1 live poem · Old English
In the dim, torch-lit mead hall of a seventh-century Northumbrian monastery, a solitary figure slipped quietly away from the gathering. While his companions sat in warm camaraderie, passing around the harp and singing verses of praise and legend, Cædmon, the cowherd, chose exile over embarrassment. He could not sing. He knew no poetry. And in a culture where the art of song was the highest expression of human creativ…
“I cannot sing; and for this reason I left the feast and went to the stable when I saw the harp coming towards me.”
Neighbourhood:
Classical & Ancient Poets, Devotional Poets, Hymn Writers, Medieval Poets, Mystical & Spiritual Poets
Emotional landscape: Spirituality, Wonder, Peace
1 live poem · Middle English
W. de Wycombe is one of those medieval creative figures whose name survives more clearly than the person behind it. The surviving evidence does not permit a conventional biography with secure dates, family history, offices held, or a documented place of burial. He is generally treated as an English poet and composer active in the thirteenth century, and the “W.” is often expanded as William, though even that expansio…
Neighbourhood:
Devotional Poets, Hymn Writers, Medieval Poets, Poet-Musicians
Emotional landscape: Joy, Wonder, Peace