The Canterbury Tales; The Maunciples Tale Poem Rhyme Scheme

Recent Interactions*

This poem was read 6 times,

This poem was added to the favorite list by 0 members,

This poem was voted by 0 members.

(* Interactions only in the last 7 days)

New Poems

Wonderful Women
by Umaru Kanneh Boima
Freedom To Scratch In Peace
by Olute Aete
Happy New Year
by Felix Menda
Human Beings
by Dana Graslie
Lust
by Wisdom Greatness
An Isolated Tree's Song
by Sayeed Abubakar
A Strange Boy
by Sayeed Abubakar
O Soil
by Sayeed Abubakar
No War, No War-monger
by Sayeed Abubakar
Night's Town
by Sayeed Abubakar

Popular Poets

1. Emily Dickinson(2414 poems)
2. Madison Julius Cawein(1231 poems)
3. Ella Wheeler Wilcox(1136 poems)
4. William Wordsworth(1016 poems)
5. Robert Burns(986 poems)
6. Edgar Albert Guest(945 poems)
7. Thomas Moore(849 poems)
8. Robert Service(831 poems)

Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales; The Maunciples Tale Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Write your comment about The Canterbury Tales; The Maunciples Tale poem by Geoffrey Chaucer

Recent Interactions*

New Poems

Popular Poets

Part	A
	-
	-
PROLOGUE TO THE MAUNCIPLES TALE	B
	-
Heere folweth the Prologe of the Maunciples tale	B
	-
Woot ye nat where ther stant a litel toun	C
Which that ycleped is Bobbe up and doun	C
Under the Blee in Caunterbury weye	D
Ther gan oure Hooste for to jape and pleye	D
And seyde 'Sires what Dun is in the Myre	E
	-
Is ther no man for preyere ne for hyre	E
That wole awake oure felawe al bihynde	A
A theef myghte hym ful lightly robbe and bynde	A
See how he nappeth see how for Cokkes bones	F
That he wol falle fro his hors atones	F
	-
Is that a Cook of London with meschaunce	F
Do hym com forth he knoweth his penaunce	F
For he shal telle a tale by my fey	G
Although it be nat worth a botel hey	G
Awake thou Cook ' quod he 'God yeve thee sorwe	H
	-
What eyleth thee to slepe by the morwe	H
Hastow had fleen al nyght or artow dronke	I
Or hastow with som quene al nyght yswonke	I
So that thow mayst nat holden up thyn heed '	-
This Cook that was ful pale and no thyng reed	A
	-
Seyde to oure Hoost 'So God my soule blesse	F
As ther is falle on me swich hevynesse	F
Noot I nat why that me were levere slepe	J
Than the beste galon wyn in Chepe '	-
'Wel ' quod the Maunciple 'if it may doon ese	F
	-
To thee Sire Cook and to no wight displese	F
Which that heere rideth in this compaignye	D
And that oure Hoost wole of his curteisye	D
I wol as now excuse thee of thy tale	B
For in good feith thy visage is ful pale	B
	-
Thyne eyen daswen eek as that me thynketh	K
And wel I woot thy breeth ful soure stynketh	K
That sheweth wel thou art nat wel disposed	A
Of me certeyn thou shalt nat been yglosed	A
See how he ganeth lo this dronken wight	A
	-
As though he wolde swolwe us anonright	A
Hoold cloos thy mouth man by thy fader kyn	C
The devel of helle sette his foot therin	C
Thy cursed breeth infecte wole us alle	B
Fy stynkyng swyn fy foule moothe thou falle	B
	-
A taketh heede sires of this lusty man	C
Now sweete sire wol ye justen atte fan	C
Therto me thynketh ye been wel yshape	J
I trowe that ye dronken han wyn ape	J
And that is whan men pleyen with a straw '	-
	-
And with this speche the Cook wax wrooth and wraw	E
And on the Manciple he gan nodde faste	A
For lakke of speche and doun the hors hym caste	A
Where as he lay til that men up hym took	I
This was a fair chyvachee of a Cook	I
	-
Allas he nadde holde hym by his ladel	B
And er that he agayn were in his sadel	B
Ther was greet showvyng bothe to and fro	E
To lifte hym up and muchel care and wo	E
So unweeldy was this sory palled goost	A
	-
And to the Manciple thanne spak oure hoost	A
'By cause drynke hath dominacioun	C
Upon this man by my savacioun	C
I trowe he lewedly wolde telle his tale	B
For were it wyn or oold or moysty ale	B
	-
That he hath dronke he speketh in his nose	F
And fneseth faste and eek he hath the pose	F
He hath also to do moore than ynough	G
To kepen hym and his capul out of slough	G
And if he falle from his capul eftsoone	C
	-
Thanne shal we alle have ynogh to doone	C
In liftyng up his hevy dronken cors	F
Telle on thy tale of hym make I no fors	F
But yet Manciple in feith thou art to nyce	F
Thus openly repreve hym of his vice	F
	-
Another day he wole peraventure	E
Reclayme thee and brynge thee to lure	E
I meene he speke wole of smale thynges	F
As for to pynchen at thy rekenynges	F
That were nat honeste if it cam to preef '	-
	-
'No ' quod the Manciple 'that were a greet mescheef	G
So myghte he lightly brynge me in the snare	E
Yet hadde I levere payen for the mare	E
Which that he rit on than he sholde with me stryve	G
I wol nat wratthen hym al so moot I thryve	G
	-
That that I speke I seyde it in my bourde	A
And wite ye what I have heer in a gourde	A
A draghte of wyn ye of a ripe grape	J
And right anon ye shul seen a good jape	J
This Cook shal drynke therof if that I may	G
	-
Up peyne of deeth he wol nat seye me nat '	-
And certeynly to tellen as it was	F
Of this vessel the Cook drank faste allas	F
What neded hym he drank ynough biforn	C
And whan he hadde pouped in this horn	C
	-
To the Manciple he took the gourde agayn	C
And of that drynke the Cook was wonder fayn	C
And thanked hym in swich wise as he koude	A
Thanne gan oure Hoost to laughen wonder loude	A
And seyde 'I se wel it is necessarie	E
	-
Where that we goon that drynke we with us carie	E
For that wol turne rancour and disese	F
Tacord and love and many a wrong apese	F
O thou Bacus yblessed be thy name	L
That so kanst turnen ernest into game	L
	-
Worship and thank be to thy deitee	A
Of that mateere ye gete namoore of me	E
Telle on thy tale Manciple I thee preye '	-
'Wel sire ' quod he 'now herkneth what I seye '	-
	-
THE MAUNCIPLES TALE	B
	-
Heere bigynneth the Maunciples tale of the Crowe	E
	-
Whan Phebus dwelled heere in this world adoun	C
As olde bookes maken mencioun	C
He was the mooste lusty bachiler	E
In al this world and eek the beste archer	E
He slow Phitoun the serpent as he lay	G
	-
Slepynge agayn the sonne upon a day	G
And many another noble worthy dede	A
He with his bowe wroghte as men may rede	A
Pleyen he koude on every mynstralcie	F
And syngen that it was a melodie	A
	-
To heeren of his cleere voys the soun	C
Certes the kyng of Thebes Amphioun	C
That with his syngyng walled that citee	A
Koude nevere syngen half so wel as hee	E
Therto he was the semelieste man	C
	-
That is or was sith that the world bigan	C
What nedeth it hise fetures to discryve	G
For in this world was noon so fair on lyve	G
He was therwith fulfild of gentillesse	F
Of honour and of parfit worthynesse	F
	-
This Phebus that was flour of bachilrie	E
As wel in fredom as in chivalrie	E
For his desport in signe eek of victorie	E
Of Phitoun so as telleth us the storie	E
Was wont to beren in his hand a bowe	E
	-
Now hadde this Phebus in his hous a crowe	E
Which in a cage he fostred many a day	A
And taughte it speken as men teche a jay	A
Whit was this crowe as is a snow whit swan	C
And countrefete the speche of every man	C
	-
He koude whan he sholde telle a tale	B
Therwith in al this world no nyghtngale	B
Ne koude by an hondred thousand deel	B
Syngen so wonder myrily and weel	B
Now hadde this Phebus in his hous a wyf	G
	-
Which that he lovede moore than his lyf	G
And nyght and day dide evere his diligence	F
Hir for to plese and doon hire reverence	F
Save oonly if the sothe that I shal sayn	C
Jalous he was and wolde have kept hire fayn	C
	-
For hym were looth byjaped for to be	E
And so is every wight in swich degree	E
But al in ydel for it availleth noght	A
A good wyf that is clene of werk and thoght	A
Sholde nat been kept in noon awayt certayn	C
	-
And trewely the labour is in vayn	C
To kepe a shrewe for it wol nat bee	E
This holde I for a verray nycetee	A
To spille labour for to kepe wyves	F
Thus writen olde clerkes in hir lyves	F
	-
But now to purpos as I first bigan	C
This worthy Phebus dooth al that he kan	C
To plesen hir wenynge that swich plesaunce	F
And for his manhede and his governaunce	F
That no man sholde han put hym from hire grace	F
	-
But God it woot ther may no man embrace	F
As to destreyne a thyng which that nature	E
Hath natureelly set in a creature	E
Taak any bryd and put it in a cage	M
And do al thyn entente and thy corage	M
	-
To fostre it tendrely with mete and drynke	I
Of alle deyntees that thou kanst bithynke	I
And keepe it al so clenly as thou may	A
Al though his cage of gold be nevere so gay	A
Yet hath this bryd by twenty thousand foold	A
	-
Levere in a forest that is rude and coold	A
Goon ete wormes and swich wrecchednesse	F
For evere this bryd wol doon his bisynesse	F
To escape out of his cage whan he may	A
His libertee this bryd desireth ay	A
	-
Lat take a cat and fostre hym wel with milk	I
And tendre flessh and make his couche of silk	I
And lat hym seen a mous go by the wal	B
Anon he weyveth milk and flessh and al	B
And every deyntee that is in that hous	F
	-
Swich appetit he hath to ete a mous	F
Lo heere hath lust his dominacioun	C
And appetit fleemeth discrecioun	C
A she wolf hath also a vileyns kynde	A
The lewedeste wolf that she may fynde	A
	-
Or leest of reputacioun wol she take	I
In tyme whan hir lust to han a make	I
Alle thise ensamples speke I by thise men	C
That been untrewe and no thyng by wommen	C
For men han evere a likerous appetit	A
	-
On lower thyng to parf	G