A Complaint To His Lady Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCDEFGHIIJFKLIMDNOP QQKRSKQJLTUVPWJHQJKX YZHJFHHPHHHJJA2JB2VP HKHHHJUIC2HHHD2QHPJK QIHIQIE2F2HDJKHG2IH2 I2IIKH| In the long night when every creature should | A |
| naturally take some rest or else his life cannot long | B |
| hold out then it falls most into my woeful thoughts | C |
| how I have dropped so far behind that except death | D |
| nothing can comfort me so do I despair of all | E |
| happiness This thought remains with me until | F |
| morning and forth from morning until eve I need | G |
| borrow no grief I have both leisure and leave to | H |
| mourn There is no creature who will take my woe or | I |
| forbid me to weep enough and wail my fill the sore | I |
| spark of pain destroys me | J |
| This love has so placed me that he will never fulfill | F |
| my desire for neither pity mercy nor grace can I | K |
| find Yet even for fear of death can I not root out love | L |
| from my sorrowful heart The more I love the more | I |
| my lady pains me through which I see without | M |
| remedy that I may in no way escape death | D |
| Now in truth I will rehearse her name She is called | N |
| Goodness set in womanhood Staidness in youth | O |
| and Beauty without pride and Pleasure under | P |
| control and fear Her surname is Fair ruthless | Q |
| Wisdom knit to fortune Because I love her she slays | Q |
| me guiltless Her I love best and shall as long as I | K |
| live better an hundred thousand times than myself | R |
| better than all the riches and created beings of this world | S |
| Now has not Love bestowed me well to love where I | K |
| shall never have part or lot Alas so is Fortune's | Q |
| wheel turned for me so am I slain with Love's fiery | J |
| arrow I can only love her best my sweet foe Love | L |
| has taught me no more of his art than ever to serve | T |
| and cease for no sorrow | U |
| Within my true care worn heart there is so much | V |
| woe and so little joy as well that woe is me that ever | P |
| I was born For all that I desire I lack and all that | W |
| ever I would not have that in truth I ever find ready | J |
| to my hand And of all this I know not to whom to | H |
| complain for she who might bring me out of this | Q |
| cares not whether I weep or sing so little pities she | J |
| my pain Alas In sleeping time I wake when I | K |
| should dance I tremble with fear | X |
| This heavy life I lead for your sake though you pay | Y |
| no heed thereto my heart's lady all my life's queen | Z |
| For truly I dare say it as I see it I seems to methat | H |
| your sweet heart of steel is now whetted against me | J |
| too keenly My dear heart foe best beloved why will | F |
| you do me all this sorrow What have I done or said | H |
| to grieve you except that I serve and love you and | H |
| nobody else and as long as I live will ever | P |
| Therefore sweet be not displeased You are so good | H |
| and fair it would be a very great wonder if you did | H |
| not have suitors of all kinds both good and bad and | H |
| the least worthy of all I am he | J |
| Nevertheless my own sweet lady though I be | J |
| unskillful and unfit ever to serve your highness even | A2 |
| as best I knew how yet this I swear there is nobody | J |
| more glad than I to do your pleasure or to cure | B2 |
| whatever I know to distress you And had I as much | V |
| power as will then should you feel whether it were | P |
| so or not for in this world is no living being who | H |
| would more gladly fulfill your heart's desire For I | K |
| both love and fear you so sorely and ever must and | H |
| have done right long that none is better loved and | H |
| never shall be And yet I would only beg you to | H |
| believe me well and be not angry and let me | J |
| continue to serve you Lo this is all For I am not so | U |
| bold or mad as to desire that you should love me for | I |
| alas Well I know that may not be I have so little | C2 |
| worth and you so much For you are one of the most | H |
| excellent of the living and I the most unlikely to | H |
| prosper Yet for all this know you right well you | H |
| shall not so drive me from your service that I shall | D2 |
| not ever serve you faithfully with all my five wits | Q |
| whatever woe I feel For I am so set upon you that | H |
| though you never pity me I must love you and ever | P |
| be as true as any man living can be | J |
| The more I love you goodly and noble one the less I | K |
| find you love me Alas When will that obduracy | Q |
| soften Where now is all your womanly pity your | I |
| noble gentleness your graciousness Will you spend | H |
| nothing of it on me And as wholly as I am your | I |
| sweet and as great will I have to serve you if thus | Q |
| you let me die you have gained but little from it For | I |
| I believe I have given no cause And this I beseech | E2 |
| you heartily that if ever you find so long as you live | F2 |
| a servant more true to you than I then leave me and | H |
| boldly slay me and I will forgive you all my death | D |
| And if you find no truer man why will you allow me | J |
| to perish thus and for no type of guilt except my | K |
| good desire As good then be untrue as true | H |
| But to your will I submit my life and death and with | G2 |
| a fully obedient heart I pray do with me as is your | I |
| pleasure Much rather had I please you and die than | H2 |
| to think or say anything to offend you at any time | I2 |
| Therefore pity my bitter pains sweet and of your | I |
| grace grant me some drop for else neither hope nor | I |
| happiness may remain with me nor linger in my | K |
| troubled careworn heart | H |
Geoffrey Chaucer
(1)
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