Song and Legend from the Middle AgesFlood and Vincent, The Chataqua-Century Press, 1893 - 141 pages |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
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 medieval 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 120 - Alas ! by what sweet thoughts, what fond desire Must they at length to that ill pass have reached!" Then turning, I to them my speech addressed, And thus began : " Francesca ! your sad fate Even to tears my grief and pity moves. But tell me ; in the time of your sweet sighs, By what, and how Love granted, that ye knew Your yet uncertain wishes ?" She replied : " No greater grief than to remember days Of joy, when misery is at hand.
Page 33 - 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 114 - 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 114 - LADIES that have intelligence in love, Of mine own lady I would speak with you ; Not that I hope to count her praises through, But telling what I may, to ease my mind.
Page 119 - As doves By fond desire invited, on wide wings And firm, to their sweet nest returning home, Cleave the air, Wafted by their will along ; Thus issued, from that troop where Dido ranks, They, through the ill air speeding : with such force My cry prevail'd, by strong affection urged.
Page 127 - There underneath, not made by torments sad, But by dun shades alone ; where mourning's voice Sounds not of anguish sharp, but breathes in sighs. There I with little innocents abide, Who by death's fangs were bitten, ere exempt From human taint. There I with those abide, Who the three holy virtues put not on, But understood the rest, and without blame Follow'd them all. But if thou know'st and canst, Direct us how we soonest may arrive, Where Purgatory its true beginning takes.
Page 114 - 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
Page 116 - 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 120 - The land/ that gave me birth, 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...
Page 115 - On that day which fulfilled the year since my lady had been made of the citizens of eternal' life, remembering me of her as I sat alone, I betook myself to draw the resemblance of an angel upon certain tablets.