2 live poems · Middle English
Geoffrey Chaucer, born about 1343 in London and dead on 25 October 1400, stands at the beginning of the English literary tradition not because he was the first poet to write in English, but because he revealed on an unprecedented scale what English could do. In his poems, the language accommodates courtly elegance, religious meditation, philosophical argument, vulgar comedy, domestic quarrel, public satire, and intim…
“Now wol I preie mekely every discret persone that redith or herith this litel tretys, to have my rude enditing for excused.”
Neighbourhood:
Ancient & Classical Poets, Light Verse Poets, Love Poets, Medieval Poets
Emotional landscape: Longing, Sensuality, Wonder
In the misty highlands and rolling lowlands of 14th-century Scotland, where the fierce winds carried tales of valor and the long shadow of English invasion still chilled the hearts of patriots, John Barbour stood as a beacon of literary innovation and national spirit. A churchman by vocation yet a storyteller by passion, Barbour crafted the first major work of literature in the Scots tongue, an epic that would ignite…
Neighbourhood:
Folk & Ballad Poets, Medieval Poets, Scottish Poets, Social Justice Poets
Emotional landscape: Longing, Joy, Wonder
