Gentilesse

Geoffrey Chaucer 1343 (London) – 1400 (London)



The firste stok, fader of gentilesse --
What man that desireth gentil for to be
Must folowe his trace, and alle his wittes dresse
Vertu to love and vyces for to flee.
For unto vertu longeth dignitee
And noght the revers, saufly dar I deme,
Al were he mytre, croune, or diademe.

This firste stok was ful of rightwisnesse,
Trewe of his word, sobre, pitous, and free,
Clene of his gost, and loved besinesse,
Ayeinst the vyce of slouthe, in honestee;
And, but his heir love vertu as dide he,
He is noght gentil, thogh he riche seme,
Al were he mytre, croune, or diademe.

Vyce may wel be heir to old richesse,
But ther may no man, as men may wel see,
Bequethe his heir his vertuous noblesse
(That is appropred unto no degree
 But to the firste fader in magestee,
 That maketh hem his heyres that him queme),

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 01, 2023

45 sec read
459

Quick analysis:

Scheme ababcdD abacbdD aaabcd
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 791
Words 152
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 7, 7, 6

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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    What is the term for the continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza.
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