Analysis of L'Envoy of Chaucer to Bukton
Geoffrey Chaucer 1343 (London) – 1400 (London)
My Master Bukton, when of Christ our King
Was asked, What is truth or soothfastness?
He not a word answer'd to that asking,
As who saith, no man is all true, I guess;
And therefore, though I highte to express
The sorrow and woe that is in marriage,
I dare not write of it no wickedness,
Lest I myself fall eft in such dotage.
I will not say how that it is the chain
Of Satanas, on which he gnaweth ever;
But I dare say, were he out of his pain,
As by his will he would be bounden never.
But thilke doated fool that eft had lever
Y-chained be, than out of prison creep,
God let him never from his woe dissever,
Nor no man him bewaile though he weep!
But yet, lest thou do worse, take a wife;
Bet is to wed than burn in worse wise;
But thou shalt have sorrow on thy flesh thy life,
And be thy wife's thrall, as say these wise.
And if that Holy Writ may not suffice,
Experience shall thee teache, so may hap,
That thee were lever to be taken in Frise,
Than eft to fall of wedding in the trap.
This little writ, proverbes, or figure,
I sende you; take keep of it, I read!
"Unwise is he that can no weal endure;
If thou be sicker, put thee not in dread."
The Wife of Bath I pray you that you read,
Of this mattere which that we have on hand.
God grante you your life freely to lead
In freedom, for full hard is to be bond.
Scheme | ABABBCBC DEDEEFEF GBGBBHBH EIXIIXIX |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1101111101 1111111 1101101110 1111111111 01111101 0100111010 1111111100 11111011 1111111101 11111110 1111011111 1111111110 111111110 111111101 111101111 11111111 111111101 111111011 11111011111 011111111 0111011101 0100111111 11010111001 1111110001 11011110 111111111 0111111101 1111011101 0111111111 111111111 111111011 0101111111 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,294 |
Words | 272 |
Sentences | 11 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 32 |
Letters per line (avg) | 31 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 250 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 67 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 05, 2023
- 1:21 min read
- 112 Views
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"L'Envoy of Chaucer to Bukton" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 1 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/14625/l%27envoy-of-chaucer-to-bukton>.
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