The Chant Royal is a poetic form that is a variation of the ballad form and consists of five eleven-line stanzas with a rhyme scheme ababccddedE and a five-line envoi rhyming ddedE or a seven-line envoi ccddedE (capital letters indicate lines repeated verbatim). To add to the complexity, no rhyming word is used twice.[1][2] It was introduced into French poetry in the 15th century by Christine de Pizan and Charles d'Orléans and was introduced into England towards the end of the 19th century as part of a general revival of interest in French poetic forms. The complexity of the form caused William Caswell Jones to describe it as "impractical" for common use [2] The Chant Royal was the most complicated form of poetry in Northern France during the 15th century, though not as complex as the sestina, which was more popular in Southern France.[1] The form was often used for stately, or heroic subjects.
An exampleedit
The Dance of Death After Holbein "Contra vim Mortis Non est medicamen in hortis."
He is the despots' Despot. All must bide, Later or soon, the message of his might; Princes and potentates their heads must hide, Touched by the awful sigil of his right; Beside the Kaiser he at eve doth wait And pours a potion in his cup of state; The stately Queen his bidding must obey; No keen-eyed Cardinal shall him affray; And to the Dame that wantoneth he saith-- "Let be, Sweet-heart, to junket and to play." There is no King more terrible than Death.
The lusty Lord, rejoicing in his pride, He draweth down; before the armed Knight With jingling bridle-rein he still doth ride; He crosseth the strong Captain in the fight; The Burgher grave he beckons from debate; He hales the Abbot by his shaven pate, Nor for the Abbess' wailing will delay; No bawling Mendicant shall say him nay; E'en to the pyx the Priest he followeth, Nor can the Leech* his chilling finger stay . . . [doctor] There is no King more terrible than Death.
All things must bow to him. And woe betide The Wine-bibber,--the Roisterer by night; Him the feast-master, many bouts defied, Him 'twixt the pledging and the cup shall smite; Woe to the Lender at usurious rate, The hard Rich Man, the hireling Advocate; Woe to the Judge that selleth Law for pay; Woe to the Thief that like a beast of prey With creeping tread the traveller harryeth:-- These, in their sin, the sudden sword shall slay . . . There is no King more terrible than Death.
He hath no pity, -- nor will be denied. When the low hearth is garnished and bright, Grimly he flingeth the dim portal wide, And steals the Infant in the Mother's sight; He hath no pity for the scorned of fate:-- He spares not Lazarus lying at the gate, Nay, nor the Blind that stumbleth as he may; Nay, the tired Ploughman,--at the sinking ray,-- In the last furrow,--feels an icy breath, And knows a hand hath turned the team astray . . . There is no King more terrible than Death.
He hath no pity. For the new-made Bride, Blithe with the promise of her life's delight, That wanders gladly by her Husband's side, He with the clatter of his drum doth fright. He scares the Virgin at the convent grate; The Maid half-won, the Lover passionate; He hath no grace for weakness and decay: The tender Wife, the Widow bent and gray, The feeble Sire whose footstep faltereth,-- All these he leadeth by the lonely way . . . There is no King more terrible than Death.
Envoi Youth, for whose ear and monishing of late, I sang of Prodigals and lost estate, Have thou thy joy of living and be gay; But know not less that there must come a day,-- Aye, and perchance e'en now it hasteneth,-- When thine own heart shall speak to thee and say,-- There is no King more terrible than Death.
chant, royal, chant, royal, poetic, form, that, variation, ballad, form, consists, five, eleven, line, stanzas, with, rhyme, scheme, ababccddede, five, line, envoi, rhyming, ddede, seven, line, envoi, ccddede, capital, letters, indicate, lines, repeated, verba. The Chant Royal is a poetic form that is a variation of the ballad form and consists of five eleven line stanzas with a rhyme scheme ababccddedE and a five line envoi rhyming ddedE or a seven line envoi ccddedE capital letters indicate lines repeated verbatim To add to the complexity no rhyming word is used twice 1 2 It was introduced into French poetry in the 15th century by Christine de Pizan and Charles d Orleans and was introduced into England towards the end of the 19th century as part of a general revival of interest in French poetic forms The complexity of the form caused William Caswell Jones to describe it as impractical for common use 2 The Chant Royal was the most complicated form of poetry in Northern France during the 15th century though not as complex as the sestina which was more popular in Southern France 1 The form was often used for stately or heroic subjects An example editThe Dance of Death After Holbein Contra vim Mortis Non est medicamen in hortis He is the despots Despot All must bide Later or soon the message of his might Princes and potentates their heads must hide Touched by the awful sigil of his right Beside the Kaiser he at eve doth wait And pours a potion in his cup of state The stately Queen his bidding must obey No keen eyed Cardinal shall him affray And to the Dame that wantoneth he saith Let be Sweet heart to junket and to play There is no King more terrible than Death The lusty Lord rejoicing in his pride He draweth down before the armed Knight With jingling bridle rein he still doth ride He crosseth the strong Captain in the fight The Burgher grave he beckons from debate He hales the Abbot by his shaven pate Nor for the Abbess wailing will delay No bawling Mendicant shall say him nay E en to the pyx the Priest he followeth Nor can the Leech his chilling finger stay doctor There is no King more terrible than Death All things must bow to him And woe betide The Wine bibber the Roisterer by night Him the feast master many bouts defied Him twixt the pledging and the cup shall smite Woe to the Lender at usurious rate The hard Rich Man the hireling Advocate Woe to the Judge that selleth Law for pay Woe to the Thief that like a beast of prey With creeping tread the traveller harryeth These in their sin the sudden sword shall slay There is no King more terrible than Death He hath no pity nor will be denied When the low hearth is garnished and bright Grimly he flingeth the dim portal wide And steals the Infant in the Mother s sight He hath no pity for the scorned of fate He spares not Lazarus lying at the gate Nay nor the Blind that stumbleth as he may Nay the tired Ploughman at the sinking ray In the last furrow feels an icy breath And knows a hand hath turned the team astray There is no King more terrible than Death He hath no pity For the new made Bride Blithe with the promise of her life s delight That wanders gladly by her Husband s side He with the clatter of his drum doth fright He scares the Virgin at the convent grate The Maid half won the Lover passionate He hath no grace for weakness and decay The tender Wife the Widow bent and gray The feeble Sire whose footstep faltereth All these he leadeth by the lonely way There is no King more terrible than Death Envoi Youth for whose ear and monishing of late I sang of Prodigals and lost estate Have thou thy joy of living and be gay But know not less that there must come a day Aye and perchance e en now it hasteneth When thine own heart shall speak to thee and say There is no King more terrible than Death Austin DobsonReferences edit a b Esenwein Joseph Berg et Joseph Berg Esenwein Mary Eleanor Roberts Roberts The Art of VersificationHome Correspondence School 1920 p 205 a b Jones William Caswell Elements and Science of English Versification Peter Paul book company 1897 p 118External links editGosse Edmund William 1911 Chant Royal Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol 5 11th ed pp 848 849 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Chant royal amp oldid 1204629172, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
