Robert de Boron and the Prose Merlin
There are so many wonderful things about the internet: there was a time when a scholar had to order through ILL and wait for weeks or months before he or she could set eyes on such works as Geoffrey of Monmouth's Vita Merlini or Robert de Boron's Prose Merlin . No more. from Prose Merlin Robert de Boron Full wrothe and angry was the Devell, whan that oure Lorde hadde ben in helle and had take oute Adam and Eve and other at his plesier. And whan the fendes sien that, they hadden right grete feer and gret merveile. Thei assembleden togedir and seiden: "What is he this thus us supprisith and distroyeth, in so moche that oure strengthes ne nought ellis that we have may nought withholde hym, nor again hym stonde in no diffence but that he doth all that hym lyketh? We ne trowed not that eny man myght be bore of woman but that he sholde ben oures; and he that thus us distroyeth, how is he born in whom we knewe non erthely delyte?" Than ansuerde anothir fende and seide
I'm glad you enjoyed this, Steven! I didn't love it, but it seemed just about right for a fish.
ReplyDeleteDear Jeff,
ReplyDeleteYou don't do yourself justice--it is a lovely and intricate piece that plays with sound in a wonderful way. (You'll note in that not a word about meaning, largely because that isn't the first level I enjoy a poem on.) So, if it isn't exactly as you would have it, it is still very, very fine, fluid and lovely and sinuous. It has many of the attributes of your longer pieces, all wrapped up in a very constrained little container--bravo!
shalom,
Steven