The Canterbury Tales; Chaucer's Tale Of Sir Thopas Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: A B C DBEFFGG HBIBBBB A AJ G A B B AABAAB GBBBBB JJBJJB JJJJJJ BBABBA BBKBBK AAAALA AABAAB HHBHHB AMBAAB MMAMMA BBMBBM ABBBBB BBLJLL JJNJJNAJJA AAAAAABNN BBBALBOAA AAMBBM HHJHHJ BBABAA BBMBB JJNJJN BBAJJA LLABBA AAAAA BBAJJA BBABBAAAAA A ABBBBB BBMBBB AAABBA BBABBA BBAA B BBBP PBBJ AABBA A JBB BB| Part | A |
| - | |
| PROLOGUE TO CHAUCER'S TALE OF SIR THOPAS | B |
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| Bihoold the murye wordes of the Hoost to Chaucer | C |
| - | |
| Whan seyd was al this miracle every man | D |
| As sobre was that wonder was to se | B |
| Til that oure Hooste japen tho bigan | E |
| And thanne at erst he looked upon me | F |
| And seyde thus 'What man artow ' quod he | F |
| 'Thow lookest as thou woldest fynde an hare | G |
| For ever upon the ground I se thee stare | G |
| - | |
| Approche neer and looke up murily | H |
| Now war yow sires and lat this man have place | B |
| He in the waast is shape as wel as I | I |
| This were a popet in an arm tenbrace | B |
| For any womman smal and fair of face | B |
| He semeth elvyssh by his contenaunce | B |
| For unto no wight dooth he daliaunce | B |
| - | |
| Sey now somwhat syn oother folk han sayd | A |
| Telle us a tale of myrthe and that anon ' | - |
| 'Hooste ' quod I 'ne beth nat yvele apayed | A |
| For oother tale certes kan I noon | J |
| But of a ryme I lerned longe agoon ' | - |
| 'Ye that is good ' quod he 'now shul we heere | G |
| Som deyntee thyng me thynketh by his cheere ' | - |
| Part | A |
| - | |
| SIR THOPAS | B |
| - | |
| Heere bigynneth Chaucers tale of Thopas | B |
| - | |
| Listeth lordes in good entent | A |
| And I wol telle verrayment | A |
| Of myrthe and of solas | B |
| Al of a knyght was fair and gent | A |
| In bataille and in tourneyment | A |
| His name was Sir Thopas | B |
| - | |
| Yborn he was in fer contree | G |
| In Flaundres al biyonde the see | B |
| At Poperyng in the place | B |
| His fader was a man ful free | B |
| And lord he was of that contree | B |
| As it was Goddes grace | B |
| - | |
| Sir Thopas wax a doghty swayn | J |
| Whit was his face as payndemayn | J |
| Hise lippes rede as rose | B |
| His rode is lyk scarlet in grayn | J |
| And I yow telle in good certayn | J |
| He hadde a semely nose | B |
| - | |
| His heer his berd was lyk saffroun | J |
| That to his girdel raughte adoun | J |
| Hise shoon of Cordewane | J |
| Of Brugges were his hosen broun | J |
| His robe was of syklatoun | J |
| That coste many a jane | J |
| - | |
| He koude hunte at wilde deer | B |
| And ride an haukyng for river | B |
| With grey goshauk on honde | A |
| Therto he was a good archeer | B |
| Of wrastlyng was ther noon his peer | B |
| Ther any ram shal stonde | A |
| - | |
| Ful many a mayde bright in bour | B |
| They moorne for hym paramour | B |
| Whan hem were bet to slepe | K |
| But he was chaast and no lechour | B |
| And sweete as is the brembulflour | B |
| That bereth the rede hepe | K |
| - | |
| And so bifel upon a day | A |
| Frosothe as I yow telle may | A |
| Sir Thopas wolde out ride | A |
| He worth upon his steede gray | A |
| And in his hand a launcegay | L |
| A long swerd by his side | A |
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| The priketh thurgh a fair forest | A |
| Therinne is many a wilde best | A |
| Ye both bukke and hare | B |
| And as he priketh north and est | A |
| I telle it yow hym hadde almest | A |
| Bitidde a sory care | B |
| - | |
| Ther spryngen herbes grete and smale | H |
| The lycorys and cetewale | H |
| And many a clowe gylofre | B |
| And notemuge to putte in ale | H |
| Wheither it be moyste or stale | H |
| Or for to leye in cofre | B |
| - | |
| The briddes synge it is no nay | A |
| The sparhauk and the papejay | M |
| That joye it was to heere | B |
| The thrustelcok made eek hir lay | A |
| The wodedowve upon a spray | A |
| She sang ful loude and cleere | B |
| - | |
| Sir Thopas fil in love longynge | M |
| Al whan he herde the thrustel synge | M |
| And pryked as he were wood | A |
| His faire steede in his prikynge | M |
| So swatte that men myghte him wrynge | M |
| His sydes were al blood | A |
| - | |
| Sir Thopas eek so wery was | B |
| For prikyng on the softe gras | B |
| So fiers was his corage | M |
| That doun he leyde him in that plas | B |
| To make his steede som solas | B |
| And yaf hym good forage | M |
| - | |
| 'O seinte Marie benedicite | A |
| What eyleth this love at me | B |
| To bynde me so soore | B |
| Me dremed al this nyght pardee | B |
| An elf queene shal my lemman be | B |
| And slepe under my goore | B |
| - | |
| An elf queene wol I love ywis | B |
| For in this world no womman is | B |
| Worthy to be my make | L |
| In towne | J |
| Alle othere wommen I forsake | L |
| And to an elf queene I me take | L |
| By dale and eek by downe ' | - |
| - | |
| Into his sadel he clamb anon | J |
| And priketh over stile and stoon | J |
| An elf queene for tespye | N |
| Til he so longe hadde riden and goon | J |
| That he foond in a pryve woon | J |
| The contree of Fairye | N |
| So wilde | A |
| For in that contree was ther noon | J |
| That to him dorste ryde or goon | J |
| Neither wyf ne childe | A |
| - | |
| Til that ther cam a greet geaunt | A |
| His name was Sir Olifaunt | A |
| A perilous man of dede | A |
| He seyde 'Child by Termagaunt | A |
| But if thou prike out of myn haunt | A |
| Anon I sle thy steede | A |
| With mace | B |
| Heere is the queene of Fayerye | N |
| With harpe and pipe and symphonye | N |
| Dwellyng in this place ' | - |
| - | |
| The child seyde 'Also moote I thee | B |
| Tomorwe wol I meete with thee | B |
| Whan I have myn armoure | B |
| And yet I hope par ma fay | A |
| That thou shalt with this launcegay | L |
| Abyen it ful sowre | B |
| Thy mawe | O |
| Shal I percen if I may | A |
| Er it be fully pryme of day | A |
| For heere thow shalt be slawe ' | - |
| - | |
| Sir Thopas drow abak ful faste | A |
| This geant at hym stones caste | A |
| Out of a fel staf slynge | M |
| But faire escapeth Child Thopas | B |
| And al it was thurgh Goddes gras | B |
| And thurgh his fair berynge | M |
| - | |
| Yet listeth lordes to my tale | H |
| Murier than the nightyngale | H |
| For now I wol yow rowne | J |
| How Sir Thopas with sydes smale | H |
| Prikyng over hill and dale | H |
| Is comen agayn to towne | J |
| - | |
| His murie men comanded he | B |
| To make hym bothe game and glee | B |
| For nedes moste he fighte | A |
| With a geaunt with hevedes three | B |
| For paramour and jolitee | A |
| Of oon that shoon ful brighte | A |
| - | |
| 'Do come he seyde 'my mynstrales | B |
| And geestours for to tellen tales | B |
| Anon in myn armynge | M |
| Of romances that been roiales | B |
| Of Popes and of Cardinales | B |
| And eek of love likynge ' | - |
| - | |
| They fette hym first the sweete wyn | J |
| And mede eek in a mazelyn | J |
| And roial spicerye | N |
| And gyngebreed that was ful fyn | J |
| And lycorys and eek comyn | J |
| With sugre that is so trye | N |
| - | |
| He dide next his white leere | B |
| Of clooth of lake fyn and cleere | B |
| A breech and eek a sherte | A |
| And next his sherte an aketoun | J |
| And over that an haubergeoun | J |
| For percynge of his herte | A |
| - | |
| And over that a fyn hawberk | L |
| Was al ywroght of Jewes werk | L |
| Ful strong it was of plate | A |
| And over that his cote armour | B |
| As whit as is a lilye flour | B |
| In which he wol debate | A |
| - | |
| His sheeld was al of gold so reed | A |
| And therinne was a bores heed | A |
| A charbocle bisyde | A |
| And there he swoor on ale and breed | A |
| How that 'the geaunt shal be deed | A |
| Bityde what bityde ' | - |
| - | |
| Hise jambeux were of quyrboilly | B |
| His swerdes shethe of yvory | B |
| His helm of laton bright | A |
| His sadel was of rewel boon | J |
| His brydel as the sonne shoon | J |
| Or as the moone light | A |
| - | |
| His spere it was of fyn ciprees | B |
| That bodeth werre and no thyng pees | B |
| The heed ful sharpe ygrounde | A |
| His steede was al dappull gray | B |
| It gooth an ambil in the way | B |
| Ful softely and rounde | A |
| In londe | A |
| Loo lordes myne heere is a fit | A |
| If ye wol any moore of it | A |
| To telle it wol I fonde | A |
| - | |
| The Second Fit | A |
| - | |
| Now holde youre mouth par charitee | A |
| Bothe knyght and lady free | B |
| And herkneth to my spelle | B |
| Of batailles and of chivalry | B |
| And of ladyes love drury | B |
| Anon I wol yow telle | B |
| - | |
| Men speken of romances of prys | B |
| Of Hornchild and of Ypotys | B |
| Of Beves and Sir Gy | M |
| Of Sir Lybeux and Pleyndamour | B |
| But Sir Thopas he bereth the flour | B |
| Of roial chivalry | B |
| - | |
| His goode steede al he bistrood | A |
| And forth upon his wey he glood | A |
| As sparcle out of the bronde | A |
| Upon his creest he bar a tour | B |
| And therinne stiked a lilie flour | B |
| God shilde his cors fro shonde | A |
| - | |
| And for he was a knyght auntrous | B |
| He nolde slepen in noon hous | B |
| But liggen in his hoode | A |
| His brighte helm was his wonger | B |
| And by hym baiteth his dextrer | B |
| Of herbes fyne and goode | A |
| - | |
| Hym self drank water of the well | B |
| As dide the knyght sir Percyvell | B |
| So worly under wede | A |
| Til on a day | A |
| - | |
| Heere the Hoost stynteth Chaucer of his Tale of Thopas | B |
| - | |
| 'Na moore of this for Goddes dignitee ' | - |
| Quod oure hooste 'for thou makest me | B |
| So wery of thy verray lewednesse | B |
| That also wisly God my soule blesse | B |
| Min eres aken of thy drasty speche | P |
| - | |
| Now swich a rym the devel I biteche | P |
| This may wel be rym dogerel ' quod he | B |
| 'Why so ' quod I 'why wiltow lette me | B |
| Moore of my tale than another man | J |
| Syn that it is the beste tale I kan ' | - |
| - | |
| 'By God ' quod he 'for pleynly at a word | A |
| Thy drasty rymyng is nat worth a toord | A |
| Thou doost noght elles but despendest tyme | B |
| Sir at o word thou shalt no lenger ryme | B |
| Lat se wher thou kanst tellen aught in geeste | A |
| - | |
| Or telle in prose somwhat at the leeste | A |
| In which ther be som murthe or som doctryne ' | - |
| 'Gladly ' quod I 'by Goddes sweete pyne | J |
| I wol yow telle a litel thyng in prose | B |
| That oghte liken yow as I suppose | B |
| - | |
| Or elles certes ye been to daungerous | B |
| It is a moral tale | B |
Geoffrey Chaucer
(1)
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About The Canterbury Tales; Chaucer's Tale Of Sir Thopas
The Canterbury Tales; Chaucer's Tale Of Sir Thopas is a poem by Geoffrey Chaucer. This page includes the poem text, poet information, related topics, comments, and similar poems.
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