The Canterbury Tales Poem Rhyme Scheme

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Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

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PROLOGUE	A
	-
Here bygynneth the Book of the tales of Caunterbury	B
	-
Whan that Aprille with hise shoures soote	C
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote	C
And bathed every veyne in swich licour	B
Of which vertu engendred is the flour	B
Whan Zephirus eek with his swete breeth	D
	-
Inspired hath in every holt and heeth	D
The tendre croppes and the yonge sonne	E
Hath in the Ram his halfe cours yronne	E
And smale foweles maken melodye	F
That slepen al the nyght with open eye	F
	-
So priketh hem Nature in hir corages	G
Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages	G
And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes	G
To ferne halwes kowthe in sondry londes	G
And specially from every shires ende	C
	-
Of Engelond to Caunturbury they wende	C
The hooly blisful martir for the seke	A
That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke	A
Bifil that in that seson on a day	C
In Southwerk at the Tabard as I lay	C
	-
Redy to wenden on my pilgrymage	H
To Caunterbury with ful devout corage	H
At nyght were come into that hostelrye	F
Wel nyne and twenty in a compaignye	F
Of sondry folk by aventure yfalle	C
	-
In felaweshipe and pilgrimes were they alle	C
That toward Caunterbury wolden ryde	C
The chambres and the stables weren wyde	C
And wel we weren esed atte beste	C
And shortly whan the sonne was to reste	C
	-
So hadde I spoken with hem everychon	E
That I was of hir felaweshipe anon	E
And made forward erly for to ryse	G
To take our wey ther as I yow devyse	G
But nathelees whil I have tyme and space	G
	-
Er that I ferther in this tale pace	G
Me thynketh it acordaunt to resoun	E
To telle yow al the condicioun	E
Of ech of hem so as it semed me	I
And whiche they weren and of what degree	I
	-
And eek in what array that they were inne	E
And at a knyght than wol I first bigynne	E
A knyght ther was and that a worthy man	E
That fro the tyme that he first bigan	E
To riden out he loved chivalrie	I
	-
Trouthe and honour fredom and curteisie	G
Ful worthy was he in his lordes werre	I
	-
And therto hadde he riden no man ferre	I
As wel in Cristendom as in Hethenesse	G
And evere honoured for his worthynesse	G
	-
At Alisaundre he was whan it was wonne	E
Ful ofte tyme he hadde the bord bigonne	E
Aboven alle nacions in Pruce	G
In Lettow hadde he reysed and in Ruce	G
No cristen man so ofte of his degree	I
	-
In Gernade at the seege eek hadde he be	I
Of Algezir and riden in Belmarye	F
At Lyeys was he and at Satalye	F
Whan they were wonne and in the Grete See	I
At many a noble arive hadde he be	I
	-
At mortal batailles hadde he been fiftene	E
And foughten for oure feith at Tramyssene	E
In lystes thries and ay slayn his foo	J
This ilke worthy knyght hadde been also	G
Somtyme with the lord of Palatye	F
	-
Agayn another hethen in Turkye	F
And everemoore he hadde a sovereyn prys	G
And though that he were worthy he was wys	G
And of his port as meeke as is a mayde	C
He nevere yet no vileynye ne sayde	C
	-
In al his lyf unto no maner wight	C
He was a verray parfit gentil knyght	C
But for to tellen yow of his array	I
His hors weren goode but he was nat gay	I
Of fustian he wered a gypoun	E
	-
Al bismotered with his habergeoun	E
For he was late ycome from his viage	H
And wente for to doon his pilgrymage	H
With hym ther was his sone a yong Squier	I
A lovyere and a lusty bacheler	I
	-
With lokkes crulle as they were leyd in presse	G
Of twenty yeer of age he was I gesse	G
Of his stature he was of evene lengthe	D
And wonderly delyvere and of greet strengthe	D
And he hadde been somtyme in chyvachie	K
	-
In Flaundres in Artoys and Pycardie	C
And born hym weel as of so litel space	G
In hope to stonden in his lady grace	G
Embrouded was he as it were a meede	C
Al ful of fresshe floures whyte and reede	C
	-
Syngynge he was or floytynge al the day	C
He was as fressh as is the monthe of May	C
Short was his gowne with sleves longe and wyde	C
Wel koude he sitte on hors and faire ryde	C
He koude songes make and wel endite	C
	-
Juste and eek daunce and weel purtreye and write	C
So hoote he lovede that by nyghtertale	C
He slepte namoore than dooth a nyghtyngale	C
Curteis he was lowely and servysable	C
And carf biforn his fader at the table	C
	-
A Yeman hadde he and servantz namo	C
At that tyme for hym liste ride soo	G
And he was clad in cote and hood of grene	E
A sheef of pecok arwes bright and kene	E
Under his belt he bar ful thriftily	C
	-
Wel koude he dresse his takel yemanly	C
Hise arwes drouped noght with fetheres lowe	G
And in his hand he baar a myghty bowe	G
A not heed hadde he with a broun visage	H
Of woodecraft wel koude he al the usage	H
	-
Upon his arm he baar a gay bracer	I
And by his syde a swerd and a bokeler	I
And on that oother syde a gay daggere	I
Harneised wel and sharpe as point of spere	I
A Cristophere on his brest of silver sheene	E
	-
An horn he bar the bawdryk was of grene	E
A Forster was he soothly as I gesse	G
Ther was also a Nonne a Prioresse	G
That of hir smylyng was ful symple and coy	A
Hir gretteste ooth was but by Seinte Loy	A
	-
And she was cleped Madame Eglentyne	E
Ful weel she soong the service dyvyne	E
Entuned in hir nose ful semely	A
And Frenssh she spak ful faire and fetisly	A
After the scole of Stratford atte Bowe	G
	-
For Frenssh of Parys was to hir unknowe	G
At mete wel ytaught was she withalle	A
She leet no morsel from hir lippes falle	A
Ne wette hir fyngres in hir sauce depe	L
Wel koude she carie a morsel and wel kepe	L
	-
That no drope ne fille upon hir brist	C
In curteisie was set ful muche hir list	C
Hire over lippe wyped she so clene	E
That in hir coppe ther was no ferthyng sene	E
Of grece whan she dronken hadde hir draughte	C
	-
Ful semely after hir mete she raughte	C
And sikerly she was of greet desport	C
And ful plesaunt and amyable of port	C
And peyned hir to countrefete cheere	I
Of court and been estatlich of manere	I
	-
And to ben holden digne of reverence	G
But for to speken of hir conscience	G
She was so charitable and so pitous	G
She wolde wepe if that she saugh a mous	G
Kaught in a trappe if it were deed or bledde	C
	-
Of smale houndes hadde she that she fedde	C
	-
With rosted flessh or milk and wastel breed	C
But soore weep she if oon of hem were deed	C
Or if men smoot it with a yerde smerte	C
And al was conscience and tendre herte	C
	-
Ful semyly hir wympul pynched was	G
Hire nose tretys hir eyen greye as glas	G
Hir mouth ful smal and therto softe and reed	C
But sikerly she hadde a fair forheed	C
It was almoost a spanne brood I trowe	G
	-
For hardily she was nat undergrowe	G
Ful fetys was hir cloke as I was war	I
Of smal coral aboute hir arm she bar	I
A peire of bedes gauded al with grene	E
An theron heng a brooch of gold ful sheene	E
	-
On which ther was first write a crowned A '	-
And after Amor vincit omnia '	-
Another Nonne with hir hadde she	K
That was hire Chapeleyne and preestes thre	I
A Monk ther was a fair for the maistrie	I
	-
An outridere that lovede venerie	I
A manly man to been an abbot able	A
Ful many a deyntee ho	G