Th'odour of floures and the fresshe sighte So ful it was of beautee with plesaunce. Of all Chaucer's poems, however, the Prologue to L. G. W. is most important in relation to F. L. Its mention of the Orders of the Flower and the Leaf has been discussed. The action of 2 the Prologue begins with the rising of the poet before daybreak, on the first of May, in order to see his favorite flower, the daisy (B, Il. 104-8). In greeting it he kneels Upon the smale softe swote gras,3 (118) which is "embrouded" with fragrant flowers. The earth has forgotten his "pore estat of wintir" (ll. 125, 126), and is newly clad in green. The birds, rejoicing in the season (1. 130), sing welcome to summer their lord, among the blossoming branches of the trees. All is so delightful that the poet thinks he might Dwellen alwey, the joly month of May, (176) Amid such surroundings he sinks down among the daisies. Then after his second mention of the strife of the Flower and the Leaf (in text B) he continues: And, in a litel herber that I have," (203) That benched was on turves fresshe y-grave, I bad men sholde me my couche make. When he had gone to sleep in this "herber," he dreamed that as he lay in a meadow gazing at his beloved flower, he saw come walking toward him, The god of love, and in his hande a quene, (213) And she was clad in real habit grene. She wore a "fret of gold" on her head, surmounted by a white crown decorated with flowers; so that, with her green robe and her gold and white headdress, she resembled a daisy, stalk and flower. Behind the God of Love came a company of ladies who knelt in homage to the flower. 1Cf. F. L., 11. 38, 81-84. 2 Chap. i above. 3 Cf. F. L., 1. 52. 5Cf. F. L., 11. 120, 121. 4 Cf. F. L., 11. 11,12. 6 Cf. F. L., 11. 49-52. JOHN GOWER The machinery of Gower's voluminous C. A. is in part of the kind under consideration. After wandering in a wood for a time one day in May, the poet finds himself in a "swote grene pleine,"1 where he bewails his misfortunes in love. The King and Queen of Love appear, and after some talk Venus bids the poet confess to Genius, her clerk. Then follows a long discourse by Genius on the seven deadly sins, with stories illustrating all of them, which constitute the main body of the poem. In these stories there are allusions to May Day customs," but no striking similarities to F. L. Finally the poet prevails upon Genius to take a letter for him to Venus and Cupid; but the deities do not look with favor upon so old a would-be lover. He swoons at the rebuff, and has a vision of a great company of lovers wearing garlands of leaves, flowers, and pearls. There is a sound of music, such That it was half a mannes hele (2484) So glad a noise for to hiere; and members of the company dance and sing joyfully. The remainder of the action is of no present consequence. THE CUCKOO AND THE NIGHTINGALE C. N., already mentioned a number of times,' presents additional points of interest. The poet first describes the power of love, which is felt most strongly in May, when the songs of the birds and the springing of leaves and flowers cause great longing to burn in the heart. Such love-sickness, even in so "old and unlusty" a person as this poet, has made him sleepless during "al this May." At last, during one wakeful night, he recalls a saying among lovers: That it were good to here the nightingale (49) And then I thoghte, anon as it was day, I wolde go som whider to assay 5 1 Book I, 1. 113. References are to G. C. Macaulay's ed. of Gower's Complete Works, Vols. II, III (Clarendon Press, 1901). If that I might a nightingale here; And hit was tho the thridde night of May. Accordingly at daybreak he went alone into a wood "fast by," and wandered along a brook till he came to the fairest land he had ever seen. The ground was grene, y-poudred with daisye, (63) Al grene and whyte; was nothing elles sene. He sat down among the flowers and saw the birds come forth from their nests, so joyful of the dayes light (69) That they begonne of May to don hir houres! The stream also made a noise such that Accordaunt with the briddes armonye (83) Me thoughte, it was the best[e] melodye (84) Delighted with all these sights and sounds, the poet fell in a "slomber and a swow" (1. 87), in which he heard a debat between the cuckoo and the nightingale. CHRISTINE DE PISAN A number of the poems of Christine de Pisan present interesting settings or machinery. For example, in Le Dit de la Rose, which has been mentioned in connection with symbolic orders, the poet represents that one day when a noble company saw assembled at the palace of the Duke of Orleans, the lady Loyauté appeared, surrounded by a company De nymphes et de pucelletes (99) Atout chappelles de fleurettes, who seemed to have just come from paradise. They were messengers of the God of Love, sent to form the Order of the Rose. They sang so sweetly Que il sembloit a leur doulz chant (246) 1 Cf. F. L., ll. 130, 131. 2 For brief descriptions of spring see Euvres poétiques, ed. Roy, Société des Anciens Textes Français (Paris, 1886-96), Vol. I, pp. 35, 112, 236, 239, etc. 3 Chap. i above, pp. 138, 139, Euvres poétiques, Vol. II, pp. 29 ff. Le Debat de deux Amans' tells of a joyful company that gathered in May to dance and make merry in one of the parks of the Duke of Orleans. Alone and sad, however, the poet sat on a bench at one side watching the assembly, till two gentlemen, one a woe-begone knight and the other a happy young squire, agreed to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of love. In company with these men and some other ladies, the poet proceeds to a "bel vergier" where the debate takes place. Le Livre du Dit de Poissy' presents a very elaborate springtime setting. In gay April, when the woods grow green again, the poet rides forth to see her daughter at the convent of Poissy. In company with her are many ladies and gentlemen, enjoying to the full the beauties of the morning. Vegetation has been freshened by the dew; nothing on earth is ugly. Marguerites and other flowers are mentioned, dont amant et amie (107) Font chappellez. Birds sing in the trees and bushes under the leadership of the nightingale. All these delights could not fail to banish grief. On their journey, the company enter a pleasant forest, Et la forest espesse que moult pris (185) Sont, et planté Moult près a près li chaine a grant planté Ne peut ferir a terre a nul recueil. Et l'erbe vert, fresche et belle a mon vueil, Est par dessoubz, n'eon ne peut veoir d'ueil At the convent where the poet's daughter lives they find it like a "droit paradis terrestre" (1. 382). The latter part of the poem presents a "debat amoureux" with which we have no present concern. 1 Euvres poétiques, Vol. II, pp. 49 ff. 2 Ibid., pp. 159 ff. In Christine's Livre du Duc des Vrais Amans,' the hero, a young duke ripe for love, while out hunting one day, enters on a paved road that leads to a castle where a great company of people are disporting about their princess. As the duke and his companions draw near the castle, they are met by a "grant route" of ladies (1. 134), who welcome them most hospitably. The princess accompanies them to "un prael verdoyant" (1. 179), where she and the duke sit and talk beneath a willow beside a little stream. He falls in love with her, and henceforth his chief occupation is planning means of seeing her often. He invites her to a feast and joust, to be held in a "praerie cointe" where there are "herbarges" and "eschauffaulz" and "paveillons" (11. 649, 653-55). In the evening the lady arrives with a noble company, including Menestrelz, trompes, naquaires, (665) Qui si haultement cournoyent Que mons et vaulz resonnoyent. The festivities held in her honor last several days and are very elaborately described. The jousts held are of special interest, because of the use of white and green costumes.2 The remainder of the poem deals with the way in which this lady and the duke deceived her "jaloux" for a number of years. JOHN LYDGATE The work of Lydgate is of the utmost importance in relation to F. L., not only because he was the most important imitator of Chaucer during the period when our poem was probably written, but also because a number of his early works, whether original or translated, contain passages strikingly similar to portions of F. L. Discussion of his works will be approximately in chronological order.❜ The main part of C. B. begins with a description of the "chorle's" garden. It was Hegged and dyked to make it sure and strong; 5 The benches turned with newe turvis grene; 1 Euvres poétiques, Vol. III, pp. 59 ff. 2 Pp. 152, 153, 164, above. 3 Following §II, chap. viii, of Schick's Introduction to T. G.; E. E. T. S., 1891. 4 M. P., ed. Halliwell, pp. 179 ff. Citations are from pp. 181, 182. 5 This should be "turved." |