Selected Middle English lyrics

Abstract

The present edition of selected Middle English lyrics concentrates on the needs of the literary beginner, not the philological specialist. It takes into account not only the aptitude of the reader, but is designed around the available word processing facilities of the computer. Equal attention is accorded to secular and religious lyrics, and although poetic quality took precedence in selection of the texts, practical lyrics such as a medical prescription are included to show the variety of uses to which verse was put in the Middle Ages. The texts differ in age, in completeness and in provenance, so it is difficult to generalise about the way in which they have been treated. However, normalisation of the language has been conservative, following the copy text except for elimination of obsolete letters and manifest manuscript errors. Those Middle English forms which have similar, but more recognisable modern spellings have been altered when metre and rhyme were not affected. The manuscript capitalisation and layout have not been retained, and punctuation has been supplied so that the full sense of the lyrics may be gained. A gloss is interleaved with the text to clarify difficult vocabulary and syntax. Furthermore, an anthology is read at random, so any one lyric may be the reader's first encounter with the language. Therefore, the extent of glossing could not be reduced as the volume proceeded, on some understanding of his increasing familiarity with Middle English forms. A source note for each lyric states the number in The Index of Middle English Verse, and the library where the manuscript is held. A date of composition is tentatively assigned and the printed source cited. Annotation is supplied so that a student may approach the work with an understanding closer to that of the authors' contemporaries, so customs and events no longer familiar are explained. Parallels from other medieval works are quoted, and significant results of recent scholarship on the lyrics are also included. Description of the manuscripts whose contents significantly recur in my collection, and a complete list of manuscript locations are appended. Along with the index of first lines and refrains, these should serve as convenient guides to the volume. The introduction states the editor's relationship to the texts from selection to the final revision.