The Canterbury Tales; Prologue Poem Rhyme Scheme

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Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales; Prologue Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

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Whan that Aprille with hise shoures soote	A
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote	A
And bathed every veyne in swich licour	B
Of which vertu engendred is the flour	B
Whan Zephirus eek with his swete breeth	C
	-
Inspired hath in every holt and heeth	C
The tendre croppes and the yonge sonne	D
Hath in the Ram his halfe cours yronne	D
And smale foweles maken melodye	E
That slepen al the nyght with open eye	E
	-
So priketh hem Nature in hir corages	F
Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages	F
And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes	F
To ferne halwes kowthe in sondry londes	F
And specially from every shires ende	A
	-
Of Engelond to Caunturbury they wende	A
The hooly blisful martir for the seke	G
That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke	G
Bifil that in that seson on a day	A
In Southwerk at the Tabard as I lay	A
	-
Redy to wenden on my pilgrymage	H
To Caunterbury with ful devout corage	H
At nyght were come into that hostelrye	E
Wel nyne and twenty in a compaignye	E
Of sondry folk by aventure yfalle	A
	-
In felaweshipe and pilgrimes were they alle	A
That toward Caunterbury wolden ryde	A
The chambres and the stables weren wyde	A
And wel we weren esed atte beste	A
And shortly whan the sonne was to reste	A
	-
So hadde I spoken with hem everychon	D
That I was of hir felaweshipe anon	D
And made forward erly for to ryse	F
To take our wey ther as I yow devyse	F
But nathelees whil I have tyme and space	F
	-
Er that I ferther in this tale pace	F
Me thynketh it acordaunt to resoun	D
To telle yow al the condicioun	D
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	D
And at a knyght than wol I first bigynne	D
A knyght ther was and that a worthy man	D
That fro the tyme that he first bigan	D
To riden out he loved chivalrie	I
	-
Trouthe and honour fredom and curteisie	F
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	F
And evere honoured for his worthynesse	F
	-
At Alisaundre he was whan it was wonne	D
Ful ofte tyme he hadde the bord bigonne	D
Aboven alle nacions in Pruce	F
In Lettow hadde he reysed and in Ruce	F
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	E
At Lyeys was he and at Satalye	E
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	D
And foughten for oure feith at Tramyssene	D
In lystes thries and ay slayn his foo	J
This ilke worthy knyght hadde been also	F
Somtyme with the lord of Palatye	E
	-
Agayn another hethen in Turkye	E
And everemoore he hadde a sovereyn prys	F
And though that he were worthy he was wys	F
And of his port as meeke as is a mayde	A
He nevere yet no vileynye ne sayde	A
	-
In al his lyf unto no maner wight	A
He was a verray parfit gentil knyght	A
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	D
	-
Al bismotered with his habergeoun	D
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	F
Of twenty yeer of age he was I gesse	F
Of his stature he was of evene lengthe	C
And wonderly delyvere and of greet strengthe	C
And he hadde been somtyme in chyvachie	K
	-
In Flaundres in Artoys and Pycardie	A
And born hym weel as of so litel space	F
In hope to stonden in his lady grace	F
Embrouded was he as it were a meede	A
Al ful of fresshe floures whyte and reede	A
	-
Syngynge he was or floytynge al the day	A
He was as fressh as is the monthe of May	A
Short was his gowne with sleves longe and wyde	A
Wel koude he sitte on hors and faire ryde	A
He koude songes make and wel endite	A
	-
Juste and eek daunce and weel purtreye and write	A
So hoote he lovede that by nyghtertale	A
He slepte namoore than dooth a nyghtyngale	A
Curteis he was lowely and servysable	A
And carf biforn his fader at the table	A
	-
A Yeman hadde he and servantz namo	A
At that tyme for hym liste ride soo	F
And he was clad in cote and hood of grene	D
A sheef of pecok arwes bright and kene	D
Under his belt he bar ful thriftily	A
	-
Wel koude he dresse his takel yemanly	A
Hise arwes drouped noght with fetheres lowe	F
And in his hand he baar a myghty bowe	F
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	D
	-
An horn he bar the bawdryk was of grene	D
A Forster was he soothly as I gesse	F
Ther was also a Nonne a Prioresse	F
That of hir smylyng was ful symple and coy	G
Hir gretteste ooth was but by Seinte Loy	G
	-
And she was cleped Madame Eglentyne	D
Ful weel she soong the service dyvyne	D
Entuned in hir nose ful semely	G
And Frenssh she spak ful faire and fetisly	G
After the scole of Stratford atte Bowe	F
	-
For Frenssh of Parys was to hir unknowe	F
At mete wel ytaught was she withalle	G
She leet no morsel from hir lippes falle	G
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	A
In curteisie was set ful muche hir list	A
Hire over lippe wyped she so clene	D
That in hir coppe ther was no ferthyng sene	D
Of grece whan she dronken hadde hir draughte	A
	-
Ful semely after hir mete she raughte	A
And sikerly she was of greet desport	A
And ful plesaunt and amyable of port	A
And peyned hir to countrefete cheere	I
Of court and been estatlich of manere	I
	-
And to ben holden digne of reverence	F
But for to speken of hir conscience	F
She was so charitable and so pitous	F
She wolde wepe if that she saugh a mous	F
Kaught in a trappe if it were deed or bledde	A
	-
Of smale houndes hadde she that she fedde	A
	-
With rosted flessh or milk and wastel breed	A
But soore weep she if oon of hem were deed	A
Or if men smoot it with a yerde smerte	A
And al was conscience and tendre herte	A
	-
Ful semyly hir wympul pynched was	F
Hire nose tretys hir eyen greye as glas	F
Hir mouth ful smal and therto softe and reed	A
But sikerly she hadde a fair forheed	A
It was almoost a spanne brood I trowe	F
	-
For hardily she was nat undergrowe	F
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	D
An theron heng a brooch of gold ful sheene	D
	-
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	G
Ful many a deyntee hors hadde he in stable	G
And whan he rood men myghte his brydel heere	I
Gynglen in a whistlynge wynd als cleere	I
	-
And eek as loude as dooth the chapel belle	G
Ther as this lord was keper of the celle	G
The reule of Seint Maure or of Seint Beneit	A
Bycause that it was old and somdel streit	A
This ilke Monk leet olde thynges pace	F
	-
And heeld after the newe world the space	F
He yaf nat of that text a pulled hen	D
That seith that hunters beth nat hooly men	D
Ne that a monk whan he is recchelees	F
Is likned til a fissh that is waterlees	F
	-
This is to seyn a monk out of his cloystre	I
But thilke text heeld he nat worth an oystre	I
And I seyde his opinioun was good	A
What sholde he studie and make hymselven wood	A
Upon a book in cloystre alwey to poure	I
	-
Or swynken with his handes and laboure	I
As Austyn bit How shal the world be served	A
Lat Austyn have his swynk to him reserved	A
Therfore he was a prikasour aright	A
Grehoundes he hadde as swift as fowel in flight	A
	-
Of prikyng and of huntyng for the hare	I
Was al his lust for no cost wolde he spare	I
I seigh his sleves ypurfiled at the hond	A
With gry	I