Analysis of Le Testament: Epitaph et Rondeau

François Villon 1431 (Paris) – 1463



Here there lies, and sleeps in the grave,
One whom Love killed with his scorn,
A poor little scholar in every way,
He was named François Villon.
He never reaped a morsel of corn:
Willed all away, as all men know:
Bed, table, and basket all are gone.
Gallants, now sing his song below:

Oh, grant him now eternal peace,
Lord, and everlasting light,
He wasn't worth a candle bright,
Nor even a sprig of parsley.
Of eyebrows, hair, and beard he's free,
A turnip scraped with a spade, all right:
Oh, grant him now eternal peace.

Exiled with strict severity,
Rapped behind with a spade, despite
It all he cried: ‘Appeal, for me!'
-      Which wasn't the height of subtlety.
Oh, grant him now eternal peace.


Scheme xaxaabxb CddeedC edeeC
Poetic Form Tetractys  (20%)
Etheree  (20%)
Metre 11101001 1111111 01101001001 111111 110101011 11011111 110010111 1111101 11110101 100101 11010101 11001110 1110111 010110111 11110101 1110100 10110101 11110111 110011100 11110101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 710
Words 132
Sentences 8
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 8, 7, 5
Lines Amount 20
Letters per line (avg) 26
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 176
Words per stanza (avg) 44
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 16, 2023

40 sec read
51

François Villon

François Villon born in Paris in 1431 and disappeared from view in 1463, is the best known French poet of the late Middle Ages. more…

All François Villon poems | François Villon Books

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