Friar Cuthbert
Not so much noise, my worthy freres,
You'll disturb the Abbot at his prayers.
FRIAR PAUL sings.
O! quam placens in colore!
O! quam fragrans in odore!
O! quam sapidum in ore!
Dulce linguae vinculum!
The Annotated Edition
Friar Cuthbert by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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A brief comic poem where Friar Cuthbert hushes his fellow monks for being too loud, only for Friar Paul to immediately start singing a lively Latin tune that celebrates the joys of wine.
- Core theme
- Art
Study actions
§01Quick summary
What this poem is about
A brief comic poem where Friar Cuthbert hushes his fellow monks for being too loud, only for Friar Paul to immediately start singing a lively Latin tune that celebrates the joys of wine. The humor lies in the fact that Cuthbert's warning is ignored, and the song is the exact noise he was trying to quiet. It's a light-hearted, playful glimpse into monastery life, showcasing how the monks prioritize drinking over devotion.
§02Themes
Recurring themes
§03Line by line
Stanza by stanza, with notes
Not so much noise, my worthy freres, / You'll disturb the Abbot at his prayers.
Editor's note
Friar Cuthbert asks for silence, addressing his fellow friars (the old French term 'freres' means brothers). His reason — to avoid disturbing the Abbot during prayer — is intended to sound serious and responsible, but it quickly reveals the irony: the monks don’t seem to be in a prayerful mood at all.
O! quam placens in colore! / O! quam fragrans in odore!
Editor's note
Friar Paul responds not with silence but with a lively Latin drinking song. The lines translate roughly to: 'O how pleasing in color! / O how fragrant in scent! / O how delightful on the tongue! / Sweet bond of the palate!' — all celebrating wine. The use of Latin adds a mock-sacred vibe, as if Paul is transforming a hymn into a toast. The punchline hits hard: the 'noise' Cuthbert cautioned against turns out to be a joyful ode to alcohol, sung in the same language reserved for genuine prayers.
§04Tone & mood
How this poem feels
Playful and comic throughout, Longfellow maintains a straight face in Cuthbert's opening line, which makes Paul's immediate, exuberant Latin song even funnier. There's a sense of warmth rather than sharp satire here — the poem affectionately teases monastic life instead of attacking it.
§05Symbols & metaphors
Symbols & metaphors
- Wine (the Latin song's subject)
- Wine represents earthly pleasure and the tension between religious vows and human desire. The monks are meant to focus on prayer, but their true commitment is to the bottle.
- Latin
- Latin served as the language of the Church and sacred rituals. When it's used for a drinking song, it blurs the lines between the sacred and the indulgent, creating a space where the humor thrives.
- The Abbot at his prayers
- The Abbot embodies the official religious authority and true devotion. He remains offstage, completely oblivious, highlighting just how little the friars are influenced by that authority right now.
§06Form & structure
Form & structure
- Rhyme
- AA BBBA
§07Historical context
Historical context
Longfellow penned several light verse pieces alongside his more serious works, and this fragment fits into the tradition of comic monastic sketches that were popular in the nineteenth century. The character of the wine-loving friar is a classic joke in Western literature — Chaucer referenced it, and Rabelais built his career on it — and Longfellow is giving a nod to that long-standing tradition. The Latin lines Paul sings come from an actual medieval drinking-song genre known as *carmina* or goliardic verse, created by wandering scholars and clergy who celebrated wine, women, and song in the Church's own language. By Longfellow's time, this kind of material held a nostalgic, antiquarian charm for educated readers familiar with both the Latin and the style.
§08FAQ
Questions readers ask
What does the Latin in Friar Paul's song actually mean?
Translated line by line: O quam placens in colore = 'O how delightful in color'; O quam fragrans in odore = 'O how aromatic in scent'; O quam sapidum in ore = 'O how delicious in the mouth'; Dulce linguae vinculum = 'Sweet tie of the tongue.' This is a sensory tribute to wine, engaging sight, smell, taste, and speech in just four elegant lines.
Who is Friar Cuthbert and why is the poem named after him if he barely speaks?
Cuthbert sets up the line and then completely loses control of the scene. The poem being named after him adds to the humor—he's supposedly in charge, trying to maintain order, but Paul quickly takes over. We expect Cuthbert to be the main character based on the title, but the poem surprises us by flipping that expectation.
Is this a complete poem or a fragment?
It comes across like a complete comic sketch, with both a setup and a punchline, and the joke hits its mark. However, it's quite brief, even for Longfellow, leading some scholars to consider it a dramatic fragment or a piece of a larger series of monastic character studies.
What is the 'goliardic' tradition the poem draws on?
Goliardic verse refers to a collection of medieval Latin poetry created by wandering clerics and students, with the most notable compilation being the Carmina Burana. These poems enthusiastically celebrated themes of drinking, gambling, and love, employing the same literary techniques found in sacred texts. Longfellow's well-read readers in the nineteenth century would have instantly recognized this distinctive style.
What does 'freres' mean?
'Freres' is an old-fashioned or French-inspired way of spelling 'friars' or 'brothers.' Longfellow uses this term to add a historical touch to the poem, setting it in a somewhat medieval monastic context.
What is the poem's main joke?
The joke is a perfect example of irony: the individual who urges everyone to be quiet and respectful is right away followed by someone creating the very kind of noise he cautioned against. To make it even funnier, the noise is a Latin drinking song, which adds to the humor since Latin is typically associated with serious religious ceremonies.
Does Longfellow approve or disapprove of the friars' behaviour?
The tone is warm and affectionate instead of moralistic. Longfellow isn't criticizing the monks; he's relishing the humor in the contrast between their vows and their desires. There’s no punishment or lesson to be learned, just a good laugh.
Citation
Cite this poem
MLA
Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. "Friar Cuthbert." Storgy, https://storgy.com/poems/friar-cuthbert-henry-wadsworth-longfellow/.
APA
Longfellow, H. W. (n.d.). Friar cuthbert. Storgy. https://storgy.com/poems/friar-cuthbert-henry-wadsworth-longfellow/
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