Here is your short summary of the Poem “Rondel of Merciless Beauty” by Geoffrey Chaucer:
This poem is dedicated by Geoffrey to the love of his life that he admires but calls her merciless beauty because she has probably abandoned her. He finds his life too shaken and his heart completely broken after she left him. His is still fond of his eyes which he believes attacked and captured his heart. He was so moved by them that he uses the phrase “your two great will slay me suddenly”.
It also shows that he is anticipating her to come back in his life and mend his broken heart and heal his wound. He is in deep love with her voice which he can’t listen to because she isn’t near to her anymore. A word from his love would bring him back to life it seems.
His lover’s eyes had such an impact that it felt like a quick and very sharp wound left on his heart. This implies that the poet was awestruck and spell bound by the beauty of her mesmerizing eyes.
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The poet is anxious to see her back in his life so that he can be captivated by her beautiful eyes and heal the wound of her bereavement which is still afresh in his heart. He emphasizes on the beauty of her eyes which can give him a sense of being alive and bring an end to all his pains.
He again promises saying” Upon my word, I tell you faithfully” that she is the one who shall be the queen of her heart for lifetime and even after he dies. This suggests the depth of his love which is not ready to stay without his lover.
The only wish that he carries in his heart is to meet his lover and let her rule his heart forever. The pain of her separation has become so much a part of his existence that he is ready to face death and prove the misery he has gone through to his lover. It is at this time that it becomes evident that the poet’s lover was separated from him owing to her death and thus it is once that he dies that he can meet her again in the other world.
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Again death does not perturb him so much as does the absence of lover in his life. He carries hope in his death of seeing his lover again. His only desire is to be taken aback by beauty of her great eyes which can heal the wound that is still fresh like new in his heart. This suggests his faithfulness and deep love for his love. His grief can only be overcome by her coming back into his life and healing the wounds that were created as she left her.