Poet Geoffrey Chaucer

Geoffrey Chaucer

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The Court Of Love Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: ABCDEFE GHIJKLL MNEOBEE PFPFFEE QEQEERR DPDPPSD TRU LLDLRQVLLUP PWPXXLL RPLBPPR LUDLBPLLRU PRPRR DRRPPLR QLPPLPP VRLLPPPLLDPBLL RTRRTPP RYRYLPP LPDZLDP RPRUPRR RLR LLA2LLLL RRPRRB2B2 LUQUUB

With timorous heart and trembling hand of dreadA
Of cunning naked bare of eloquence skillB
Unto the flow'r of port in womanhead one who is the perfectionC
I write as he that none intelligence of womanly behaviourD
Of metres hath nor flowers of sentenceE
Save that me list my writing to conveyF
In that I can to please her high nobley noblenessE
-
The blossoms fresh of Tullius' garden swoot Cicero sweetG
Present they not my matter for to born burnish polishH
Poems of Virgil take here no rootI
Nor craft of Galfrid may not here sojournJ
Why n'am I cunning O well may I mourn am I notK
For lack of science that I cannot writeL
Unto the princess of my life arightL
-
No terms are dign unto her excellence worthyM
So is she sprung of noble stirp and high stockN
A world of honour and of reverenceE
There is in her this will I testifyO
Calliope thou sister wise and sly skilfulB
And thou Minerva guide me with thy graceE
That language rude my matter not defaceE
-
Thy sugar droppes sweet of HeliconP
Distil in me thou gentle Muse I prayF
And thee Melpomene I call anonP
Of ignorance the mist to chase awayF
And give me grace so for to write and sayF
That she my lady of her worthinessE
Accept in gree this little short treatess with favour treatiseE
-
That is entitled thus The Court of LoveQ
And ye that be metricians me excuse skilled versifiersE
I you beseech for Venus' sake aboveQ
For what I mean in this ye need not museE
And if so be my lady it refuseE
For lack of ornate speech I would be woeR
That I presume to her to write soR
-
But my intent and all my busy cure careD
Is for to write this treatise as I canP
Unto my lady stable true and sureD
Faithful and kind since first that she beganP
Me to accept in service as her manP
To her be all the pleasure of this bookS
That when her like she may it read and look it pleases herD
-
When he was young at eighteen year of ageT
Lusty and light desirous of pleasanceR
Approaching full sad and ripe corage gradually attainingU
-
Then says the poet did Love urge him to doL
him obeisance and to go the Court of Love toL
see a lite little beside the Mount of CithareeD
Mercury bade him on pain of death toL
appear and he went by strange and far countriesR
in search of the Court Seeing at last a crowd ofQ
people as bees making their way thither theV
poet asked whither they went and one thatL
answer'd like a maid said that they were bound toL
the Court of Love at Citheron where the KingU
of Love and all his noble rout companyP
-
Dwelleth within a castle royallyP
So them apace I journey'd forth amongW
And as he said so found I there trulyP
For I beheld the town so high and strongX
And high pinnacles large of height and longX
With plate of gold bespread on ev'ry sideL
And precious stones the stone work for to hideL
-
No sapphire of Ind no ruby rich of priceR
There lacked then nor emerald so greenP
Balais Turkeis nor thing to my devise in my judgementL
That may the castle make for to sheen be beautifulB
All was as bright as stars in winter be'nP
And Phoebus shone to make his peace againP
For trespass done to high estates twain offenceR
-
When he had found Venus in the arms of Mars and hastened toL
tell Vulcan of his wife's infidelity Now he was shiningU
brightly on the castle in sign he looked after Love's grace forD
there is no god in Heaven or in Hell but he hath been rightL
subject unto Love Continuing his description of the castleB
Philogenet says that he saw never any so large and high withinP
and without it was painted with many a thousand daisies redL
as rose and white also in signification of whom he knew notL
unless it was the flower of Alcestis who under VenusR
was queen of the place as Admetus was kingU
-
To whom obey'd the ladies good nineteenP
With many a thousand other bright of faceR
And young men fele came forth with lusty pace manyP
And aged eke their homage to disposeR
But what they were I could not well discloseR
-
Yet nere and nere forth in I gan me dress nearerD
Into a hall of noble apparail furnishingsR
With arras spread and cloth of gold I guessR
And other silk of easier avail less difficult costly to attainP
Under the cloth of their estate sans fail state canopyP
The King and Queen there sat as I beheldL
It passed joy of Elysee the feld The Elysian FieldsR
-
There saintes have their coming and resort martyrs for loveQ
To see the King so royally beseen adornedL
In purple clad and eke the Queen in sort suitablyP
And on their heades saw I crownes twainP
With stones frett so that it was no pain adornedL
Withoute meat or drink to stand and seeP
The Kinge's honour and the royaltyP
-
To treat of state affairs Danger stood by theV
King and Disdain by the Queen who cast her eyesR
haughtily about sending forth beams that seemedL
shapen like a dart sharp and piercing and small andL
straight of line while her hair shone as gold so fineP
dishevel crisp down hanging at her back a yard inP
length Amazed and dazzled by her beautyP
Philogenet stood perplexed till he spied a MaidL
Philobone a chamberwoman of the Queen's whoL
asked how and on what errand he came thitherD
Learning that he had been summoned by Mercury sheP
told him that he ought to have come of his free willB
and that he will be shent rebuked disgracedL
because he did notL
-
For ye that reign in youth and lustinessR
Pamper'd with ease and jealous in your ageT
Your duty is as far as I can guessR
To Love's Court to dresse your voyage direct addressR
As soon as Nature maketh you so sageT
That ye may know a woman from a swanP
Or when your foot is growen half a spanP
-
But since that ye by wilful negligenceR
This eighteen year have kept yourself at largeY
The greater is your trespass and offenceR
And in your neck you must bear all the chargeY
For better were ye be withoute barge boatL
Amid the sea in tempest and in rainP
Than bide here receiving woe and painP
-
That ordained is for such as them absentL
From Love's Court by yeares long and fele manyP
I lay my life ye shall full soon repent wagerD
For Love will rive your colour lust and heal healthZ
Eke ye must bait on many a heavy meal feedL
No force y wis I stirr'd you long agone no matterD
To draw to Court quoth little PhiloboneP
-
Ye shall well see how rough and angry faceR
The King of Love will show when ye him seeP
By mine advice kneel down and ask him graceR
Eschewing peril and adversity avoidingU
For well I wot it will none other beP
Comfort is none nor counsel to your easeR
Why will ye then the King of Love displeaseR
-
Thereupon Philogenet professed humble repentanceR
and willingness to bear all hardship and chastisementL
for his past offenceR
-
These wordes said she caught me by the lap edge of the garmentL
And led me forth into a temple roundL
Both large and wide and as my blessed hapA2
And good adventure was right soon I foundL
A tabernacle raised from the groundL
Where Venus sat and Cupid by her sideL
Yet half for dread I gan my visage hideL
-
And eft again I looked and beheld afterwardsR
Seeing full sundry people in the place people of many sortsR
And mister folk and some that might not weld craftsmenP
Their limbes well me thought a wonder case useR
The temple shone with windows all of glassR
Bright as the day with many a fair imageB2
And there I saw the fresh queen of CarthageB2
-
Dido that brent her beauty for the love burntL
Of false Aeneas and the waimenting lamentingU
Of her Annelide true as turtle doveQ
To Arcite false and there was in paintingU
Of many a Prince and many a doughty KingU
Whose martyrdom was show'd about the wallB

Geoffrey Chaucer



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