The Squire's Tale Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCCDEFGHIBBCJKLHHBB JMHHJNOBCP BQNNNNIINNCJOJCCJJNN RROCHHOIJBHJN NSTHJBBNNNJJNCCJJCCU VBBWCCCJJBOXXHCBBHHC CIIJJJJ HHHHCCHBYJZZJBBNHHIR JJJJJJHHCCCCBBBBA2JI CJNJJBBCCJJBBJJBBBR| 'HEY Godde's mercy ' said our Hoste tho then | A |
| 'Now such a wife I pray God keep me fro' | B |
| Lo suche sleightes and subtilities | C |
| In women be for aye as busy as bees | C |
| Are they us silly men for to deceive | D |
| And from the soothe will they ever weive truth swerve depart | E |
| As this Merchante's tale it proveth well | F |
| But natheless as true as any steel | G |
| I have a wife though that she poore be | H |
| But of her tongue a labbing shrew is she chattering | I |
| And yet she hath a heap of vices mo' moreover | B |
| Thereof no force let all such thinges go no matter | B |
| But wit ye what in counsel be it said know secret confidence | C |
| Me rueth sore I am unto her tied | J |
| For an' I shoulde reckon every vice if | K |
| Which that she hath y wis I were too nice certainly foolish | L |
| And cause why it should reported be | H |
| And told her by some of this company | H |
| By whom it needeth not for to declare | B |
| Since women connen utter such chaffare | B |
| And eke my wit sufficeth not thereto | J |
| To tellen all wherefore my tale is do done | M |
| Squier come near if it your wille be | H |
| And say somewhat of love for certes ye | H |
| Conne thereon as much as any man ' know about it | J |
| 'Nay Sir ' quoth he 'but such thing as I can | N |
| With hearty will for I will not rebel | O |
| Against your lust a tale will I tell pleasure | B |
| Have me excused if I speak amiss | C |
| My will is good and lo my tale is this ' | P |
| - | |
| At Sarra in the land of Tartary | B |
| There dwelt a king that warrayed Russie made war on | Q |
| Through which there died many a doughty man | N |
| This noble king was called Cambuscan | N |
| Which in his time was of so great renown | N |
| That there was nowhere in no regioun | N |
| So excellent a lord in alle thing | I |
| Him lacked nought that longeth to a king | I |
| As of the sect of which that he was born | N |
| He kept his law to which he was y sworn | N |
| And thereto he was hardy wise and rich moreover besides | C |
| And piteous and just always y lich alike even tempered | J |
| True of his word benign and honourable | O |
| Of his corage as any centre stable firm immovable of spirit | J |
| Young fresh and strong in armes desirous | C |
| As any bachelor of all his house | C |
| A fair person he was and fortunate | J |
| And kept alway so well his royal estate | J |
| That there was nowhere such another man | N |
| This noble king this Tartar Cambuscan | N |
| Hadde two sons by Elfeta his wife | R |
| Of which the eldest highte Algarsife | R |
| The other was y called Camballo | O |
| A daughter had this worthy king also | C |
| That youngest was and highte Canace | H |
| But for to telle you all her beauty | H |
| It lies not in my tongue nor my conning skill | O |
| I dare not undertake so high a thing | I |
| Mine English eke is insufficient | J |
| It muste be a rhetor excellent orator | B |
| That couth his colours longing for that art see | H |
| If he should her describen any part | J |
| I am none such I must speak as I can | N |
| - | |
| And so befell that when this Cambuscan | N |
| Had twenty winters borne his diadem | S |
| As he was wont from year to year I deem | T |
| He let the feast of his nativity his birthday party | H |
| Do crye throughout Sarra his city be proclaimed | J |
| The last Idus of March after the year | B |
| Phoebus the sun full jolly was and clear | B |
| For he was nigh his exaltation | N |
| In Marte's face and in his mansion | N |
| In Aries the choleric hot sign | N |
| Full lusty was the weather and benign pleasant | J |
| For which the fowls against the sunne sheen bright | J |
| What for the season and the younge green | N |
| Full loude sange their affections | C |
| Them seemed to have got protections | C |
| Against the sword of winter keen and cold | J |
| This Cambuscan of which I have you told | J |
| In royal vesture sat upon his dais | C |
| With diadem full high in his palace | C |
| And held his feast so solemn and so rich | U |
| That in this worlde was there none it lich like | V |
| Of which if I should tell all the array | B |
| Then would it occupy a summer's day | B |
| And eke it needeth not for to devise describe | W |
| At every course the order of service | C |
| I will not tellen of their strange sewes dishes | C |
| Nor of their swannes nor their heronsews young herons | C |
| Eke in that land as telle knightes old | J |
| There is some meat that is full dainty hold | J |
| That in this land men reck of it full small care for | B |
| There is no man that may reporten all | O |
| I will not tarry you for it is prime | X |
| And for it is no fruit but loss of time | X |
| Unto my purpose I will have recourse story | H |
| And so befell that after the third course | C |
| While that this king sat thus in his nobley noble array | B |
| Hearing his ministreles their thinges play | B |
| Before him at his board deliciously | H |
| In at the halle door all suddenly | H |
| There came a knight upon a steed of brass | C |
| And in his hand a broad mirror of glass | C |
| Upon his thumb he had of gold a ring | I |
| And by his side a naked sword hanging | I |
| And up he rode unto the highe board | J |
| In all the hall was there not spoke a word | J |
| For marvel of this knight him to behold | J |
| Full busily they waited young and old watched | J |
| - | |
| This strange knight that came thus suddenly | H |
| All armed save his head full richely | H |
| Saluted king and queen and lordes all | H |
| By order as they satten in the hall | H |
| With so high reverence and observance | C |
| As well in speech as in his countenance | C |
| That Gawain with his olde courtesy | H |
| Though he were come again out of Faerie | B |
| Him coulde not amende with a word could not better him | Y |
| And after this before the highe board by one word | J |
| He with a manly voice said his message | Z |
| After the form used in his language | Z |
| Withoute vice of syllable or letter fault | J |
| And for his tale shoulde seem the better | B |
| Accordant to his worde's was his cheer demeanour | B |
| As teacheth art of speech them that it lear learn | N |
| Albeit that I cannot sound his style | H |
| Nor cannot climb over so high a stile | H |
| Yet say I this as to commune intent general sense or meaning | I |
| Thus much amounteth all that ever he meant this is the sum of | R |
| If it so be that I have it in mind | J |
| He said 'The king of Araby and Ind | J |
| My liege lord on this solemne day | J |
| Saluteth you as he best can and may | J |
| And sendeth you in honour of your feast | J |
| By me that am all ready at your hest command | J |
| This steed of brass that easily and well | H |
| Can in the space of one day naturel | H |
| This is to say in four and twenty hours | C |
| Whereso you list in drought or else in show'rs | C |
| Beare your body into every place | C |
| To which your hearte willeth for to pace pass go | C |
| Withoute wem of you through foul or fair hurt injury | B |
| Or if you list to fly as high in air | B |
| As doth an eagle when him list to soar | B |
| This same steed shall bear you evermore | B |
| Withoute harm till ye be where you lest it pleases you | A2 |
| Though that ye sleepen on his back or rest | J |
| And turn again with writhing of a pin twisting | I |
| He that it wrought he coude many a gin knew contrivance | C |
| He waited in any a constellation observed | J |
| Ere he had done this operation | N |
| And knew full many a seal and many a bond | J |
| This mirror eke that I have in mine hond | J |
| Hath such a might that men may in it see | B |
| When there shall fall any adversity | B |
| Unto your realm or to yourself also | C |
| And openly who is your friend or foe | C |
| And over all this if any lady bright | J |
| Hath set her heart on any manner wight | J |
| If he be false she shall his treason see | B |
| His newe love and all his subtlety | B |
| So openly that there shall nothing hide | J |
| Wherefore against this lusty summer tide | J |
| This mirror and this ring that ye may see | B |
| He hath sent to my lady Canace | B |
| Your excellente daughter that is here | B |
| The virtue of | R |
Geoffrey Chaucer
(1)
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About The Squire's Tale
The Squire's Tale is a poem by Geoffrey Chaucer. This page includes the poem text, poet information, related topics, comments, and similar poems.
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