The Canterbury Tales; The Phisiciens Tale Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: A B B CCCCD DACCC EEAAF FAAGG CCCCA AC HH AAEEE CAAAC FFCAC CEIFF CCCCC CHCCC AAHHC CCCCC DDCCC CAACC JJAAF FAAFF CCCIC CKKHH AACCC CAACC AAFFG GFFCC FF AAA AAA F AAAAC AFFFF AACCA ACCCC GGCCG GAAEE GGCCG GCCC CCG G GGGCC EGEED DHH G EPart | A |
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THE PHISICIENS TALE | B |
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Heere folweth the Phisiciens tale | B |
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Ther was as telleth Titus Livius | C |
A knyght that called was Virginius | C |
Fulfild of honour and of worthynesse | C |
And strong of freendes and of greet richesse | C |
This knyght a doghter hadde by his wyf | D |
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No children hadde he mo in al his lyf | D |
Fair was this mayde in excellent beautee | A |
Aboven every wight that man may see | C |
For Nature hath with sovereyn diligence | C |
Yformed hir in so greet excellence | C |
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As though she wolde seyn 'Lo I Nature | E |
Thus kan I forme and peynte a creature | E |
Whan that me list who kan me countrefete | A |
Pigmalion noght though he ay forge and bete | A |
Or grave or peynte for I dar wel seyn | F |
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Apelles Zanzis sholde werche in veyn | F |
Outher to grave or peynte or forge or bete | A |
If they presumed me to countrefete | A |
For He that is the former principal | G |
Hath maked me his vicaire general | G |
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To forme and peynten erthely creaturis | C |
Right as me list and ech thyng in my cure is | C |
Under the Moone that may wane and waxe | C |
And for my werk right nothyng wol I axe | C |
My lord and I been ful of oon accord | A |
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I made hir to the worship of my lord | A |
So do I alle myne othere creatures | C |
What colour that they han or what figures ' | - |
Thus semeth me that Nature wolde seye | H |
This mayde of age twelf yeer was and tweye | H |
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Is which that Nature hadde swich delit | A |
For right as she kan peynte a lilie whit | A |
And reed a rose right with swich peynture | E |
She peynted hath this noble creature | E |
Er she were born upon hir lymes fre | E |
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Where as by right swiche colours sholde be | C |
And Phebus dyed hath hir treses grete | A |
Lyk to the stremes of his burned heete | A |
And if that excellent was hir beautee | A |
A thousand foold moore vertuous was she | C |
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In hire ne lakked no condicioun | F |
That is to preyse as by discrecioun | F |
As wel in goost as body chast was she | C |
For which she floured in virginitee | A |
With alle humylitee and abstinence | C |
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With alle attemperaunce and pacience | C |
With mesure eek of beryng and array | E |
Discreet she was in answeryng alway | I |
Though she were wise Pallas dar I seyn | F |
Hir facound eek ful wommanly and pleyn | F |
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No countrefeted termes hadde she | C |
To seme wys but after hir degree | C |
She spak and alle hir wordes moore and lesse | C |
Sownynge in vertu and in gentillesse | C |
Shamefast she was in maydens shamefastnesse | C |
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Constant in herte and evere in bisynesse | C |
To dryve hir out of ydel slogardye | H |
Bacus hadde of hire mouth right no maistrie | C |
For wyn and youthe dooth Venus encresse | C |
As man in fyr wol casten oille or greesse | C |
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And of hir owene vertu unconstreyned | A |
She hath ful ofte tyme syk hir feyned | A |
For that she wolde fleen the compaignye | H |
Wher likly was to treten of folye | H |
As is at feestes revels and at daunces | C |
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That been occasions of daliaunces | C |
Swich thynges maken children for to be | C |
To soone rype and boold as men may se | C |
Which is ful perilous and hath been yoore | C |
For al to soone may they lerne loore | C |
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Of booldnesse whan she woxen is a wyf | D |
And ye maistresses in youre olde lyf | D |
That lordes doghtres han in governaunce | C |
Ne taketh of my wordes no displesaunce | C |
Thenketh that ye been set in governynges | C |
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Of lordes doghtres oonly for two thynges | C |
Outher for ye han kept youre honestee | A |
Or elles ye han falle in freletee | A |
And knowen wel ynough the olde daunce | C |
And han forsaken fully swich meschaunce | C |
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For everemo therfore for Cristes sake | J |
To teche hem vertu looke that ye ne slake | J |
A theef of venysoun that hath forlaft | A |
His likerousnesse and al his olde craft | A |
Kan kepe a forest best of any man | F |
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Now kepeth wel for if ye wole ye kan | F |
Looke wel that ye unto no vice assente | A |
Lest ye be dampned for your wikke entente | A |
For who so dooth a traitour is certeyn | F |
And taketh kepe of that that I shal seyn | F |
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Of alle tresons sovereyn pestilence | C |
Is whan a wight bitrayseth innocence | C |
Ye fadres and ye moodres eek also | C |
Though ye han children be it oon or two | I |
Youre is the charge of al hir surveiaunce | C |
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Whil that they been under youre governaunce | C |
Beth war if by ensample of youre lyvynge | K |
Or by youre necligence in chastisynge | K |
That they perisse for I dar wel seye | H |
If that they doon ye shul it deere abeye | H |
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Under a shepherde softe and necligent | A |
The wolf hath many a sheep and lamb to rent | A |
Suffyseth oon ensample now as here | C |
For I moot turne agayn to my mateere | C |
This mayde of which I wol this tale expresse | C |
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So kepte hirself hir neded no maistresse | C |
For in hir lyvyng maydens myghten rede | A |
As in a book every good word or dede | A |
That longeth to a mayden vertuous | C |
She was so prudent and so bountevous | C |
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For which the fame out sprong on every syde | A |
Bothe of hir beautee and hir bountee wyde | A |
That thurgh that land they preised hire echone | F |
That loved vertu save encye allone | F |
That sory is of oother mennes wele | G |
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And glad is of his sorwe and his unheele | G |
The doctour maketh this descripcioun | F |
This mayde upon a day wente in the toun | F |
Toward a temple with hir mooder deere | C |
As is of yonge maydens the namere | C |
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Now was ther thanne a justice in that toun | F |
That governour was of that regioun | F |
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And so bifel this juge hise eyen caste | A |
Upon this mayde avysynge hym ful faste | A |
As she cam forby ther as this juge stood | A |
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Anon his herte chaunged and his mood | A |
So was he caught with beautee of this mayde | A |
And to hymself ful pryvely he sayde | A |
'This mayde shal be myn for any man ' | - |
Anon the feend into his herte ran | F |
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And taughte hym sodeynly that he by slyghte | A |
The mayden to his purpos wynne myghte | A |
For certes by no force ne by no meede | A |
Hym thoughte he was nat able for to speede | A |
For she was strong of freends and eek she | C |
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Confermed was in swich soverayn bountee | A |
That wel he wiste he myghte hir nevere wynne | F |
As for to maken hir with hir body synne | F |
For which by greet deliberacioun | F |
He sente after a cherl was in the toun | F |
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Which that he knew for subtil and for boold | A |
This Juge unto this cherl his tale hath toold | A |
In secree wise and made hym to ensure | C |
He sholde telle it to no creature | C |
And if he dide he sholde lese his heed | A |
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Whan that assented was this cursed reed | A |
Glad was this juge and maked him greet cheere | C |
And yaf hym yiftes preciouse and deere | C |
Whan shapen was al hir conspiracie | C |
Fro point to point how that his lecherie | C |
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Parfourned sholde been ful subtilly | G |
As ye shul heere it after openly | G |
Hoom gooth the cherl that highte Claudius | C |
This false juge that highte Apius | C |
So was his name for this is no fable | G |
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But knowen for historial thyng notable | G |
The sentence of it sooth is out of doute | A |
This false juge gooth now faste aboute | A |
To hasten his delit al that he may | E |
And so bifel soone after on a day | E |
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This false juge as telleth us the storie | G |
As he was wont sat in his consistorie | G |
And yaf his doomes upon sondry cas | C |
This false cherl cam forth a ful greet pas | C |
And seyde 'Lord if that it be youre wille | G |
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As dooth me right upon this pitous bille | G |
In which I pleyne upon Virginius | C |
And if that he wol seyn it is nat thus | C |
I wol it preeve and fynde good witnesse | C |
That sooth is that my bille wol expresse ' | - |
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The juge answerde 'Of this in his absence | C |
I may nat yeve diffynytyve sentence | C |
Lat do hym calle and I wol gladly heere | G |
Thou shalt have al right and no wrong heere ' | - |
Virginius cam to wite the juges wille | G |
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And right anon was rad this cursed bille | G |
The sentence of it was as ye shul heere | G |
'To yow my lord Sire Apius so deere | G |
Sheweth youre povre servant Claudius | C |
How that a knyght called Virginius | C |
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Agayns the lawe agayn al equitee | E |
Holdeth expres agayn the wyl of me | G |
My servant which that is my thral by right | E |
Which fro myn hous was stole upon a nyght | E |
Whil that she was ful yong this wol I preeve | D |
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By witnesse lord so that it nat yow greeve | D |
She nys his doghter nat what so he seye | H |
Wherfore to yow my lord the Juge I preye | H |
Yeld me my thral if that it be youre wille ' | - |
Lo this was al the sentence of his bille | G |
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Virginius gan upon the cherl biholde | E |
But h | - |
Geoffrey Chaucer
(1)
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