Confessio Amantis. Explicit Liber Tercius Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: A BAACDE DDFFDDEEGG DHHDDAADBCCAAGGDDDDD DGGGHGGH DDAADGDDDDDDIJDDAAHH DDDDAAKKGGGGDDHHAADD LLAAAADDDDDDFFDDGGDD LLAGGGHHFFGDC DDDAAGGAADDCCDD JDDDDAADDDDKKDDAAGGA MJJDDAAHHAAGGAADDDDA AAAJJAAHHDDFFDDAA DDDAADDDDAALLDDAADDD DHHDDDDLLDDAMFFDDNND DDDDIncipit Liber Quartus | A |
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Dicunt accidiam fore nutricem viciorum | B |
Torpet et in cunctis tarda que lenta bonis | A |
Que fieri possent hodie transfert piger in cras | A |
Furatoque prius ostia claudit equo | C |
Poscenti tardo negat emolumenta Cupido | D |
Set Venus in celeri ludit amore viri | E |
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Upon the vices to procede | D |
After the cause of mannes dede | D |
The ferste point of Slowthe I calle | F |
Lachesce and is the chief of alle | F |
And hath this propreliche of kinde | D |
To leven alle thing behinde | D |
Of that he mihte do now hier | E |
He tarieth al the longe yer | E |
And everemore he seith 'Tomorwe' | G |
And so he wol his time borwe | G |
And wissheth after 'God me sende ' | - |
That whan he weneth have an ende | D |
Thanne is he ferthest to beginne | H |
Thus bringth he many a meschief inne | H |
Unwar til that he be meschieved | D |
And may noght thanne be relieved | D |
And riht so nowther mor ne lesse | A |
It stant of love and of lachesce | A |
Som time he slowtheth in a day | D |
That he nevere after gete mai | B |
Now Sone as of this ilke thing | C |
If thou have eny knowleching | C |
That thou to love hast don er this | A |
Tell on Mi goode fader yis | A |
As of lachesce I am beknowe | G |
That I mai stonde upon his rowe | G |
As I that am clad of his suite | D |
For whanne I thoghte mi poursuite | D |
To make and therto sette a day | D |
To speke unto the swete May | D |
Lachesce bad abide yit | D |
And bar on hond it was no wit | D |
Ne time forto speke as tho | G |
Thus with his tales to and fro | G |
Mi time in tariinge he drowh | G |
Whan ther was time good ynowh | H |
He seide 'An other time is bettre | G |
Thou schalt mowe senden hire a lettre | G |
And per cas wryte more plein | H |
Than thou be Mowthe durstest sein ' | - |
Thus have I lete time slyde | D |
For Slowthe and kepte noght my tide | D |
So that lachesce with his vice | A |
Fulofte hath mad my wit so nyce | A |
That what I thoghte speke or do | D |
With tariinge he hield me so | G |
Til whanne I wolde and mihte noght | D |
I not what thing was in my thoght | D |
Or it was drede or it was schame | D |
Bot evere in ernest and in game | D |
I wot ther is long time passed | D |
Bot yit is noght the love lassed | D |
Which I unto mi ladi have | I |
For thogh my tunge is slowh to crave | J |
At alle time as I have bede | D |
Min herte stant evere in o stede | D |
And axeth besiliche grace | A |
The which I mai noght yit embrace | A |
And god wot that is malgre myn | H |
For this I wot riht wel a fin | H |
Mi grace comth so selde aboute | D |
That is the Slowthe of which I doute | D |
Mor than of al the remenant | D |
Which is to love appourtenant | D |
And thus as touchende of lachesce | A |
As I have told I me confesse | A |
To you mi fader and beseche | K |
That furthermor ye wol me teche | K |
And if ther be to this matiere | G |
Som goodly tale forto liere | G |
How I mai do lachesce aweie | G |
That ye it wolden telle I preie | G |
To wisse thee my Sone and rede | D |
Among the tales whiche I rede | D |
An old ensample therupon | H |
Now herkne and I wol tellen on | H |
Ayein Lachesce in loves cas | A |
I finde how whilom Eneas | A |
Whom Anchises to Sone hadde | D |
With gret navie which he ladde | D |
Fro Troie aryveth at Cartage | L |
Wher for a while his herbergage | L |
He tok and it betidde so | A |
With hire which was qweene tho | A |
Of the Cite his aqueintance | A |
He wan whos name in remembrance | A |
Is yit and Dido sche was hote | D |
Which loveth Eneas so hote | D |
Upon the wordes whiche he seide | D |
That al hire herte on him sche leide | D |
And dede al holi what he wolde | D |
Bot after that as it be scholde | D |
Fro thenne he goth toward Ytaile | F |
Be Schipe and there his arivaile | F |
Hath take and schop him forto ryde | D |
Bot sche which mai noght longe abide | D |
The hote peine of loves throwe | G |
Anon withinne a litel throwe | G |
A lettre unto hir kniht hath write | D |
And dede him pleinly forto wite | D |
If he made eny tariinge | L |
To drecche of his ayeincomynge | L |
That sche ne mihte him fiele and se | A |
Sche scholde stonde in such degre | G |
As whilom stod a Swan tofore | G |
Of that sche hadde hire make lore | G |
For sorwe a fethere into hire brain | H |
Sche schof and hath hireselve slain | H |
As king Menander in a lay | F |
The sothe hath founde wher sche lay | F |
Sprantlende with hire wynges tweie | G |
As sche which scholde thanne deie | D |
For love of him which was hire make | C |
'And so schal I do for thi sake ' | - |
This qweene seide 'wel I wot ' | - |
Lo to Enee thus sche wrot | D |
With many an other word of pleinte | D |
Bot he which hadde hise thoghtes feinte | D |
Towardes love and full of Slowthe | A |
His time lette and that was rowthe | A |
For sche which loveth him tofore | G |
Desireth evere more and more | G |
And whan sche sih him tarie so | A |
Hire herte was so full of wo | A |
That compleignende manyfold | D |
Sche hath hire oghne tale told | D |
Unto hirself and thus sche spak | C |
'Ha who fond evere such a lak | C |
Of Slowthe in eny worthi kniht | D |
Now wot I wel my deth is diht | D |
Thurgh him which scholde have be mi lif ' | - |
Bot forto stinten al this strif | J |
Thus whan sche sih non other bote | D |
Riht evene unto hire herte rote | D |
A naked swerd anon sche threste | D |
And thus sche gat hireselve reste | D |
In remembrance of alle slowe | A |
Wherof my Sone thou miht knowe | A |
How tariinge upon the nede | D |
In loves cause is forto drede | D |
And that hath Dido sore aboght | D |
Whos deth schal evere be bethoght | D |
And overmore if I schal seche | K |
In this matiere an other spieche | K |
In a Cronique I finde write | D |
A tale which is good to wite | D |
At Troie whan king Ulixes | A |
Upon the Siege among the pres | A |
Of hem that worthi knihtes were | G |
Abod long time stille there | G |
In thilke time a man mai se | A |
How goodli that Penolope | M |
Which was to him his trewe wif | J |
Of his lachesce was pleintif | J |
Wherof to Troie sche him sende | D |
Hire will be lettre thus spekende | D |
'Mi worthi love and lord also | A |
It is and hath ben evere so | A |
That wher a womman is al one | H |
It makth a man in his persone | H |
The more hardi forto wowe | A |
In hope that sche wolde bowe | A |
To such thing as his wille were | G |
Whil that hire lord were elleswhere | G |
And of miself I telle this | A |
For it so longe passed is | A |
Sithe ferst than ye fro home wente | D |
That welnyh every man his wente | D |
To there I am whil ye ben oute | D |
Hath mad and ech of hem aboute | D |
Which love can my love secheth | A |
With gret preiere and me besecheth | A |
And some maken gret manace | A |
That if thei mihten come in place | A |
Wher that thei mihte here wille have | J |
Ther is nothing me scholde save | J |
That thei ne wolde werche thinges | A |
And some tellen me tidynges | A |
That ye ben ded and some sein | H |
That certeinly ye ben besein | H |
To love a newe and leve me | D |
Bot hou as evere that it be | D |
I thonke unto the goddes alle | F |
As yit for oght that is befalle | F |
Mai noman do my chekes rede | D |
Bot natheles it is to drede | D |
That Lachesse in continuance | A |
Fortune mihte such a chance | A |
Which noman after scholde amende ' | - |
Lo thus this ladi compleignende | D |
A lettre unto hire lord hath write | D |
And preyde him that he wolde wite | D |
And thenke hou that sche was al his | A |
And that he tarie noght in this | A |
Bot that he wolde his love aquite | D |
To hire ayeinward and noght wryte | D |
Bot come himself in alle haste | D |
That he non other paper waste | D |
So that he kepe and holde his trowthe | A |
Withoute lette of eny Slowthe | A |
Unto hire lord and love liege | L |
To Troie wher the grete Siege | L |
Was leid this lettre was conveied | D |
And he which wisdom hath pourveied | D |
Of al that to reson belongeth | A |
With gentil herte it underfongeth | A |
And whan he hath it overrad | D |
In part he was riht inly glad | D |
And ek in part he was desesed | D |
Bot love his herte hath so thorghsesed | D |
With pure ymaginacioun | H |
That for non occupacioun | H |
Which he can take on other side | D |
He mai noght flitt his herte aside | D |
Fro that his wif him hadde enformed | D |
Wherof he hath himself conformed | D |
With al the wille of his corage | L |
To schape and take the viage | L |
Homward what time that he mai | D |
So that him thenketh of a day | D |
A thousand yer til he mai se | A |
The visage of Penolope | M |
Which he desireth most of alle | F |
And whan the time is so befalle | F |
That Troie was destruid and brent | D |
He made non delaiement | D |
Bot goth him home in alle hihe | N |
Wher that he fond tofore his yhe | N |
His worthi wif in good astat | D |
And thus was cessed the debat | D |
Of love and Slowthe was excused | D |
Which doth gret harm where it is used | D |
And hindreth many a cause honest | D |
John Gower
(1)
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