Analysis of Good Counsel of Chaucer

Geoffrey Chaucer 1343 (London) – 1400 (London)



Flee from the press, and dwell with soothfastness;
Suffice thee thy good, though it be small;
For hoard hath hate, and climbing tickleness,
Press hath envy, and weal is blent o'er all,
Savour no more than thee behove shall;
Read well thyself, that other folk canst read;
And truth thee shall deliver, it is no dread.

Paine thee not each crooked to redress,
In trust of her that turneth as a ball;
Great rest standeth in little business:
Beware also to spurn against a nail;
Strive not as doth a crocke with a wall;
Deeme thyself that deemest others' deed,
And truth thee shall deliver, it is no dread.

What thee is sent, receive in buxomness;
The wrestling of this world asketh a fall;
Here is no home, here is but wilderness.
Forth, pilgrim! Forthe beast, out of thy stall!
Look up on high, and thank thy God of all!
Weive thy lust, and let thy ghost thee lead,
And truth thee shall deliver, it is no dread.


Scheme ababxcC abaxbxC ababbcC
Poetic Form
Metre 11010111 011111111 11110101 11100111101 1111111 111110111 01110101111 111110101 011011101 11101010 0110110101 111101101 1111101 01110101111 11110101 010111101 1111111100 110111111 1111011111 111011111 01110101111
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 896
Words 170
Sentences 8
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 7, 7, 7
Lines Amount 21
Letters per line (avg) 33
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 234
Words per stanza (avg) 56
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

51 sec read
140

Geoffrey Chaucer

Geoffrey Chaucer, known as the Father of English literature, is widely considered the greatest English poet of the Middle Ages and was the first poet to have been buried in Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey. more…

All Geoffrey Chaucer poems | Geoffrey Chaucer Books

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