Analysis

 The Canon's Yeoman's Tale
Heere bigynneth the Chanouns Yeman his Tale.
[Here begins the Canon's Yeoman's Tale]
                    Prima Pars
                    [First Part]

With this Chanoun I dwelt have seven yeer,
                    With this Canon I have dwelt seven years,
721         And of his science am I never the neer.
                    And as to his science I am never the nearer (to success).
722         Al that I hadde I have lost therby,
                    All that I had I have lost thereby,
723         And, God woot, so hath many mo than I.
                    And, God knows, so have many more than I.
724         Ther I was wont to be right fressh and gay
                    Where I was accustomed to be right fresh and gay
725         Of clothyng and of oother good array,
                    Of clothing and of other splendid furnishings,
726         Now may I were an hose upon myn heed;
                    Now may I wear a hose upon my head;
727         And wher my colour was bothe fressh and reed,
                    And whereas my color was both fresh and red,
728          Now is it wan and of a leden hewe --
                    Now is it pale and of a leaden hue --
729         Whoso it useth, soore shal he rewe! --
                    Whoever uses it (that art), sorely shall he rue! --
730         And of my swynk yet blered is myn ye.
                    And by my work yet my eye is bleared.
				

				Blue: An enjambment/run-on-lines. Here, the sentence is unfinished and the meaning is incomplete when verse 724 ends and it continues in verse 725.
				Green: A simile. The Yeoman compares the color of his face to that of lead.

731         Lo, which avantage is to multiplie!
                    Lo, how profitable it is to transute metals!
732         That slidynge science hath me maad so bare
                    That slippery science has made me so bare
733         That I have no good, wher that evere I fare;
                    That I have no possessions, wherever I fare;
734         And yet I am endetted so therby
                    And yet by this I am so indebted
735         Of gold that I have borwed, trewely,
                    For gold that I have borrowed, truly,
736         That whil I lyve I shal it quite nevere.
                    That while I live I shall never repay it.
737         Lat every man be war by me for evere!
                    Let every man be warned by me forever!
738         What maner man that casteth hym therto,
                    Whatever sort of man that applies himself to that,
739         If he continue, I holde his thrift ydo.
                    If he continue, I consider his prosperity done for.
			

			Red: An alliteration, when two or more words that are close together start with the same letter.
			Blue: More enjambments/run-on-lines.
			Orange: An anaphora, when two or more following verses start with the same word.

740         For so helpe me God, therby shal he nat wynne,
                    For so help me God, he shall not profit thereby,
741         But empte his purs and make his wittes thynne.
                    But empty his purse and make his wits thin.
742         And whan he thurgh his madnesse and folye
                    And when he through his madness and folly
743         Hath lost his owene good thurgh jupartye,
                    Has lost his own possessions in this dangerous business,
744         Thanne he exciteth oother folk therto,
                    Then he incites other folk to that,
745         To lesen hir good as he hymself hath do.
                    To lose their possessions as he himself has done.
746         For unto shrewes joye it is and ese
                    For unto scoundrels it is joy and ease
747         To have hir felawes in peyne and disese.
                    To have their fellows in pain and hardship.
748         Thus was I ones lerned of a clerk.
                    Thus was I once taught by a clerk.
749         Of that no charge; I wol speke of oure werk.
                    No matter about that; I will speak of our work.
					

					Blue: More enjambments/run-onlines.
					Red: More alliteration.
					

750         Whan we been there as we shul exercise
                    When we are where we shall exercise
751         Oure elvysshe craft, we semen wonder wise,
                    Our mysterious craft, we seem wonderfully wise,
752         Oure termes been so clergial and so queynte.
                    Our terms are so scholarly and so strange.
753         I blowe the fir til that myn herte feynte.
                    I blow the fire until my heart faints.
754         What sholde I tellen ech proporcion
                    Why should I tell each proportion
755         Of thynges whiche that we werche upon --
                    Of the things that we work upon --
756         As on fyve or sixe ounces, may wel be,
                    As on five or six ounces, it may well be,
757         Of silver, or som oother quantitee --
                    Of silver, or some other quantity --
758         And bisye me to telle yow the names
                    And busy myself to tell you the names
759         Of orpyment, brent bones, iren squames,
                    Of orpiment (arsenic trisulfide), burned bones, iron flakes,
760         That into poudre grounden been ful smal;
                    That are ground into very fine powder;
761         And in an erthen pot how put is al,
                    And how all is put in an earthen pot,
762         And salt yput in, and also papeer,
                    And salt put in, and also pepper,
763         Biforn thise poudres that I speke of heer;
                    Before these powders that I speak of here;
764         And wel ycovered with a lampe of glas;
                    And well covered with a lamp-shaped vessel of glass;
765         And of muche oother thyng which that ther was;
                    And of many other things which were there;
766         And of the pot and glasses enlutyng
                    And sealing of the pot and glasses
767         That of the eyr myghte passe out nothyng;
                    So that not a bit of the air could pass out;
			(Harvard University, 2022)
					

					Turquoise: An enumeration, in which multiple similar things are summed up. In this case, ingredients and instruments used in alchemy are summed up.
					Red: More alliteration.
					Orange: More anaphora.