The

proceeds from the conclusion of Hoccleve’s

. It establishes a scenario in which the writer of the

has just completed this first poem of the

when he is visited by one of his oldest and dearest friends (“my good friend / of fern agoon”). The character of the poet, who remains the narrative persona through the course of the

, reads the

(“my conpleynte”) to the anonymous Friend. What immediately follows is a series of arguments through which the Friend attempts to dissuade the character of “Thomas” from revealing the

to the community around them:

“[…]Hast thow made maad this conpleynte foorth to goAmong the peple?” / “Yee, freend, so I mente,What elles?” / “Nay, Thomas, waar / do nat

988 words

Citation: Cummings, Raymond. "The Dialogue With A Friend". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 30 April 2008 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=1067, accessed 27 November 2024.]