Piers Plowman The Prologue (b-text) Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AABABA AABACAADAAAAE AACFDAAABAAAEAACCAAA CDAABA BABFBFACA BBEAGABBAA ABACAACBCCBAEFABAAA AAABBA ACCABA BFACABAAAAAAAA| In a somer sesun whon softe was the sonn e | A |
| I schop me into a shroud as I a scheep wer e | A |
| In habite as an hermite unholy of werk e s | B |
| Wente I wyde in this world wondr e s to her e | A |
| Bote in a May e s morwnynge on Malverne hull e s | B |
| Me bifel a ferly of fairie me thought e | A |
| - | |
| I was wery forwandr e d and went e me to rest e | A |
| Undur a brod banke bi a bourn e sid e | A |
| And as I lay and leon e de and lok e de on the watr e s | B |
| I slumbr e de in a slepynge hit swy e d so muri e | A |
| Thenne gon I meeten a mervelous sweven | C |
| That I was in a wilderness e wuste I never wher e | A |
| And as I beheold into the est an heigh to the sonn e | A |
| I sauh a tour on a toft try e lyche i maket | D |
| A deop dal e bineoth e a dungun ther inn e | A |
| With deop dich and derk and dredful of sight e | A |
| A feir feld full of folk fond I ther bitwen e | A |
| Of all e maner of men the mene and the rich e | A |
| Worchinge and wandringe as the world asketh | E |
| - | |
| Summ e putten hem to the plough pleiden ful selden e | A |
| In settynge and in sowyng e swonken ful hard e | A |
| And wonnen that theos wasturs with glotonye distruen | C |
| And summ e putten hem to pruid e apparaylden hem ther after | F |
| In cuntenaunce of clothing e comen disgisid | D |
| To preyer e s and to penaunc e putten hem mony e | A |
| For love of ur Lord liv e den ful streit e | A |
| In hop e for to hav e hevene rich e bliss e | A |
| As ancr e s and hermyt e s that holdeth hem in heor e cell e s | B |
| Coveyt e not in cuntr eacute to cairen about e | A |
| For non likerous lyflod e heor e licam to ples e | A |
| And summ e chosen chaffar e to cheeven the bettr e | A |
| As hit semeth to ur e sight e that such e men thryveth | E |
| And summ e murthh e s to maken as munstrals cunn e | A |
| And get e gold with her e gle giltles I trow e | A |
| Bote japers and jangelers Judas children | C |
| Founden hem fantasy e s and fool e s hem maaden | C |
| And habbeth wit at heor e will e to worchen yif hem lust e | A |
| That Poul precheth of hem I dar not preoven heer e | A |
| Qui loquitur turpiloquium he is Lucifer e s hyn e | A |
| Bidders and beggers faste aboute eoden | C |
| Til heor bagg e s and heore balies weren bretful i crommet | D |
| Feyneden hem for heor e food e foughten att e al e | A |
| In glotony e God wot gon heo to bedd e | A |
| And ryseth up with ribaudy e this roberd e s knav e s | B |
| Sleep and sleughth e suweth hem ever e | A |
| - | |
| Pilgrimes and palmers plihten hem togeder e s | B |
| For to sech e Seint Jam e and seint e s at Room e | A |
| Wenten forth in heor e wey with mony wys e tal e s | B |
| And hedden lev e to lyen al heor e lyf aftir | F |
| Ermyt e s on an hep with hokid e stav e s | B |
| Wenten to Walsyngham and her e wenchis after | F |
| Gret e lobr e s and long e that loth weor e to swynk e | A |
| Clotheden hem in cop e s to beo knowen for bretheren | C |
| And summ e schopen hem to hermyt e s heore es e to hav e | A |
| - | |
| I fond there frer e s all the foure ordr e s | B |
| Prechinge the pepl e for profyt of heor e womb e s | B |
| Glosynge the Gospel as hem good liketh | E |
| For covetyse of cop e s construeth hit ill e | A |
| For monye of this maistr e s mowen clothen hem at lyking | G |
| For moneye and heor e marchaundi e meeten togeder e | A |
| Sethth e Charit eacute hath be chapmon and cheef to schriven lord e s | B |
| Mony ferly e s han bifall e in a few e yer e s | B |
| But Holychirche and heo hold e bet togeder e | A |
| The most e mischeef on mold e is mountyng up fast e | A |
| - | |
| Ther prechede a pardoner as he a prest wer e | A |
| And brought forth a bull e with bisschop e s sel e s | B |
| And seid e that himself might e asoylen hem all e | A |
| Of falsnesse and fastinge and of vouw e s i broken | C |
| The lewed e men levide him wel and lik e de his spech e | A |
| And comen up knelyng e to kissen his bull e | A |
| He bonch e de hem with his brevet and bler e d heore eiyen | C |
| And raught e with his rag e mon ring e s and broch e s | B |
| Thus ye yiveth our e gold glotonis to helpen | C |
| And leveth hit to losels that lecherie haunten | C |
| Weor e the bisschop i blesset and worth bothe his er e s | B |
| His sel shulde not be sent to deceyv e the pepl e | A |
| It is not al bi the bisschop that the boy e precheth | E |
| Bote the parisch prest and the pardoner part e the selver | F |
| That the por e peple of the parisch schulde have yif that heo ne weor e | A |
| Person e s and parisch prest e s playneth to heor e bisschops | B |
| That heor e parisch hath ben por e sethth e the pestilenc e tym e | A |
| To have a lycence and lev e at Londun to dwell e | A |
| To sing e ther for simony e for selver is swet e | A |
| - | |
| Ther hovide an hundret in houv e s of selk e | A |
| Serjauns hit semid e to serven att e barr e | A |
| Pleden for pens and pound e s the law e | A |
| Not for love of ur Lord unloseth heor e lipp e s on e s | B |
| Thou mightest beter meten the myst on Malvern e hull e s | B |
| Then geten a mom of heor e mouth til moneye weor e schew e d | A |
| - | |
| I saugh ther bisschops bold e and bachilers of divyn e | A |
| Bicoom e clerk e s of acount e the king for to serven | C |
| Erchedeken e s and denis that dignit eacute haven | C |
| To prech e the pepl e and por e men to feed e | A |
| Beon lopen to Londun bi leve of heor e bisschop e s | B |
| To ben clerk e s of the Kyng e s Bench e the cuntr eacute to schend e | A |
| - | |
| Barouns and burgeis and bond e men also | B |
| I saugh in that sembl eacute as ye schul heren aftur | F |
| Bakers bochers and breusters mony e | A |
| Wollen e websteris and weveris of lynen | C |
| Taillours tanneris and tokkeris both e | A |
| Masons minours and mony other craft e s | B |
| Dykers and delvers that don heor e ded e s ill e | A |
| And driveth forth the long e day with quot Deu vous sav e Dam Emm e quot | A |
| Cook e s and heor e knav e s cryen quot Hot e pi e s hot e | A |
| quot Good e gees and grys Go we dyn e go we quot | A |
| Taverners to hem told e the sam e tal e | A |
| With wyn of Osey e and win of Gaskoyn e | A |
| Of the Ryn and of the Rochel the rost to defy e | A |
| Al this I saugh slepynge and sev e sith e s mor e | A |
William Langland
(1)
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About Piers Plowman The Prologue (b-text)
Piers Plowman The Prologue (b-text) is a poem by William Langland. This page includes the poem text, poet information, related topics, comments, and similar poems.