Piers Plowman (c.a. 1380)

High possibility of appearing on exam, important to recognize beginning.

Written in unrhymed alliterative verse.

Written around the same time as The Canterbury Tales, which is NOT in alliterative verse.

Concerns narrator's quest for true Christian life. The narrator, Will, seeks out truth in a series of 8 allegorical visions, in which he searches for the characters Dowel, Dobet, and Dobest. Will is guided by a plowman called Piers.

Beginning of Prologue:

In a somer seson, whan softe was the sonne,

I shoop me into shroudes as I a sheep were

In habite as an heremite unholy of werkes

Wente wide in this world wondres to here.

Ac on a May morwenynge on Malvern hilles

Me bifel a ferly, of Fairye me thoghte.

I was wery forwandred and wente me to reste

Under a brood bank by a bourne syde;

And as I lay and leneded and loked on the watres

I slombred into a slepyng, it sweyed so murye.

Thanne gan I meten a merveillous swevene

That I was in a wildernesse, wiste I nevere where.

Ac as I biheeld into the eest an heigh to the sonne,

I seigh a tour on a toft trieliche ymaked,

A deep dale bynethe, a dongeon therinne,

With depe diches and derke and dredfulle of sighte.

A fair feeld ful of folk fond I ther bitwene

Of alle manere of men, the meene and the riche,

Werchynge and wandrynge as the world asketh....

In a summer season, when soft was the sun,

I clothed myself in a cloak as I shepherd were,

Habit like a hermit's, unholy in works,

And went wide in the world, wonders to hear.

But on a May morning, on Malvern hills,

A marvel befell me, of fairy, methought.

I was weary with wandering, and went me to rest

Under a broad bank, by a brook's side,

And as I lay and leaned over, and looked into the waters

I fell into a sleep, for it sounded so merry. 

Then began I to dream, a marvelous dream,

That I was in a wilderness, wist I not where.

As I looked to the east, right into the sun,

I saw a tower on a toft, worthily built;

A deep dale beneath, a dungeon therein,

With deep ditches and dark and dreadful of sight

A fair field full of folk found I in between

Of all manner of men, the rich and the poor,

Working and wandering, as the world asketh.....

Full text available: http://www.courses.fas.harvard.edu/~chaucer/special/authors/langland/pp-pro.html and http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=cme;idno=PPlLan;rgn=div1;view=text;cc=cme;node=PPlLan:1