not spye ye straunger knyght Sir Fivefeetten of nameJ
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Oh then and there was grevious lamentation all aroundeG
For nony dame nor damosel in Camelot ben foundG
Gone like ye forest leaves that speed afore ye autumn windG
Of all ye ladies of that court not one ben left behindG
Save only that same damosel ye straunger called ye crowG
And she allowed with moche regret she ben too lame to goG
And when that she had wept full sore to Arthure she confess'dG
That Guinevere had left this word for Arthure and ye restG
Tell them she quod we shall return to them whenas we've madeG
This little deal we have with ye Chicago Bourde of TradeG

Eugene Field



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