Get Your Premium Membership

Famous Jape Poems by Famous Poets

These are examples of famous Jape poems written by some of the greatest and most-well-known modern and classical poets. PoetrySoup is a great educational poetry resource of famous jape poems. These examples illustrate what a famous jape poem looks like and its form, scheme, or style (where appropriate).

See also:

by Nash, Ogden
...nknown,
With neither name nor face.
And poor Dot King to one doth cling,
Joined in a ghastly jig,
While Elwell doth jape at a goblin shape
And tickle it with his wig.

See Rothstein pass like breath on a glass,
The original Black Sox kid;
He riffles the pack, riding piggyback
On the killer whose name he hid.
And smeared like brine on a slavering swine,
Starr Faithful, once so fair,
Drawn from the sea to her debauchee,
With the salt sand in her hair.

And still...Read more of this...



by Chatterton, Thomas
...lde; 
Faste reyneynge oer the plaine a prieste was seen; 
Ne dighte full proude, ne buttoned up in golde; 
His cope and jape were graie, and eke were clene; 
A Limitoure he was of order seene; 
And from the pathwaie side then turned hee, 
Where the pore almer laie binethe the holmen tree. 

"An almes, sir priest!" the droppynge pilgrim sayde, 
"For sweete Seyncte Marie and your order sake." 
The Limitoure then loosen'd his pouche threade, 
And did thereoute a groate o...Read more of this...

by Robinson, Edwin Arlington
...ile. Just wait:
Just wait a year or two for Cleopatra,
For she's to be a balsam and a comfort;
And that's not all a jape of mine now, either.
For granted once the old way of Apollo
Sings in a man, he may then, if he's able,
Strike unafraid whatever strings he will
Upon the last and wildest of new lyres;
Nor out of his new magic, though it hymn
The shrieks of dungeoned hell, shall he create
A madness or a gloom to shut quite out
A cleaving daylight, and a last great ca...Read more of this...

by Wyatt, Sir Thomas
...list, the liquor of the grape
Doth glad her heart till that her belly swell."

And at this journey she maketh but a jape;
So forth she goeth, trusting of all this wealth
With her sister her part so for to shape,

That if she might keep herself in health,
To live a lady while her life doth last.
And to the door now is she come by stealth,

And with her foot anon she scrapeth full fast.
Th' other for fear durst not well scarce appear,
Of every noise so was the wretc...Read more of this...

by Wyatt, Sir Thomas
...ist, the liquor of the grape 
Doth goad her heart till that her belly swell." 
And at this journey she maketh but a jape: [joke] 
So forth she goeth, trusting of all this wealth 
With her sister her part so for to shape 
That, if she might keep herself in health, 
To live a lady while her life doth last. 
And to the door now is she come by stealth, 
And with her foot anon she scrapeth full fast. 
The other for fear durst not well scarce appear, 
Of every noise so ...Read more of this...



by Morris, William
...th many-colour'd raiment, but far off;
And so pass'd quickly: from the court nought good;
Poor merry Dinadan, that with jape and scoff
Kept us all merry, in a little wood

Was found all hack'd and dead: Sir Lionel
And Gauwaine have come back from the great quest,
Just merely shamed; and Lauvaine, who loved well
Your father Launcelot, at the king's behest

Went out to seek him, but was almost slain,
Perhaps is dead now; everywhere
The knights come foil'd from the great quest, ...Read more of this...

by Chaucer, Geoffrey
...ow and care
If ever, since I highte* Hodge of Ware, *was called
Heard I a miller better *set a-work*; *handled
He had a jape* of malice in the derk. *trick
But God forbid that we should stinte* here, *stop
And therefore if ye will vouchsafe to hear
A tale of me, that am a poore man,
I will you tell as well as e'er I can
A little jape that fell in our city."

Our Host answer'd and said; "I grant it thee.
Roger, tell on; and look that it be good,
For many a pasty ha...Read more of this...

by Chaucer, Geoffrey
...privily,
No manner conscience of that have I.
N'ere* mine extortion, I might not live, *were it not for
For of such japes* will I not be shrive.** *tricks **confessed
Stomach nor conscience know I none;
I shrew* these shrifte-fathers** every one. *curse **confessors
Well be we met, by God and by St Jame.
But, leve brother, tell me then thy name,"
Quoth this Sompnour. Right in this meane while
This yeoman gan a little for to smile.

"Brother," quoth he,...Read more of this...

by Chaucer, Geoffrey
...stle"*
He had for all his labour but a scorn.
And thus she maketh Absolon her ape,
And all his earnest turneth to a jape*. *jest
Full sooth is this proverb, it is no lie;
Men say right thus alway; the nighe sly
Maketh oft time the far lief to be loth. 
For though that Absolon be wood* or wroth *mad
Because that he far was from her sight,
This nigh Nicholas stood still in his light.
Now bear thee well, thou Hendy Nicholas,
For Absolon may wail and sing "Ala...Read more of this...

by Kipling, Rudyard
...ured choirs proclaim,
And Nature's strenuous Overword
 Hath nowhere breathed His Name.

Yet, it must be, on wayside jape,
 The selfsame Power bestows
The selfsame power as went to shape
 His Planet or His Rose....Read more of this...

by Chaucer, Geoffrey
...ay still a furlong way  or two,
And to himself he made ruth* and woe. *wail
"Alas!" quoth he, "this is a wicked jape*; *trick
Now may I say, that I is but an ape.
Yet has my fellow somewhat for his harm;
He has the miller's daughter in his arm:
He auntred* him, and hath his needes sped, *adventured
And I lie as a draff-sack in my bed;
And when this jape is told another day,
I shall be held a daffe* or a cockenay  *coward
I will arise, and auntre* it, by my fay...Read more of this...

by Chaucer, Geoffrey
...inconstance is your confusioun.
Hold ye then me, or elles our convent,
To praye for you insufficient?
Thomas, that jape* it is not worth a mite; *jest
Your malady is *for we have too lite.* *because we have
Ah, give that convent half a quarter oats; too little*
And give that convent four and twenty groats;
And give that friar a penny, and let him go!
Nay, nay, Thomas, it may no thing be so.
What is a farthing worth parted on twelve?
Lo, each thing that is oned* i...Read more of this...

Dont forget to view our wonderful member Jape poems.


Book: Reflection on the Important Things