A Chaucerian Paraphrase of Horace by Eugene Field

It means Field adapted an idea from the Roman poet Horace (specifically Odes I.23) and presented it in the style of Geoffrey Chaucer's medieval English. The term "paraphrase" indicates that it's a loose retelling rather than a direct translation, while "Chaucerian" points to the stylistic choice. The humor lies in the blend of two distinctly different literary worlds — ancient Rome and medieval England — brought together by a 19th-century American.

It's a theatrical imitation, not authentic Middle English. Field includes familiar Chaucerian elements like "ben" for "is/are," "y-hiding" for "hiding," "sothly" for "truly," and the -en verb endings to create a medieval sound. A true Middle English expert would quickly notice the inconsistencies, but for a 19th-century reader, it was amusingly convincing. It's more like a literary costume than a serious scholarly reconstruction.

Chloe is the name Horace chooses in his original Latin ode for a young woman who stays near her mother to avoid suitors. She’s a fictional character, not someone who actually exists. Field keeps the name to signal to readers familiar with Horace which poem he’s reworking. By addressing her directly as "you, Chloe," it feels like a personal lecture, enhancing the comic tone.

Yes, this belief is rooted in medieval and Renaissance folklore. It suggested that women who passed away without marrying were doomed to lead an ape — a representation of foolishness and a life wasted — through Hades in the afterlife. Shakespeare nods to this in Much Ado About Nothing when Beatrice makes a joke about it. Field employs this idea as a comedic threat to Chloe, with the ridiculousness of the image adding to the humor.

The speaker urges Chloe to stop relying on her mother as a shield and to get married. The reasoning is clear: you're making bachelors unhappy, your mother is okay but can't replace a partner, unmarried women have a tough future, and married women are favored by the saints. It humorously escalates from light-hearted teasing to a mock-theological ultimatum.

No. The entire poem is a clever literary joke — a showcase of Field's familiarity with Horace and Chaucer aimed at eliciting laughter. The "advice" comes through in a phony medieval dialect, courtesy of a 19th-century newspaper humorist. The mock-serious conclusion, suggesting that marrying a good man grants you a spot among the saints, serves as a punchline rather than a sincere moral stance.

Horace's Odes I.23 is directed towards a girl named Chloe, who clings to her mother like a fawn fearful of the woods. Horace reassures her that the deer's mother isn't searching for a lion or a wolf — she's simply anxious — and suggests that Chloe is now old enough to stop hiding and seek a husband. Field retains the name, the deer imagery, the mother-clinging behavior, and the marriage theme, but replaces Horace's refined style with a comedic medieval dress-up approach.

"Sickerly" is Field's playful, medieval twist on "surely" or "certainly." It originates from the Middle English term sikerly, which means without doubt. In this context, the last line suggests that women who marry good men go to the saints for certain when they die. This line delivers a final, mock-serious tone, and the slightly clumsy rhyme between "quickylye" and "sickerly" enhances the poem's comedic effect.