Analysis of Fortune
Geoffrey Chaucer 1343 (London) – 1400 (London)
This wrecched worldes transmutacioun,
As wele or wo, now povre and now honour,
Withouten ordre or wys discrecioun
Governed is by Fortunes errour.
But natheles, the lak of hir favour
Ne may nat don me singen though I dye,
Jay tout perdu mon temps et mon labour;
For fynally, Fortune, I thee defye.
Yit is me left the light of my resoun
To knowen frend fro fo in thy mirour.
So muchel hath yit thy whirling up and doun
Ytaught me for to knowen in an hour.
But trewely, no force of thy reddour
To him that over himself hath the maystrye.
My suffisaunce shal be my socour,
For fynally Fortune, I thee defye.
O Socrates, thou stidfast champioun,
She never mighte be thy tormentour;
Thou never dreddest hir oppressioun,
Ne in hir chere founde thou no savour.
Thou knewe wel the deceit of hir colour,
And that hir moste worshipe is to lye.
I knowe hir eek a fals dissimulour,
For fynally, Fortune, I thee defye!
La respounse de Fortune au Pleintif
No man is wrecched but himself it wene,
And he that hath himself hath suffisaunce.
Why seystow thanne I am to thee so kene,
That hast thyself out of my governaunce?
Sey thus: 'Graunt mercy of thyn haboundaunce
That thou hast lent or this.' Why wolt thou stryve?
What wostow yit how I thee wol avaunce?
And eek thou hast thy beste frend alyve.
I have thee taught divisioun bitwene
Frend of effect and frend of countenaunce;
Thee nedeth nat the galle of noon hyene,
That cureth eyen derked for penaunce;
Now seestow cleer that were in ignoraunce.
Yit halt thyn ancre and yit thou mayst arryve
Ther bountee berth the keye of my substaunce,
And eek thou hast thy beste frend alyve.
How many have I refused to sustene
Sin I thee fostred have in thy plesaunce.
Woltow than make a statut on thy quene
That I shal been ay at thyn ordinaunce?
Thou born art in my regne of variaunce,
Aboute the wheel with other most thou dryve.
My lore is bet than wikke is thy grevaunce,
And eek thou hast thy beste frend alyve.
La respounse du Pleintif countre Fortune
Thy lore I dampne; it is adversitee.
My frend maystow nat reven, blind goddesse;
That I thy frendes knowe, I thanke it thee.
Tak hem agayn, lat hem go lye on presse.
The negardye in keping hir richesse
Prenostik is thou wolt hir tour assayle;
Wikke appetyt comth ay before syknesse.
In general, this reule may nat fayle.
La respounse de Fortune countre le Pleintif
Thou pinchest at my mutabilitee
For I thee lente a drope of my richesse,
And now me lyketh to withdrawe me.[Riv., p. 653]
Why sholdestow my realtee oppresse?
The see may ebbe and flowen more or lesse;
The welkne hath might to shyne, reyne, or hayle;
Right so mot I kythen my brotelnesse.
In general, this reule may nat fayle.
Lo, th'execucion of the majestee
That al purveyeth of his rightwysnesse,
That same thing 'Fortune'' clepen ye,
Ye blinde bestes ful of lewdednesse.
The hevene hath propretee of sikernesse.
This world hath ever resteles travayle;
Thy laste day is ende of myn intresse.
In general, this reule may nat fayle.
Lenvoy de Fortune
Princes, I prey you of your gentilesse
Lat nat this man on me thus crye and pleyne,
And I shal quyte you your bisinesse
At my requeste, as three of you or tweyne,
And but you list releve him of his peyne,
Preyeth his beste frend of his noblesse
That to som beter estat he may atteyne.
Scheme | ababbcbC ababbcbC ababbcbC d aeaeedeD aeaeedeD aeaeedeD a fegeeheH d fegeeheH fegeeheH a eaeaaea |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1111 111111011 11111 1011101 1101111 111111111 11111111 1110111 111101111 11111011 1111110101 111110110 1111111 1111001101 111111 1110111 110111 1101111 110111 10111111 111001111 01111111 1111011 1110111 1111011 111110111 01110111 111111111 1111111 11110111 1111111111 11111111 01111111 111111 11010111 11101111 111111 1111001 111101111 11101111 01111111 110110111 11111011 11101111 11111111 11101111 101110111 111111111 01111111 1111110 1111111 1111111 111111111 111111111 010111 1111111 1111011 010011111 11110101 11111 111101111 01111111 11111 011101111 011111111 1111111 010011111 11101 111111 111111 111111 011111 1111011 11111111 010011111 1110 10111111 1111111101 0111111 111111111 011111111 11111101 11111111 |
Closest metre | Iambic hexameter |
Characters | 3,211 |
Words | 605 |
Sentences | 38 |
Stanzas | 14 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 1, 8, 8, 8, 1, 8, 1, 8, 8, 1, 7 |
Lines Amount | 83 |
Letters per line (avg) | 31 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 185 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 43 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 24, 2023
- 3:01 min read
- 164 Views
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"Fortune" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 6 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/14620/fortune>.
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