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The Dream of the Rood
anonymous (Anglo-Saxon) 7th-8th century (In a vision, the cross of Christ reflects with awe on its part in the death of God.) “The most beautiful of the medieval religious poems”. This is often said of The Dream of the Rood. The first time I read this assessment—I had never even heard of the poem—it was by […]
The Song of Roland
(La Chanson de Roland) anonymous (Turold?) late 11th century (The mightiest and noblest of Charlemagne’s crusading knights is betrayed, but his companions stand fiercely by him as the Saracens attack.) The year is 778. The brave knight Roland and his army, led by eleven of the noblest warriors in Christendom, watch in horror as an […]
The Travels
(Il Milione) Marco Polo (with Rustichello of Pisa) 1299 (An Italian explorer treks fearlessly into the unknown East, and discovers astonishing cultures and kingdoms no European had ever seen). We are fortunate that Marco Polo lived long enough and expended the energy to record the greatest travels ever performed by any man to his time […]
The Romance of Tristan and Iseult
(Le Roman de Tristan et Iseut) Joseph Bédier 1900 (A knight and a lady pursue their magical love through bloodshed and sorrow.) When tales pass through centuries of retellings, they tend to become what of audio media we would call “overproduced”: too many interpreters have slanted the story their various ways, too many embellishments and […]
Pearl
The West Midlands Poet 14th century (A father struggles to recover faith and peace after losing his baby daughter.) Diversity of structure is one of the wonders of poetry. Today’s poets often celebrate freedom from structure, which has its own beauty. The medieval mind cherished a different kind of beauty, one that is neither extinct nor […]
