song and legend from the middle ages |
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allegory anon Aucassin ballads beauty behold blood bore bright Brunhild buckler champion cried damsel Dante dead dear death didactic literature Diego Laynez Divine Comedy e'en earth Elder Edda Etzel eyes fables fair father fell fierce France French Galahad grace Guenever hand hast hath heard heart heaven hero Hildebrand holy king Arthur king Gunther king Leodegrance knights Kriemhild lady land legend literature lord lyric poetry maid maiden mediæval Merlin Middle Ages mighty Minnesingers Moors morn national epic ne'er never Nicolette noble o'er Odin poem poets queen Rodrigo Roland ROMANCE OF THEBES romances rose seem'd Siegfried Sir Dietrich Sir Launcelot slew song Song of Roland SONNET Sordello sorrow soul Spain spake spear spirit Stanza stood story sweet sword Table Round tell thee thine thirteenth century Thou shalt thought trouvère twelfth unto warrior weeping wife
Popular passages
Page 133 - On the everlasting splendour, that I look'd, While sight was unconsumed, and, in that depth, Saw in one volume clasp'd of love, whate'er The universe unfolds; all properties Of substance and of accident, beheld, Compounded, yet one individual light The whole.
Page 35 - Tell me now in what hidden way is Lady Flora the lovely Roman? Where's Hipparchia, and where is Thais, Neither of them the fairer woman? Where is Echo, beheld of no man, Only heard on river and mere — • She whose beauty was more than human? — But where are the snows of yester-year?
Page 35 - Where's Heloise, the learned nun, For whose sake Abeillard, I ween, Lost manhood and put priesthood on? (From love he won such dule and teen!) And where, I pray you, is the Queen Who willed that Buridan should steer, Sewed in a sack's mouth, down the Seine?
Page 116 - tis then her power attains its proof, Making his heart strong for his soul's behoof With the full strength of meek humility. Also this virtue owns she, by God's will: Who speaks with her can never come to ill. Love saith concerning her: "How chanceth it That flesh, which is of dust, should be thus pure?" Then, gazing always, he makes oath: "Forsure, This is a creature of God till now unknown.
Page 29 - Graile had been borne through the hall, then the holy vessel departed suddenly, that they wist not where it became. Then had they all breath to speak. And then the king yielded thankings unto God of his good grace that he had sent them. Certes, said the king, we ought to thank our Lord Jesu greatly, for that he hath showed us this day at the reverence of this high feast of Pentecost...
Page 117 - The eyes that weep for pity of the heart Have wept so long that their grief languisheth And they have no more tears to weep withal: And now, if I would ease me of a part Of what, little by little, leads to death, It must be done by speech, or not at all. And because often, thinking, I recall How it was pleasant, ere she went afar, To talk of her with you, kind damozels, I talk with no one else, But only with such hearts as women's are. And I will say — still sobbing as speech fails — That she...
Page 116 - When mine eyes had wept for some while, until they were so weary with weeping that I could no longer through them give ease to my sorrow, I bethought me that a few mournful words might stand me instead of tears. And therefore I proposed to make a poem, that weeping I might speak therein of her for whom so much sorrow had destroyed my spirit ; and I then began "The eyes that weep.
Page 122 - Is situate on the coast, where Po descends To rest in ocean with his sequent streams. “Love, that in gentle heart is quickly learnt, Entangled him by that fair form, from me Ta'en in such cruel sort, as grieves me still: Love, that denial...
Page 118 - After writing this sonnet, it was given unto me to behold a very wonderful vision; wherein I saw things which determined me that I would say nothing further of this most blessed one, until such time as I could discourse more worthily concerning her. And to this end I labour all I can; as she well knoweth.
Page 118 - BEYOND the sphere which spreads to widest space Now soars the sigh that my heart sends above ; A new perception born of grieving Love Guideth it upward the untrodden ways. When it hath reached...