The Canterbury Tales; The Chanouns Yemannes Tale Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: A B B CDEEF FFGHH IIJJH HKKFF FFKKK KJJII EE IK KHH FFII IKFIJ FFJJI IFFHH H L LKFEE HH KK FFFKK EEIIM FFII NNFFK KI KK JJ FK KFF O FEEI JIIHH EEIIP PHHK EEHHF FEEEE II K FKFF JJKKF FQRNN FFKKII J JNJKPart | A |
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PROLOGUE TO THE CHANOUNS YEMANNES TALE | B |
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The prologe of the Chanouns yemannes tale | B |
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Whan ended was the lyf of seinte Cecile | C |
Er we hadde riden fully fyve mile | D |
At Boghtoun under Blee us gan atake | E |
A man that clothed was in clothes blake | E |
And undernethe he wered a whyt surplys | F |
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His hakeney which that was al pomely grys | F |
So swatte that it wonder was to see | F |
It wemed as he had priked miles thre | G |
The hors eek that his yeman rood upon | H |
So swatte that unnethe myghte it gon | H |
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Aboute the peytrel stood the foom ful hye | I |
He was of fome al flekked as a pye | I |
A male tweyfoold upon his croper lay | J |
It semed that he caried lite array | J |
Al light for somer rood this worthy man | H |
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And in myn herte wondren I bigan | H |
What that he was til that I understood | K |
How that his cloke was sowed to his hood | K |
For which whan I hadde longe avysed me | F |
I demed hym som Chanoun for to be | F |
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His hat heeng at his bak doun by a laas | F |
For he hadde riden moore than trot or paas | F |
He hadde ay priked lik as he were wood | K |
A clote leef he hadde under his hood | K |
For swoot and for to kepe his heed from heete | K |
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But it was joye for to seen hym swete | K |
His forheed dropped as a stillatorie | J |
Were ful of plantayne and of paritorie | J |
And whan that he was come he gan to crye | I |
'God save ' quod he 'this joly compaignye | I |
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Faste have I priked ' quod he 'for youre sake | E |
By cause that I wolde yow atake | E |
To riden in this myrie compaignye ' | - |
His Yeman eek was ful of curteisye | I |
And seyde 'Sires now in the morwe tyde | K |
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Out of youre hostelrie I saugh yow ryde | K |
And warned heer my lord and my soverayn | H |
Which that to ryden with yow is ful fayn | H |
For his desport he loveth daliaunce ' | - |
'Freend for thy warnyng God yeve thee good chaunce ' | - |
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Thanne seyde oure Hoost 'for certein it wolde seme | F |
Thy lord were wys and so I may wel deme | F |
He is ful jocunde also dar I leye | I |
Can he oght telle a myrie tale or tweye | I |
With which he glade may this compaignye ' | - |
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'Who sire my lord ye ye with outen lye | I |
He kan of murthe and eek of jolitee | K |
Nat but ynough also sire trusteth me | F |
And ye hym knewen as wel as do I | I |
Ye wolde wondre how wel and craftily | J |
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He koude werke and that in sondry wise | F |
He hath take on hym many a greet emprise | F |
Which were ful hard for any that is heere | J |
To brynge aboute but they of hym it leere | J |
As hoomly as he rit amonges yow | I |
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If ye hym knewe it wolde be for youre prow | I |
Ye wolde nat forgoon his aqueyntaunce | F |
For muchel good I dar leye in balaunce | F |
Al that I have in my possessioun | H |
He is a man of heigh discrecioun | H |
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I warne yow wel he is a passyng man ' | - |
'Wel ' quod oure Hoost 'I pray thee tel em than | H |
Is he a clerk or noon telle what he is ' | - |
'Nay he is gretter than a clerk ywis ' | - |
Seyde this Yeman 'and in wordes fewe | L |
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Hoost of his craft somwhat I wol yow shewe | L |
I seye my lord kan swich subtilitee | K |
But al his craft ye may nat wite for me | F |
And somwhat helpe I yet to his wirkyng | E |
That al this ground on which we been rydyng | E |
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Til that we come to Caunterbury toun | H |
He koude al clene turne it up so doun | H |
And pave ti al of silver and of gold ' | - |
And whan this Yeman hadde this tale ytold | K |
Unto oure Hoost he seyde 'Benedicitee | K |
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This thyng is wonder merveillous to me | F |
Syn that thy lord is of so heigh prudence | F |
By cause of which men sholde hym reverence | F |
That of his worship rekketh he so lite | K |
His overslope nys nat worth a myte | K |
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As in effect to hym so moot I go | E |
It is al baudy and to tore also | E |
Why is thy lord so sluttissh I the preye | I |
And is of power bettre clooth to beye | I |
If that his dede accorde with thy speche | M |
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Telle me that and that I thee biseche ' | - |
'Why ' quod this Yeman 'wherto axe ye me | F |
God help me so for he shal nevere thee | F |
But I wol nat avowe that I seye | I |
And therfore keepe it secree I yow preye | I |
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He is to wys in feith as I bileeve | N |
That that is overdoon it wol nat preeve | N |
Aright as clerkes seyn it is a vice | F |
Wherfore in that I holde hym lewed and nyce | F |
For whan a man hath over greet a wit | K |
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Ful oft hym happeth to mysusen it | K |
So dooth my lord and that me greveth soore | I |
God it amende I kan sey yow namoore ' | - |
'Therof no fors good Yeman ' quod oure Hoost | K |
'Syn of the konnyng of thy lord thow woost | K |
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Telle how he dooth I pray thee hertely | J |
Syn that he is so crafty and so sly | J |
Wher dwelle ye if it to telle be ' | - |
'In the suburbes of a toun ' quod he | F |
'Lurkynge in hernes and in lanes blynde | K |
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Where as thise robbours and thise theves by kynde | K |
Holden hir pryvee fereful residence | F |
As they that dar nat shewen hir presence | F |
So faren we if I shal seye the sothe ' | - |
'Now ' quod oure Hoost 'yit lat me talke to the | O |
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Why artow so discoloured of thy face ' | - |
'Peter ' quod he 'God yeve it harde grace | F |
I am so used in the fyr to blowe | E |
That it hath chaunged my colour I trowe | E |
I am nat wont in no mirrour to prie | I |
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But swynke soore and lerne multiplie | J |
We blondren evere and pouren in the fir | I |
And for al that we faille of oure desir | I |
For evere we lakke of oure conclusioun | H |
To muchel folk we doon illusioun | H |
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And borwe gold be it a pound or two | E |
Or ten or twelve or manye sommes mo | E |
And make hem wenen at the leeste weye | I |
That of a pound we koude make tweye | I |
Yet is it fals but ay we han good hope | P |
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It for to doon and after it we grope | P |
But that science is so fer us biforn | H |
We mowen nat although we hadden sworn | H |
It over take it slit awey so faste | K |
It wole us maken beggars atte laste ' | - |
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Whil this yeman was thus in his talkyng | E |
This Chanoun drough hym neer and herde al thyng | E |
Which this Yeman spak for suspecioun | H |
Of mennes speche evere hadde this Chanoun | H |
For Catoun seith that he that gilty is | F |
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Demeth alle thyng be spoke of hym ywis | F |
That was the cause he gan so ny hym drawe | E |
To his yeman to herknen al his sawe | E |
And thus he seyde unto his yeman tho | E |
'Hoold thou thy pees and spek no wordes mo | E |
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For it thou do thou shalt it deere abye | I |
Thou sclaundrest me heere in this compaignye | I |
And eek discoverest that thou sholdest hyde ' | - |
'Ye ' quod oure Hoost 'telle on what so bityde | K |
Of al his thretyng rekke nat a myte ' | - |
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'In feith ' quod he 'namoore I do but lyte ' | - |
And whan this Chanoun saugh it wolde nat bee | F |
But his Yeman wolde telle his pryvetee | K |
He fledde awey for verray sorwe and shame | F |
'A ' quod the Yeman 'heere shal arise game | F |
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Al that I kan anon now wol I telle | J |
Syn he is goon the foule feend hym quelle | J |
For nevere heer after wol I with hym meete | K |
For peny ne for pound I yow biheete | K |
He that me broghte first unto that game | F |
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Er that he dye sorwe have he and shame | F |
For it is ernest to me by my feith | Q |
That feele I wel what so any man seith | R |
And yet for al my smert and al my grief | N |
For al my sorwe labour and meschief | N |
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I koude never leve it in no wise | F |
Now wolde God my wit myghte suffise | F |
To tellen al that longeth to that art | K |
And nathelees yow wol I tellen part | K |
Syn that my lord is goon I wol nat spare | I |
Swich thyng as that I knowe I wol declare | I |
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Heere endeth the prologe of the Chanouns yemannes tale | J |
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After a lengthy account of the practice of alchemy by | J |
his master the yeoman tells how a priest is beguiled of | N |
his money by a certain canon through trickery of a hollow | J |
rod | K |
Geoffrey Chaucer
(1)
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