The Parliament Of Fowles Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: A B CDCDDDD EFEFFFF FEFEECC GFHFFEE CI IIEE BABAAFF AEAEEEE EA AAJJ AEAKKJJ EAEAAEE IAIAAKK CECEEA EAEAAEE EEEEKEE ECECCCC KCKCCE EEEEEEE K CECEEAA AKAKKE EKEKKJ KEKEEAA LEKEEEE AKAKKAA IAIAAE CECEECC EHere begynyth the Parlement of Foulys | A |
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THE PROEM | B |
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The lyf so short the craft so long to lerne | C |
Thassay so hard so sharp the conquering | D |
The dredful Ioy that alwey slit so yerne | C |
Al this mene I by love that my feling | D |
Astonyeth with his wonderful worching | D |
So sore y wis that whan I on him thinke | D |
Nat wot I wel wher that I wake or winke | D |
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For al be that I knowe nat love in dede | E |
Ne wot how that he quyteth folk hir hyre | F |
Yet happeth me ful ofte in bokes rede | E |
Of his miracles and his cruel yre | F |
Ther rede I wel he wol be lord and syre | F |
I dar not seyn his strokes been so sore | F |
But God save swich a lord I can no more | F |
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Of usage what for luste what for lore | F |
On bokes rede I ofte as I yow tolde | E |
But wherfor that I speke al this not yore | F |
Agon hit happed me for to beholde | E |
Upon a boke was write with lettres olde | E |
And ther upon a certeyn thing to lerne | C |
The longe day ful faste I radde and yerne | C |
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For out of olde feldes as men seith | G |
Cometh al this newe corn fro yeer to yere | F |
And out of olde bokes in good feith | H |
Cometh al this newe science that men lere | F |
But now to purpos as of this matere | F |
To rede forth hit gan me so delyte | E |
That al the day me thoughte but a lyte | E |
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This book of which I make of mencioun | C |
Entitled was al thus as I shal telle | I |
Tullius of the dreme of Scipioun ' | - |
Chapitres seven hit hadde of hevene and helle | I |
And erthe and soules that therinnr dwelle | I |
Of whiche as shortly as I can hit trete | E |
Of his sentence I wol you seyn the grete | E |
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First telleth hit whan Scipion was come | B |
In Afrik how he mette Massinisse | A |
That him for Ioye in armes hath y nome | B |
Than telleth hit hir speche and al the blisse | A |
That was betwix hem til the day gan misse | A |
And how his auncestre African so dere | F |
Gan in his slepe that night to him appere | F |
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Than telleth hit that fro a sterry place | A |
How African hath him Cartage shewed | E |
And warned him before of al his grace | A |
And seyde him what man lered other lewed | E |
That loveth comun profit wel y thewed | E |
He shal unto a blisful place wende | E |
Ther as Ioye is that last withouten ende | E |
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Than asked he if folk that heer be dede | E |
Have lyf and dwelling in another place | A |
And African seyde ye withoute drede ' | - |
And that our present worldes lyves space | A |
Nis but a maner deth what wey we trace | A |
And rightful folk shal go after they dye | J |
To heven and shewed him the galaxye | J |
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Than shewed he him the litel erthe that heer is | A |
At regard of the hevenes quantite | E |
And after shewed he him the nyne speres | A |
And after that the melodye herde he | K |
That cometh of thilke speres thryes three | K |
That welle is of musyk and melodye | J |
In this world heer and cause of armonye | J |
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Than bad he him sin erthe was so lyte | E |
And ful of torment and of harde grace | A |
That he ne shulde him in the world delyte | E |
Than tolde he him in certeyn yeres space | A |
That every sterre shulde come into his place | A |
Ther hit was first and al shulde out of minde | E |
That in this worlde is don of al mankinde | E |
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Than prayde him Scipioun to telle him al | I |
The wey to come un to that hevene blisse | A |
And he seyde know thy self first immortal | I |
And loke ay besily thou werke and wisse | A |
To comun profit and thou shalt nat misse | A |
To comen swiftly to that place dere | K |
That ful of blisse is and of soules clere | K |
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But brekers of the lawe soth to seyne | C |
And lecherous folk after that they be dede | E |
Shul alwey whirle aboute therthe in peyne | C |
Til many a world be passed out of drede | E |
And than for yeven alle hir wikked dede | E |
Than shul they come unto that blisful place | A |
To which to comen god thee sende his grace ' | - |
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The day gan failen and the derke night | E |
That reveth bestes from her besinesse | A |
Berafte me my book for lakke of light | E |
And to my bedde I gan me for to dresse | A |
Fulfild of thought and besy hevinesse | A |
For bothe I hadde thing which that I nolde | E |
And eek I ne hadde that thing that I wolde | E |
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But fynally my spirit at the laste | E |
For wery of my labour al the day | E |
Took rest that made me to slepe faste | E |
And in my slepe I mette as I lay | E |
How African right in the selfe aray | K |
That Scipioun him saw before that tyde | E |
Was comen and stood right at my bedes syde | E |
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The wery hunter slepinge in his bed | E |
To wode ayein his minde goth anoon | C |
The Iuge dremeth how his plees ben sped | E |
The carter dremeth how his cartes goon | C |
The riche of gold the knight fight with his foon | C |
The seke met he drinketh of the tonne | C |
The lover met he hath his lady wonne | C |
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Can I nat seyn if that the cause were | K |
For I had red of African beforn | C |
That made me to mete that he stood there | K |
But thus seyde he thou hast thee so wel born | C |
In loking of myn olde book to torn | C |
Of which Macrobie roghte nat a lyte | E |
That somdel of thy labour wolde I quyte ' | - |
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Citherea thou blisful lady swete | E |
That with thy fyr brand dauntest whom thee lest | E |
And madest me this sweven for to mete | E |
Be thou my help in this for thou mayst best | E |
As wisly as I saw thee north north west | E |
When I began my sweven for to wryte | E |
So yif me might to ryme and endyte | E |
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THE STORY | K |
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This forseid African me hente anoon | C |
And forth with him unto a gate broghte | E |
Right of a parke walled of grene stoon | C |
And over the gate with lettres large y wroghte | E |
Ther weren vers y writen as me thoghte | E |
On eyther halfe of ful gret difference | A |
Of which I shal yow sey the pleyn sentence | A |
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Thorgh me men goon in to that blisful place | A |
Of hertes hele and dedly woundes cure | K |
Thorgh me men goon unto the welle of Grace | A |
Ther grene and lusty May shal ever endure | K |
This is the wey to al good aventure | K |
Be glad thou reder and thy sorwe of caste | E |
Al open am I passe in and hy the faste ' | - |
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Thorgh me men goon ' than spak that other syde | E |
Unto the mortal strokes of the spere | K |
Of which Disdayn and Daunger is the gyde | E |
Ther tre shal never fruyt ne leves bere | K |
This streem yow ledeth to the sorwful were | K |
Ther as the fish in prison is al drye | J |
Theschewing is only the remedye ' | - |
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Thise vers of gold and blak y writen were | K |
Of whiche I gan a stounde to beholde | E |
For with that oon encresed ay my fere | K |
And with that other gan myn herte bolde | E |
That oon me hette that other did me colde | E |
No wit had I for errour for to chese | A |
To entre or flee or me to save or lese | A |
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Right as betwixen adamauntes two | L |
Of even might a pece of iren y set | E |
That hath no might to meve to ne fro | K |
For what that on may hale that other let | E |
Ferde I that niste whether me was bet | E |
To entre or leve til African my gyde | E |
Me hente and shoof in at the gates wyde | E |
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And seyde hit stondeth writen in thy face | A |
Thyn errour though thou telle it not to me | K |
But dred the nat to come in to this place | A |
For this wryting is no thing ment by thee | K |
Ne by noon but he Loves servant be | K |
For thou of love hast lost thy tast I gesse | A |
As seek man hath of swete and bitternesse | A |
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But natheles al though that thou be dulle | I |
Yit that thou canst not do yit mayst thou see | A |
For many a man that may not stonde a pulle | I |
Yit lyketh him at the wrastling for to be | A |
And demeth yit wher he do bet or he | A |
And if thou haddest cunning for tendyte | E |
I shal thee shewen mater of to wryte ' | - |
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With that my hond in his he took anoon | C |
Of which I comfort caughte and went in faste | E |
But lord so I was glad and wel begoon | C |
For over al wher that I myn eyen caste | E |
Were trees clad with leves that ay shal laste | E |
Eche in his kinde of colour fresh and grene | C |
As emeraude that Ioye was to sene | C |
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The bilder ook and eek the hardy | E |
Geoffrey Chaucer
(1)
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