Analysis of A Ballad Sent to King Richard
Geoffrey Chaucer 1343 (London) – 1400 (London)
Sometime this world was so steadfast and stable,
That man's word was held obligation;
And now it is so false and deceivable,
That word and work, as in conclusion,
Be nothing one; for turned up so down
Is all this world, through meed and wilfulness,
That all is lost for lack of steadfastness.
What makes this world to be so variable,
But lust that folk have in dissension?
For now-a-days a man is held unable
But if he can, by some collusion,
Do his neighbour wrong or oppression.
What causeth this but wilful wretchedness,
That all is lost for lack of steadfastness?
Truth is put down, reason is holden fable;
Virtue hath now no domination;
Pity exil'd, no wight is merciable;
Through covetise is blent discretion;
The worlde hath made permutation
From right to wrong, from truth to fickleness,
That all is lost for lack of steadfastness.
O Prince! desire to be honourable;
Cherish thy folk, and hate extortion;
Suffer nothing that may be reprovable
To thine estate, done in thy region;
Show forth the sword of castigation;
Dread God, do law, love thorough worthiness,
And wed thy folk again to steadfastness.
Scheme | ababxcC ababbcC ababbcC ababbcc |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 111111010 11111010 01111101 110110010 110111111 11111101 111111110 11111111000 111110010 11010111010 111111010 11111010 111111 111111110 11111011010 10111010 1011111 1111010 0111010 1111111100 111111110 11010111 101101010 10101111 110110110 110111 1111110100 011101110 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,099 |
Words | 195 |
Sentences | 9 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 7, 7, 7, 7 |
Lines Amount | 28 |
Letters per line (avg) | 31 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 220 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 48 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 11, 2023
- 59 sec read
- 155 Views
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"A Ballad Sent to King Richard" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 20 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/14607/a-ballad-sent-to-king-richard>.
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