Analysis of Ballade: Du Concours De Blois
François Villon 1431 (Paris) – 1463
I'm dying of thirst beside the fountain,
Hot as fire, and with chattering teeth:
In my own land, I'm in a far domain:
Near the flame, I shiver beyond belief:
Bare as a worm, dressed in a furry sheathe,
I smile in tears, wait without expectation:
Taking my comfort in sad desperation:
I rejoice, without pleasures, never a one:
Strong I am, without power or persuasion,
Welcomed gladly, and spurned by everyone.
Nothing is sure for me but what's uncertain:
Obscure, whatever is plainly clear to see:
I've no doubt, except of everything certain:
Science is what happens accidentally:
I win it all, yet a loser I'm bound to be:
Saying: ‘God give you good even!' at dawn,
I greatly fear I'm falling, when lying down:
I've plenty, yet I've not one possession,
I wait to inherit, yet I'm no heir I own,
Welcomed gladly, and spurned by everyone.
I never take care, yet I've taken great pain
To acquire some goods, but have none by me:
Who's nice to me is one I hate: it's plain,
And who speaks truth deals with me most falsely:
He's my friend who can make me believe
A white swan is the blackest crow I've known:
Who thinks he's power to help me, does me harm:
Lies, truth, to me are all one under the sun:
I remember all, have the wisdom of a stone,
Welcomed gladly, and spurned by everyone.
Merciful Prince, may it please you that I've shown
There's much I know, yet without sense or reason:
I'm partial, yet I hold with all men, in common.
What more can I do? Redeem what I've in pawn,
Welcomed gladly, and spurned by everyone.
Scheme | axbxxaaaaA acaccdxaeA bcbcxexaeA eaadA |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Tetractys (20%) |
Metre | 1101101010 1110011001 0111100101 1011100101 1101100101 1101101010 1011001010 10101101001 11101101010 101001110 10111111010 0110110111 1110111010 1011100100 111110101111 1011111011 11011101101 1101111010 111010111111 101001110 11011111011 10101111111 1111111111 0111111110 111111101 0111010111 11110111111 11111111001 101011010101 101001110 10011111111 11111011110 110111111010 11111011101 101001110 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,502 |
Words | 285 |
Sentences | 8 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 10, 10, 10, 5 |
Lines Amount | 35 |
Letters per line (avg) | 33 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 289 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 71 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 22, 2023
- 1:30 min read
- 186 Views
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"Ballade: Du Concours De Blois" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/13665/ballade%3A-du-concours-de-blois>.
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