Dalliance (Motif)
Chaucer repeats the word dalliance at the end of each stanza. In Middle English, dalliance had several potential meanings. It could be as innocent as a polite conversation, but it could also be flirtation, or even a euphemistic way of referring to sex. By repeating this simple word three times, Chaucer encourages the reader to think of these multiple meanings. In the elegant first stanza, we think the speaker just wants a word of acknowledgment from Rosamond, but by the end of the poem, as he continues to insist on his desire for “dalliance,” we suspect he might want something more.
The pike in galantine (Symbol)
Galantine was a kind of medieval sauce, while a pike was a popular fish for cooking. The speaker compares his own immersion in love to the fish’s immersion in sauce. The ridiculous and unpleasant metaphor takes away all the mystery and romance of love, instead portraying it as something everyday, and even a little bit gross. The image symbolizes the crass side of love. The speaker's use of it in an otherwise conventional and sentimental love poem suggests that lovers are often unaware of how humble and even ridiculous their feelings seem from the outside.
Gemstones (Symbol)
In lines three and four of the first stanza, the speaker compares Rosamond to a crystal and a ruby. The simile enables Chaucer’s description of Rosamond to become increasingly literal. His hailing of her as “all beauty shrine” doesn’t say anything in particular about her physical appearance. The statement “as the crystal glorious ye shine” provides an easier-to-picture image of a shimmering gemstone, even if it is hard to know exactly how this corresponds to Rosamond’s appearance. Perhaps he refers to her bright eyes, or perhaps she wears elaborately decorated clothing. The ruby simile is even more explicit: Rosamond’s round red cheeks are like the round red ruby.
