The Canterbury Tales; The Reves Tale Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: A A BCDDE EDDDD FFGHC CCCIJ KKAAL LMMCC DDNNL LLLLL OOI M MDDPP OOL E EEEII LLMMM INIL D A A MMLLH H CJD IIMMI ILL J DDDDC CCCOO ENNI ID II D CDPROLOGUE TO THE REVES TALE | A |
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The prologe of the Reves Tale | A |
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Whan folk hadde laughen at this nyce cas | B |
Of Absolon and hende Nicholas | C |
Diverse folk diversely they seyde | D |
But for the moore part they loughe and pleyde | D |
Ne at this tale I saugh no man hym greve | E |
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But it were oonly Osewold the Reve | E |
Bycause he was of carpenteres craft | D |
A litel ire is in his herte ylaft | D |
He gan to grucche and blamed it a lite | D |
'So theek ' quod he 'ful wel koude I you quite | D |
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With bleryng of a proud milleres eye | F |
If that me liste speke of ribaudye | F |
But ik am oold me list no pley for age | G |
Gras tyme is doon my fodder is now forage | H |
This white top writeth myne olde yeris | C |
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Myn herte is also mowled as myne heris | C |
But if I fare as dooth an openers | C |
That ilke fruyt is ever leng the wers | C |
Til it be roten in mullok or in stree | I |
We olde men I drede so fare we | J |
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Til we be roten kan we nat be rype | K |
We hoppen ay whil that the world wol pype | K |
For in oure wyl ther stiketh evere a nayl | A |
To have an hoor heed and a grene tayl | A |
As hath a leek for thogh oure myght be goon | L |
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Oure wyl desireth folie evere in oon | L |
For whan we may nat doon than wol we speke | M |
Yet in oure asshen olde is fyr yreke | M |
Foure gleedes han we whiche I shal devyse | C |
Avauntyng liyng anger coveitise | C |
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Thise foure sparkles longen unto eelde | D |
Oure olde lemes mowe wel been unweelde | D |
But wyl ne shal nat faillen that is sooth | N |
And yet ik have alwey a coltes tooth | N |
As many a yeer as it is passed henne | L |
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Syn that my tappe of lif bigan to renne | L |
For sikerly whan I was bore anon | L |
Deeth drough the tappe of lyf and leet it gon | L |
And ever sithe hath so the tappe yronne | L |
Til that almoost al empty is the tonne | L |
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The streem of lyf now droppeth on the chymbe | O |
The sely tonge may wel rynge and chymbe | O |
Of wrecchednesse that passed is ful yoore | I |
With olde folk save dotage is namoore ' | - |
Whan that oure Hoost hadde herd this sermonyng | M |
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He gan to speke as lordly as a kyng | M |
He seide 'What amounteth al this wit | D |
What shul we speke alday of hooly writ | D |
The devel made a reve for to preche | P |
And of a soutere shipman or a leche | P |
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Sey forth thy tale and tarie nat the tyme | O |
Lo Depeford and it is half wey pryme | O |
Lo Grenewych ther many a shrewe is inne | L |
It were al tyme thy tale to bigynne ' | - |
'Now sires ' quod this Osewold the Reve | E |
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'I pray yow alle that ye nat yow greve | E |
Thogh I answere and somdeel sette his howve | E |
For leveful is with force force of showve | E |
This dronke Millere hath ytoold us heer | I |
How that bigyled was a Carpenteer | I |
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Peraventure in scorn for I am oon | L |
And by youre leve I shal hym quite anoon | L |
Right in his cherles termes wol I speke | M |
I pray to God his nekke mote breke | M |
He kan wel in myn eye seen a stalke | M |
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But in his owene he kan nat seen a balke ' | - |
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Simkin a rich thieving miller of Trumpington Mill near | I |
Cambridge is well served by two Cambridge clerks of the | N |
north country who beguile his wife and daughter recover | I |
the stolen meal which he had hid and leave him well beaten | L |
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Part | D |
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THE PROLOGUE TO THE COKES TALE | A |
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The prologe of the Cokes Tale | A |
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The Cook of London whil the Reve spak | M |
For joye him thoughte he clawed him on the bak | M |
'Ha ha ' quod he 'for Criste passioun | L |
This miller hadde a sharp conclusioun | L |
Upon his argument of herbergage | H |
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Wel seyde Salomon in his langage | H |
Ne brynge nat every man into thyn hous ' | - |
For herberwynge by nyghte is perilous | C |
Wel oghte a man avysed for to be | J |
Whom that be broghte into his pryvetee | D |
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I pray to God so yeve me sorwe and care | I |
If evere sitthe I highte Hogge of Ware | I |
Herde I a millere bettre yset awerk | M |
He hadde a jape of malice in the derk | M |
But God forbede that we stynte heere | I |
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And therfore if ye vouche sauf to heere | I |
A tale of me that am a povre man | L |
I wol yow telle as wel as evere I kan | L |
A litel jape that fil in oure citee ' | - |
Oure Hoost answerde and seide 'I graunte it thee | J |
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Now telle on Roger looke that it be good | D |
For many a pastee hastow laten blood | D |
And many a Jakke of Dovere hastow soold | D |
That hath been twies hoot and twies cold | D |
Of many a pilgrim hastow Cristes curs | C |
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For of thy percely yet they fare the wors | C |
That they han eten with thy stubbel goos | C |
For in thy shoppe is many a flye loos | C |
Now telle on gentil Roger by thy name | O |
But yet I pray thee be nat wroth for game | O |
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A man may seye ful sooth in game and pley ' | - |
'Thou seist ful sooth ' quod Roger 'by my fey | E |
But sooth pley quaad pley ' as the Flemyng seith | N |
And ther fore Herry Bailly by thy feith | N |
Be thou nat wrooth er we departen heer | I |
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Though that my tale be of an hostileer | I |
But nathelees I wol nat telle it yit | D |
But er we parte ywis thou shalt be quit ' | - |
And ther with al he lough and made cheere | I |
And seyde his tale as ye shul after heere | I |
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THE TALE Unfinished | D |
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Perkin a London apprentice being dismissed by his | C |
master seeks his companions in dice revel and disport | D |
Geoffrey Chaucer
(1)
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