"Thus I am seldom reticent"

[larryhammer]

Three follow-ups:

1. Reading Confessio Amantis, I am once again reminded that concision and brevity were not medieval virtues. Quoth the back cover of this translation: "Terence Tiller has been forced by the excessive length of the original to make substantial cuts." IOW, even Penguin Classics thinks John Gower was, indeed, a wanker.

2. Coming on the heels of Pluto's new additional name, the artist formerly known as 2003 UB313 is now officially Eris. Hail Eris!
   
   Note that this was the discoverer's suggested official name — he'd only code-named it Xena. Also, the moon code-named Gabrielle is officially Dysnomia — "lawlessness." Or, possibly, Lawless-ness

3. To clarify, yesterday's quote was not made by a marsupial, but a project manager.

---L.

Comments

[angevin2.livejournal.com]

I actually like what I've read of the Confessio even if Gower is a wanker. ;)

I think it's because of the first version of the prologue, which involves Gower and King Richard messing about on boats (this anecdote was later excised and replaced with a dedication to Henry Bolingbroke, because Gower, as noted, is a wanker. Though not as much of one as my summary makes him look; Gower's change in political opinion predated Henry's usurpation of the throne by some years).

Well, that and the tale of Paulina and the Duck. For which see line 782. (http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/teams/cabk1fr.htm)

[larryhammer]

Not just any duck -- a Duck of Rome!

Though I missed that, what with this being a translation. I probably ought to read it in the original -- it's not like I can't hack Chaucer -- but I'm feeling lazy. I'm liking it enough to keep going, despite dull bits, so I guess Gower wasn't a total wanker.

---L.

the blame upon the duck thei laide

[angevin2.livejournal.com]

Or perhaps he was a wanker who was nevertheless a good poet. ;)

Gower's language isn't really any harder than Chaucer's. If you feel like taking a crack at the Middle English, there is a fine annotated text online here. (http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/teams/tmsmenu.htm#g)

Re: the blame upon the duck thei laide

[larryhammer]

Definitely not as hard as the Pearl poet's language. The only one I managed to get all the way through was "Patience" (or whatever the Jonah story's called) -- not even "Sir Gawain and the Green Night," though I've read I don't know how many translations of it.

---L.

No, the night was *black*

[larryhammer]

... talk about embarrassing brain farts.