Skip to content
Linespedia

To My Empty Purse

By Geoffrey Chaucer

Topics: classic

To you, my purse, and to none other wight,     Complain I, for ye be my lady dere;     I am sorry now that ye be light,     For, certes, ye now make me heavy chere;     Me were as lefe be laid upon a bere,     For which unto your mercy thus I crie,     Be heavy againe, or els mote I die.     Now vouchsafe this day or it be night,     That I of you the blissful sowne may here,     Or see your color like the sunne bright,     That of yellowness had never pere;     Ye are my life, ye be my hertes stere,     Queen of comfort and of good companie,     Be heavy againe, or els mote I die.     Now purse, thou art to me my lives light,     And saviour, as downe in this world here,     Out of this towne helpe me by your might,     Sith that you will not be my treasure,     For I am slave as nere as any frere,     But I pray unto your curtesie,     Be heavy againe, or els mote I die.                     Geoffrey Chaucer.

AI analysis available. Enable JavaScript to interact.

About this line

"To you, my purse, and to none other wight,..."

Geoffrey Chaucer's contribution to classic is further solidified by the brilliance found in "To My Empty Purse"... ### Why We Love This Line At Linespedia, we believe that poetry is the ultimate sanctuary for the soul...

Attribution & Rights

Author:Geoffrey Chaucer

"To you, my purse, and to none other wight,..." by Geoffrey Chaucer

For usage rights, copyright concerns, or to report an issue with this content, please visit our Copyright & Report page.

Related lines

"THE PROLOGUE. "No more of this, for Godde's dignity!" Quoth oure Hoste; "for thou makest me So weary of thy very lewedness, That, all so wisly God my"

"THE PROLOGUE. THE Cook of London, while the Reeve thus spake, For joy he laugh'd and clapp'd him on the back: "Aha!" quoth he, "for Christes passion,"

"THE PROLOGUE Our Host upon his stirrups stood anon, And saide; "Good men, hearken every one, This was a thrifty tale for the nones. Sir Parish Priest"

"THE PROLOGUE. WHEN said was this miracle, every man As sober was, that wonder was to see, Till that our Host to japen he began, And then at erst he l"

"Here morning in the ploughman's songs is met     Ere yet one footstep shows in all the sky,     And twilight in the east, a doubt as yet,     S"

"The Text is taken from Percy's Reliques (1765), vol. i. p. 71, 'given from two MS. copies, transmitted from Scotland.' Herd had a very similar bal"

Geoffrey Chaucer

About Geoffrey Chaucer

Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1343–1400) is often called the father of English literature. His masterpiece "The Canterbury Tales"—a collection of stories told by pilgrims traveling to Canterbury—established English as a literary language and remains one of the most important works of medieval literature.

Full Bibliography
Continue Reading

"THE PROLOGUE. "No more of this, for Godde's digni..."

Weekly Poetic Insight

Join our literary Sanctuary

Get the most inspiring lines, poetic analysis, and secret shayaris delivered to your inbox every Sunday.