The Second Nun's Tale Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCDEFG HIEJKLL HGHGHMN GOGOOEE EHEHHEE OPEQGQJ GGEEHPQ HHGHHRQ HHHEHHS GGHEGOO HOHOOGG HGTGGHH EGHHHTT HUHUUGG QHGHHEE GHGHHHH HUHUHHT SHSHHHH OVOWHQS HHHHHHU OHOHXHH HHHYHZZ HOHHHHThe minister and norice unto vices nurse | A |
Which that men call in English idleness | B |
The porter at the gate is of delices delights | C |
T'eschew and by her contrar' her oppress | D |
That is to say by lawful business occupation activity | E |
Well oughte we to do our all intent apply ourselves | F |
Lest that the fiend through idleness us hent seize | G |
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For he that with his thousand cordes sly | H |
Continually us waiteth to beclap entangle bind | I |
When he may man in idleness espy | E |
He can so lightly catch him in his trap | J |
Till that a man be hent right by the lappe seize hem | K |
He is not ware the fiend hath him in hand | L |
Well ought we work and idleness withstand | L |
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And though men dreaded never for to die | H |
Yet see men well by reason doubteless | G |
That idleness is root of sluggardy | H |
Of which there cometh never good increase | G |
And see that sloth them holdeth in a leas leash lt gt | H |
Only to sleep and for to eat and drink | M |
And to devouren all that others swink labour | N |
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And for to put us from such idleness | G |
That cause is of so great confusion | O |
I have here done my faithful business | G |
After the Legend in translation | O |
Right of thy glorious life and passion | O |
Thou with thy garland wrought of rose and lily | E |
Thee mean I maid and martyr Saint Cecilie | E |
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And thou thou art the flow'r of virgins all | E |
Of whom that Bernard list so well to write lt gt | H |
To thee at my beginning first I call | E |
Thou comfort of us wretches do me indite | H |
Thy maiden's death that won through her merite | H |
Th' eternal life and o'er the fiend victory | E |
As man may after readen in her story | E |
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Thou maid and mother daughter of thy Son | O |
Thou well of mercy sinful soules' cure | P |
In whom that God of bounte chose to won dwell | E |
Thou humble and high o'er every creature | Q |
Thou nobilest so far forth our nature as far as our nature admits | G |
That no disdain the Maker had of kind nature | Q |
His Son in blood and flesh to clothe and wind wrap | J |
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Within the cloister of thy blissful sides | G |
Took manne's shape th' eternal love and peace | G |
That of the trine compass Lord and guide is the trinity | E |
Whom earth and sea and heav'n out of release unceasingly | E |
Aye hery and thou Virgin wemmeless forever praise immaculate | H |
Bare of thy body and dweltest maiden pure | P |
The Creator of every creature | Q |
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Assembled is in thee magnificence lt gt | H |
With mercy goodness and with such pity | H |
That thou that art the sun of excellence | G |
Not only helpest them that pray to thee | H |
But oftentime of thy benignity | H |
Full freely ere that men thine help beseech | R |
Thou go'st before and art their lives' leech healer saviour | Q |
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Now help thou meek and blissful faire maid | H |
Me flemed wretch in this desert of gall banished outcast | H |
Think on the woman Cananee that said | H |
That whelpes eat some of the crumbes all | E |
That from their Lorde's table be y fall lt gt | H |
And though that I unworthy son of Eve lt gt | H |
Be sinful yet accepte my believe faith | S |
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And for that faith is dead withoute werkes | G |
For to worke give me wit and space | G |
That I be quit from thennes that most derk is freed from the most | H |
O thou that art so fair and full of grace dark place Hell | E |
Be thou mine advocate in that high place | G |
Where as withouten end is sung Osanne | O |
Thou Christe's mother daughter dear of Anne | O |
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And of thy light my soul in prison light | H |
That troubled is by the contagion | O |
Of my body and also by the weight | H |
Of earthly lust and false affection | O |
O hav'n of refuge O salvation | O |
Of them that be in sorrow and distress | G |
Now help for to my work I will me dress | G |
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Yet pray I you that reade what I write lt gt | H |
Forgive me that I do no diligence | G |
This ilke story subtilly t' indite same | T |
For both have I the wordes and sentence | G |
Of him that at the sainte's reverence | G |
The story wrote and follow her legend | H |
And pray you that you will my work amend | H |
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First will I you the name of Saint Cecilie | E |
Expound as men may in her story see | G |
It is to say in English Heaven's lily lt gt | H |
For pure chasteness of virginity | H |
Or for she whiteness had of honesty purity | H |
And green of conscience and of good fame | T |
The sweete savour Lilie was her name | T |
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Or Cecilie is to say the way of blind lt gt | H |
For she example was by good teaching | U |
Or else Cecilie as I written find | H |
Is joined by a manner conjoining | U |
Of heaven and Lia lt gt and herein figuring | U |
The heaven is set for thought of holiness | G |
And Lia for her lasting business | G |
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Cecilie may eke be said in this mannere | Q |
Wanting of blindness for her greate light | H |
Of sapience and for her thewes clear qualities | G |
Or elles lo this maiden's name bright | H |
Of heaven and Leos lt gt comes for which by right | H |
Men might her well the heaven of people call | E |
Example of good and wise workes all | E |
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For Leos people in English is to say | G |
And right as men may in the heaven see | H |
The sun and moon and starres every way | G |
Right so men ghostly in this maiden free spiritually | H |
Sawen of faith the magnanimity | H |
And eke the clearness whole of sapience | H |
And sundry workes bright of excellence | H |
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And right so as these philosophers write | H |
That heav'n is swift and round and eke burning | U |
Right so was faire Cecilie the white | H |
Full swift and busy in every good working | U |
And round and whole in good persevering lt gt | H |
And burning ever in charity full bright | H |
Now have I you declared what she hight why she had her name | T |
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This maiden bright Cecile as her life saith | S |
Was come of Romans and of noble kind | H |
And from her cradle foster'd in the faith | S |
Of Christ and bare his Gospel in her mind | H |
She never ceased as I written find | H |
Of her prayere and God to love and dread | H |
Beseeching him to keep her maidenhead | H |
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And when this maiden should unto a man | O |
Y wedded be that was full young of age | V |
Which that y called was Valerian | O |
And come was the day of marriage | W |
She full devout and humble in her corage heart | H |
Under her robe of gold that sat full fair | Q |
Had next her flesh y clad her in an hair garment of hair cloth | S |
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And while the organs made melody | H |
To God alone thus in her heart sang she | H |
'O Lord my soul and eke my body gie guide | H |
Unwemmed lest that I confounded be ' unblemished | H |
And for his love that died upon the tree | H |
Every second or third day she fast' | H |
Aye bidding in her orisons full fast praying | U |
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The night came and to bedde must she gon | O |
With her husband as it is the mannere | H |
And privily she said to him anon | O |
'O sweet and well beloved spouse dear | H |
There is a counsel an' ye will it hear secret if | X |
Which that right fain I would unto you say | H |
So that ye swear ye will it not bewray ' betray | H |
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Valerian gan fast unto her swear | H |
That for no case nor thing that mighte be | H |
He never should to none bewrayen her | H |
And then at erst thus to him saide she for the first time | Y |
'I have an angel which that loveth me | H |
That with great love whether I wake or sleep | Z |
Is ready aye my body for to keep | Z |
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'And if that he may feelen out of dread without doubt | H |
That ye me touch or love in villainy | O |
He right anon will slay you with the deed | H |
And in your youthe thus ye shoulde die | H |
And if that ye in cleane love me gie ' guide | H |
He will you love as me for your cleanness | H |
And shew to you his joy and his brightness ' | - |
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Valerian corrected as God w | - |
Geoffrey Chaucer
(1)
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