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THE DEVELOPMENT OF ENGLISH VERSE AFTER THE NORMAN CONQUEST. FABLES AND LYRICS.
It was influenced by Anglo-Saxon literature & it was reciprocal. We can not speak of dominating literature, but this influence was felt. It manifested itself in riddles. The text of some riddles is so imperfect that we can know neither the merit nor the author. But still some of them show a great skill of workmanship. They reflect many traces of old folklore – intimate picture of English life before the Norman Conquest. E.g. Horn “I was an armed warrior. Now the proud young champion covers me with gold & silver with curved & twisted wires. They drink wine out of me…” Riddles are both important for history & literature of the country. The most ancient forms of English folklore are charms: E.g. For a swarm of bees “Take earth east with thy right hand under thy right foot& say: I put it under foot, I have found it. Lo the earth can prevail against forgetfulness & against the mighty tongue of men. Cast gravel over them & say: Alight victorious women, descend to earth. Never fly wild to the wood. Be as mindful of my profit as every man is of food & fatherland.” This charm belongs to one of the most ancient lines in English literature. It’s difficult to determine th time when this or that piece of folklore was written, they belong to the manuscripts of the 10th century. In the charms there is a reflection of all pagan times 7 beliefs, & this means that Christianity won people to its sight very gradually. It also means that all beliefs, all superstitions were considered as pragmatically as a belief can be considered, because these superstitions do not really mean that there is a religious system in them. As far as literature goes charms & riddles are full of imagery in them. They contain synonyms & metaphors, personification is most often used as effective means to convey the meaning. Riddles E.g. Horn “I was an armed warrior. Now the proud young champion covers me with gold & silver with curved & twisted wires. They drink wine out of me…” Riddles are both important for history & literature of the country. People at that time liked very much to entertain themselves with riddles, which were taken from the real life. Over a 100 riddles are preserved & only a few owe to Latin samples. The riddles are English in nature & this is quite understandable, because if they were not taken from the real life, people would not be able to solve them. In this respect riddles are evidence of the culture. The structure of the riddles is very much peculiar, because of the long sentences & because of their rhythm. They depend o alliteration & repetition as many English songs & verses. Octosyllabic couplet Alfred the Great “The Owl & the Nightingale” Owl’s answer: And yet thou sayest another thing And fellest me that I can’t sing That all my song is mourning drear A fearsome sound for man to hear That’s not sooth my voice is true And fine & loud sonorous too Thou thinkest ugly every note Unlike the thinness of thy throat My voice is bold & not forlorn It soundeth like a mighty horn Better I sing than thou at least Thou chatterest like an Irish priest… This shows us author’s sympathy for the owl. The world is not ready to recognize the beauty of the owl’s soul. Nightingale insists upon her superiority. The whole poem is written as an argument. Each participant supports his own point of view. Medieval Lyrics “Cuckoo song” Summer is a commen in Loudly sing cuckoo Groweth seed & bloweth mead And springeth wood anew Sing cuckoo Loweth after calf the cow Bleateth after lamb the ewe Buck doth gambol bullock Merry sing cuckoo Cuckoo, cuckoo! Well singest thou Cuckoo! Nor cease thou ever now Sing cuckoo now. Sing cuckoo! Sing cuckoo! Sing cuckoo now! Date: 2016-01-05; view: 1817 |