Confessio Amantis, Book Iii Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AABBCCDDCCDBCCEECCCC BBFFCCCCCCGHCCCCDD IIEEJJCCCCCBJJCCKKCC CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC CCCCCCCBCBBBKBBBBBBB BBBL LBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB BBJJBBDDBB IIBBBBBBBBBBIIIIBBII MMBBBBBBJJBBBBBBBBEE BBBBBBBBDDBBBBMJBLBB BBIIBBB| Appolinus his lev e tok | A |
| To God and al the lond betok | A |
| With al the poeple long and brod | B |
| That he no lenger there abod | B |
| The king and queen e sorw e mad e | C |
| Bot yit somdiel thei weren glad e | C |
| Of such thing as thei herden tho | D |
| And thus betwen the wel and wo | D |
| To schip he goth his wif with child e | C |
| The which was ever e meke and myld e | C |
| And wold e noght departe him fro | D |
| Such lov e was betwen hem tuo | B |
| Lichorida for hire offic e | C |
| Was tak e which was a norric e | C |
| To wend e with this yong e wif | E |
| To whom was schape a woful lif | E |
| Withinne a time as it betidd e | C |
| Whan thei were in the see amidd e | C |
| Out of the north they sihe a cloud e | C |
| The storm aros the wynd e s loud e | C |
| Thei blewen many a dredful blast | B |
| The welkn e was al overcast | B |
| The derk e nyht the sonne hath under | F |
| Ther was a gret tempeste of thunder | F |
| The mone and ek the sterr e s both e | C |
| In blak e cloud e s thei hem cloth e | C |
| Wherof here briht e lok thei hyd e | C |
| This yong e ladi wepte and crid e | C |
| To whom no confort myhte avail e | C |
| Of child e sche began travail e | C |
| Wher sche lay in a caban clos | G |
| Hire woful lord fro hire aros | H |
| And that was longe er eny morw e | C |
| So that in anguisse and in sorw e | C |
| Sche was deliver e d al be nyht e | C |
| And ded in every mannes syht e | C |
| Bot nath e les for al this wo | D |
| A maid e child was bor e tho | D |
| - | |
| Appolinus whan he this knew | I |
| For sorwe a swoune he overthrew | I |
| That noman wiste in him no lif | E |
| And whanne he wok he seide quot Ha wif | E |
| Mi lust mi joi e my desir | J |
| Mi welthe and my recoverir | J |
| Why schal I live and thou schalt dy e | C |
| Ha thou fortune I thee deffi e | C |
| Nou hast thou do to me thi werst e | C |
| Ha hert e why ne wolt thou berst e | C |
| That forth with hire I myht e pass e | C |
| Mi pein e s weren wel the lass e quot | B |
| In such wepinge and in such cry | J |
| His ded e wif which lay him by | J |
| A thousend sith e s he hire kist e | C |
| Was nevere man that sih ne wist e | C |
| A sorwe unto his sorw e lich | K |
| For evere among upon the lich | K |
| He fell swounende as he that soght e | C |
| His oghn e deth which he besoght e | C |
| Unto the godd e s alle abov e | C |
| With many a pitous word of lov e | C |
| Bot such e word e s as tho wer e | C |
| Yit herd e nevere mannes er e | C |
| Bot only thilk e whiche he seid e | C |
| The maister schipman cam and preid e | C |
| With othr e suche as be therinn e | C |
| And sein that he mai nothing winn e | C |
| Ayein the deth bot thei him red e | C |
| He be wel war and tak hied e | C |
| The see be weie of his natur e | C |
| Receiv e mai no creatur e | C |
| Withinne himself as forto hold e | C |
| The which is ded forthi thei wold e | C |
| As thei conseilen al about e | C |
| The ded e body casten out e | C |
| For betre it is thei seiden all e | C |
| That it of hir e so befall e | C |
| Than if thei scholden all e spill e | C |
| - | |
| The king which understod here will e | C |
| And knew here conseil that was trew e | C |
| Began ayein his sorw e new e | C |
| With pitous herte and thus to sei e | C |
| quot It is al reson that ye prei e | C |
| I am quot quod he quot bot on al on e | C |
| So wolde I noght for mi person e | C |
| There fell e such adversit | B |
| Bot whan it mai no betr e be | C |
| Doth thann e thus upon my word | B |
| Let make a cofr e strong of bord | B |
| That it be ferm with led and pich quot | B |
| Anon was mad a cofr e sich | K |
| Al redy broght unto his hond | B |
| And whanne he sih and redy fond | B |
| This cofr e mad and wel enclow e d | B |
| The ded e bodi was besow e d | B |
| In cloth of gold and leid therinn e | B |
| And for he wolde unto hir winn e | B |
| Upon som cooste a sepultur e | B |
| Under hire heved in aventur e | B |
| Of gold he leid e somm e s gret e | B |
| And of jeueals a strong beyet e | B |
| Forth with a lettre and seid e thus | L |
| - | |
| quot I king of Tyr Appollinus | L |
| Do all e maner men to wit e | B |
| That hiere and se this lettr e writ e | B |
| That help e les without e red | B |
| Hier lith a king e s doghter ded | B |
| And who that happeth hir to find e | B |
| For charit tak in his mynd e | B |
| And do so that sche be begrav e | B |
| With this tr e sor which he schal hav e quot | B |
| Thus whan the lettr e was full spok e | B |
| Thei have anon the cofr e stok e | B |
| And bounden it with yren fast e | B |
| That it may with the waw e s last e | B |
| And stoppen it be such a wei e | B |
| That it schal be withinn e drei e | B |
| So that no water myhte it griev e | B |
| And thus in hope and good believ e | B |
| Of that the corps schal wel aryv e | B |
| Thei caste it over bord als blyv e | B |
| - | |
| The schip forth on the waw e s went e | B |
| The prince hath chang e d his entent e | B |
| And seith he wol noght come at Tyr | J |
| As thann e bot al his desir | J |
| Is ferst to seilen unto Thars e | B |
| The wyndy storm began to skars e | B |
| The sonne arist the weder cliereth | D |
| The schipman which behind e stiereth | D |
| Whan that he sih the wynd e s saght e | B |
| Toward e s Tharse his cours he straght e | B |
| - | |
| Bot now to mi matiere ayein | I |
| To telle as old e bok e s sein | I |
| This dede corps of which ye know e | B |
| With wynd and water was forthrow e | B |
| Now hier now ther til at e last e | B |
| At Ephesim the see upcast e | B |
| The cofre and al that was therinn e | B |
| Of gret merveil e now beginn e | B |
| Mai hier e who that sitteth still e | B |
| That God wol sav e mai noght spill e | B |
| Riht as the corps was throwe alond e | B |
| Ther cam walkende upon the strond e | B |
| A worthi clerc a surgi e n | I |
| And ek a gret phisici e n | I |
| Of al that lond the wisest on | I |
| Which hiht e Maister Cerymon | I |
| Ther were of his discipl e s som e | B |
| This maister to the cofre is com e | B |
| He peiseth ther was somwhat in | I |
| And bad hem bere it to his in | I |
| And goth himselv e forth withal | M |
| Al that schal fall e fall e schal | M |
| They comen hom and tari e noght | B |
| This cofre is into chambr e broght | B |
| Which that thei find e fast e stok e | B |
| Bot thei with craft it have unlok e | B |
| Thei loken in where as thei found e | B |
| A bodi ded which was bewound e | B |
| In cloth of gold as I seide er | J |
| The tresor ek thei founden ther | J |
| Forth with the lettr e which thei red e | B |
| And tho thei token betr e hied e | B |
| Unsowed was the bodi son e | B |
| And he which knew what is to don e | B |
| This nobl e clerk with all e hast e | B |
| Began the vein e s forto tast e | B |
| And sih hire ag e was of youth e | B |
| And with the craft e s whiche he couth e | B |
| He soghte and fond a signe of lif | E |
| With that this worthi king e s wif | E |
| Honest e ly thei token out e | B |
| And maden fyr e s al about e | B |
| Thei leide hire on a couch e soft e | B |
| And with a scheet e warm e d oft e | B |
| Hire cold e brest began to het e | B |
| Hire herte also to flacke and bet e | B |
| This maister hath hire every joignt | B |
| With certein oile and balsme enoignt | B |
| And putte a liquour in hire mouth | D |
| Which is to few e clerk e s couth | D |
| So that sche coevereth at e last e | B |
| And ferst hire yhen up sche cast e | B |
| And whan sche more of strengthe cawht e | B |
| Hire arm e s both e forth sche strawht e | B |
| Hield up hire hond and pitously | M |
| Sche spak and seide quot Ha wher am I | J |
| Where is my lord what world is this quot | B |
| As sche that wot noght hou it is | L |
| Bot Cerymon the worthi lech e | B |
| Ansuerde anon upon hire spech e | B |
| And seith quot Ma dam e yee ben hier e | B |
| Where yee be sauf as yee schal hier e | B |
| Hierafterward forthi as nou | I |
| Mi conseil is conforteth you | I |
| For trusteth wel without e fail e | B |
| Ther is nothing which schal you fail e | B |
| That oghte of reson to be do quot | B |
John Gower
(1)
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About Confessio Amantis, Book Iii
Confessio Amantis, Book Iii is a poem by John Gower. This page includes the poem text, poet information, related topics, comments, and similar poems.