The Merchant's Tale Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCDCCEFGHIJCKLFMMNM CMDMFFO PM F Q MDMMMMPPRSTTMMDDMMUU PFVMFFFM MMPAPFMWMMMMMDMXDMPP F MPPDDDMMMPPPM WWMFWMFPMMMMWMMMLTDD MMVMPPMMPAYFMZPMPPA2 A2DDMMMPWMPPWMA2A2ST MMMMPPMMCDM'Weeping and wailing care and other sorrow | A |
I have enough on even and on morrow ' | B |
Quoth the Merchant 'and so have other mo' | C |
That wedded be I trow that it be so believe | D |
For well I wot it fareth so by me | C |
I have a wife the worste that may be | C |
For though the fiend to her y coupled were | E |
She would him overmatch I dare well swear | F |
Why should I you rehearse in special | G |
Her high malice she is a shrew at all thoroughly in | H |
There is a long and large difference everything wicked | I |
Betwixt Griselda's greate patience | J |
And of my wife the passing cruelty | C |
Were I unbounden all so may I the thrive | K |
I woulde never eft come in the snare again | L |
We wedded men live in sorrow and care | F |
Assay it whoso will and he shall find | M |
That I say sooth by Saint Thomas of Ind | M |
As for the more part I say not all | N |
God shielde that it shoulde so befall forbid | M |
Ah good Sir Host I have y wedded be | C |
These moneths two and more not pardie | M |
And yet I trow that he that all his life believe | D |
Wifeless hath been though that men would him rive wound | M |
Into the hearte could in no mannere | F |
Telle so much sorrow as I you here | F |
Could tellen of my wife's cursedness ' wickedness | O |
- | |
'Now ' quoth our Host 'Merchant so God you bless | P |
Since ye so muche knowen of that art | M |
Full heartily I pray you tell us part ' | - |
'Gladly ' quoth he 'but of mine owen sore | F |
For sorry heart I telle may no more ' | - |
- | |
- | |
THE TALE | Q |
- | |
- | |
Whilom there was dwelling in Lombardy | M |
A worthy knight that born was at Pavie | D |
In which he liv'd in great prosperity | M |
And forty years a wifeless man was he | M |
And follow'd aye his bodily delight | M |
On women where as was his appetite | M |
As do these fooles that be seculeres | P |
And when that he was passed sixty years | P |
Were it for holiness or for dotage | R |
I cannot say but such a great corage inclination | S |
Hadde this knight to be a wedded man | T |
That day and night he did all that he can | T |
To espy where that he might wedded be | M |
Praying our Lord to grante him that he | M |
Mighte once knowen of that blissful life | D |
That is betwixt a husband and his wife | D |
And for to live under that holy bond | M |
With which God firste man and woman bond | M |
'None other life ' said he 'is worth a bean | U |
For wedlock is so easy and so clean | U |
That in this world it is a paradise ' | - |
Thus said this olde knight that was so wise | P |
And certainly as sooth as God is king true | F |
To take a wife it is a glorious thing | V |
And namely when a man is old and hoar especially | M |
Then is a wife the fruit of his treasor | F |
Then should he take a young wife and a fair | F |
On which he might engender him an heir | F |
And lead his life in joy and in solace mirth delight | M |
Whereas these bachelors singen 'Alas ' | - |
When that they find any adversity | M |
In love which is but childish vanity | M |
And truely it sits well to be so becomes befits | P |
That bachelors have often pain and woe | A |
On brittle ground they build and brittleness | P |
They finde when they weene sickerness think that there | F |
They live but as a bird or as a beast is security | M |
In liberty and under no arrest check control | W |
Whereas a wedded man in his estate | M |
Liveth a life blissful and ordinate | M |
Under the yoke of marriage y bound | M |
Well may his heart in joy and bliss abound | M |
For who can be so buxom as a wife obedient | M |
Who is so true and eke so attentive | D |
To keep him sick and whole as is his make care for mate | M |
For weal or woe she will him not forsake | X |
She is not weary him to love and serve | D |
Though that he lie bedrid until he sterve die | M |
And yet some clerkes say it is not so | P |
Of which he Theophrast is one of tho those | P |
What force though Theophrast list for to lie what matter | F |
- | |
'Take no wife ' quoth he 'for husbandry thrift | M |
As for to spare in household thy dispence | P |
A true servant doth more diligence | P |
Thy good to keep than doth thine owen wife | D |
For she will claim a half part all her life | D |
And if that thou be sick so God me save | D |
Thy very friendes or a true knave servant | M |
Will keep thee bet than she that waiteth aye ahways waits to | M |
After thy good and hath done many a day ' inherit your property | M |
This sentence and a hundred times worse | P |
Writeth this man there God his bones curse | P |
But take no keep of all such vanity notice | P |
Defy Theophrast and hearken to me distrust | M |
- | |
A wife is Godde's gifte verily | W |
All other manner giftes hardily truly | W |
As handes rentes pasture or commune common land | M |
Or mebles all be giftes of fortune furniture | F |
That passen as a shadow on the wall | W |
But dread thou not if plainly speak I shall doubt | M |
A wife will last and in thine house endure | F |
Well longer than thee list paraventure perhaps | P |
Marriage is a full great sacrament | M |
He which that hath no wife I hold him shent ruined | M |
He liveth helpless and all desolate | M |
I speak of folk in secular estate who are not | M |
And hearken why I say not this for nought of the clergy | W |
That woman is for manne's help y wrought | M |
The highe God when he had Adam maked | M |
And saw him all alone belly naked | M |
God of his greate goodness saide then | L |
Let us now make a help unto this man | T |
Like to himself and then he made him Eve | D |
Here may ye see and hereby may ye preve prove | D |
That a wife is man s help and his comfort | M |
His paradise terrestre and his disport | M |
So buxom and so virtuous is she obedient complying | V |
They muste needes live in unity | M |
One flesh they be and one blood as I guess | P |
With but one heart in weal and in distress | P |
A wife Ah Saint Mary ben'dicite | M |
How might a man have any adversity | M |
That hath a wife certes I cannot say | P |
The bliss the which that is betwixt them tway | A |
There may no tongue it tell or hearte think | Y |
If he be poor she helpeth him to swink labour | F |
She keeps his good and wasteth never a deal whit | M |
All that her husband list her liketh well pleaseth | Z |
She saith not ones Nay when he saith Yea | P |
'Do this ' saith he 'All ready Sir ' saith she | M |
O blissful order wedlock precious | P |
Thou art so merry and eke so virtuous | P |
And so commended and approved eke | A2 |
That every man that holds him worth a leek | A2 |
Upon his bare knees ought all his life | D |
To thank his God that him hath sent a wife | D |
Or elles pray to God him for to send | M |
A wife to last unto his life's end | M |
For then his life is set in sickerness security | M |
He may not be deceived as I guess | P |
So that he work after his wife's rede counsel | W |
Then may he boldely bear up his head | M |
They be so true and therewithal so wise | P |
For which if thou wilt worken as the wise | P |
Do alway so as women will thee rede counsel | W |
Lo how that Jacob as these clerkes read | M |
By good counsel of his mother Rebecc' | A2 |
Bounde the kiddes skin about his neck | A2 |
For which his father's benison he wan benediction | S |
Lo Judith as the story telle can | T |
By good counsel she Godde's people kept | M |
And slew him Holofernes while he slept | M |
Lo Abigail by good counsel how she | M |
Saved her husband Nabal when that he | M |
Should have been slain And lo Esther also | P |
By counsel good deliver'd out of woe | P |
The people of God and made him Mardoche | M |
Of Assuere enhanced for to be advanced in dignity | M |
There is nothing in gree superlative of higher esteem | C |
As saith Senec above a humble wife | D |
Suffer thy wife's tongue as Cato bit | M |
Geoffrey Chaucer
(1)
Poem topics: , Print This Poem , Rhyme Scheme
Submit Spanish Translation
Submit German Translation
Submit French Translation
Write your comment about The Merchant's Tale poem by Geoffrey Chaucer
Best Poems of Geoffrey Chaucer