 |
| Chaucer. England,16th century. Notice his beads. British Library [CC0] |
‘An A.B.C.', 'la Prière de Nostre Dame', was written by Chaucer in the 1370's. One of his earliest poems, it was based on a French work written by Guillaume de Deguileville (1295 - c1358, a French Cistercian and writer).
Each of the 23 eight-line stanzas begins with a successive letter of the alphabet (but excluding the later letters J, U and W). The line numbers are indicated by [L-]. The metre is iambic pentameter and the rhyming scheme is a-b-a-b-c-d-c-d.
The poem is reproduced below with explanatory notes. Numbers in brackets [ ] refer to footnotes that follow the relevant text. They are not hyperlinked so readers will need to scroll down.
Temple devout, ther God hath his woninge,[1][1] woninge: A place of habitation, dwelling-place. 1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomew de Glanville De Proprietatibus Rerum (Tollem. MS) viii. iv Þe..hyȝest heuen,..cuntrey and wonynge of blisful men.
Fro which these misbileeved[2] deprived been,
To you my soule penitent I bringe. [L147]
Receyve me-- I can no ferther fleen.
With thornes venymous, O hevene queen,
For which the eerthe acursed was ful yore,[3] [L150]
I am so wounded, as ye may wel seen,
That I am lost almost, it smert so sore.[4]
[2] misbileeved: heretics; an infidels or heathen. a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add.) f. 155 Þis ryuer [sc. Jordan]..[departeþ] þe cuntre of ryght-byleued men from þe cuntre of mysbyleued men. OED includes: c1450 (▸c1370) Chaucer A.B.C. 146 Temple devout, ther God hath his woninge, Fro which these misbileeved deprived been.
[3] the eerthe acursed was ful yore: the earth was cursed (with thorns and thistles) in a lime long past: a reference to God's words after the fall of Adam and Eve: [17] And to Adam he said: Because thou hast hearkened to the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldst not eat, cursed is the earth in thy work; with labour and toil shalt thou eat thereof all the days of thy life.[18] Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herbs of the earth.[Gen 3]
[4] smert so sore: to be a source of sharp pain; to be acutely painful, to sting, to hurt. c1405 (c1375) Chaucer Monk's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 627 Thogh hise deedly woundes so sore smerte His mantel ouer his hipes caste he.
Virgine, that art so noble of apparaile,[1] [L153][1] apparaile: Appearance, aspect. 1377 Langland Piers Plowman B. xiii. 278 As in apparaille and in porte proud amonges þe peple.
And ledest us into the hye tour [2]
Of Paradys, thou me wisse[3] and counsaile
How I may have thi grace and thi socour, [L156]
All have I ben in filthe and in errour.
Ladi, unto that court thou me ajourne
That cleped[5] is thi bench,[6] O freshe flour, [L159]
Ther as that merci evere shal sojourne.[7]
[2] tour: tower. In the Litany of Loreto, Our Lady is described as the 'Tower of ivory' and the 'Tower of David'.
[3] wisse: teach; c1395 Chaucer Wife of Bath's Tale 1008 What thyng it is that wommen moost desire, Koude ye me wisse, I wolde wel quyte youre hyre. (If you could teach me, I would well repay you)
[4] ajourne: adjourn:To dissolve the meeting of (a court, parliament, or similar official or judicial assembly) in order to continue at another time or place;
[5] cleped: called, past participle of clepe: call. c1386 Chaucer Parson's Tale ⁋212 Thow schalt clepe his name Jhesus.
[6] bench: (1) A royal seat; c1400 (▸?c1380) Cleanness (1920) l. 1395 (MED) Baltazar upon bench was busked to sete. (2) The seat where the judge or judges sit in court.1414 Petition in Rotuli Parl. (1767–77) IV. 58/2 That fro hennes forward, none swiche Commissions be take..til that it be pleynly determyned byfore hise Justices of that on Benche, or of that other by comon lawe. In England, the court of King's Bench developed from the royal counsellors in the witan and curia Regis at the end of the 12th century. Chaucer's conception is of Our Lady's Bench (or court), where convicted men may pray for mercy.
[7] sojourne: To make a temporary stay in a place; to remain or reside for a time. Transferred or figurative of things. OED cites c1366 Chaucer A.B.C. 160 Vn-to þat court þou me aiourne,..Þer as þat merci euere shal soiourne.
Xristus, thi sone, that in this world alighte [1][1] alighte: (1) v. To go or come down; to descend.a1300 in C. Brown Eng. Lyrics 13th Cent. (1932) 118 (MED) Godes sune aliȝte wolde on eorþe al for ure sake. (2) adj. On fire, in flames; burning. c1400 (▸?c1280) Old Test. Hist. in F. J. Furnivall Adam Davy's 5 Dreams (1878) 90 (MED) Atte last schal come þe holi gost in fourme of swerd aliȝt [rhyme miȝt].
Upon the cros to suffre his passioun, [L162]
And eek that Longius[2] his herte pighte [2a]
And made his herte blood to renne adoun, [3]
And al was this for my salvacioun; [L165]
And I to him am fals and eek unkynde,
And yit he wole not my dampnacioun--[4]
This thanke I yow, socour of al mankynde! [L168]
[2] Longius: or Longinus: St. Longinus is the centurion who pierced the side of Our Lord while He was hanging on the Cross. His relics are now in the church of St Augustine, in Rome. His Lance is contained in one of the four pillars over the altar in the Basilica of St Peter's in Rome.
[2a] pight > pitch: To thrust a pointed instrument into or through (a solid body); to stab, transfix, run through; (of an instrument) to pierce. cf pitch-fork. c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) John xix. 37 Thei schulen se in to whom they piȝten [v.r. putteden; L. transfixerunt] thorw. Trans Douay Rheims: [37] And again another scripture saith: They shall look on him whom they pierced. [Lohn 19]
[3] his herte blood to renne adoun: the blood from his heart to run down.
[4] And yit he wole not my dampnacioun: And yet He did not will my damnation.
Ysaac was figure [1] of his[1a] deth, certeyn,[1] figure:The story of Abraham obeying God's call to sacrifice his only son. Isaac, may be found in Chapter 22 of the Book of Genesis. Isaac was a 'figure' or 'type' who anticipated the 'anti-type' of God's son, Jesus. Both were obedient to their father; both bore wood for their sacrifice; both were innocent and willing victims.
That so fer forth his fader wolde obeye
That him ne roughte[2] nothing to be slayn; [L171]
Right soo thi Sone list[3] as a lamb to deye.
Now, ladi ful of merci, I yow preye,
Sith he his merci mesured so large, [L174]
Be ye not skant,[4] for alle we singe and seye
That ye ben from vengeaunce ay[5] oure targe.[6]
[1a] his: referring to Christ.
[2] roughte: past tense from reck, v: To take notice of or be concerned about something, so as to be alarmed or troubled by it. c1325 (▸c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 4419 So gret was is herte þat of deþ he ne roȝte no þing.
[3] list: To desire, like, wish to do something. 1340–70 Alisaunder 776 Þe Ladie lay on hur bed & lysted too slepe.
[4] skant: in inadequate or barely sufficient amount, quantity, or degree; stinted in measure, not abundant. Said of commodities, esp. provisions; also of immaterial things, actions, qualities, etc. a1400 Minor Poems fr. Vernon MS. 501 He wrot so faste til þat he want, For his parchemyn-skin was so scant, To speken þei hedde such space.
[5] ay: always.
[6] targe: A shield; a1300 Cursor M. 9972 (Cott.) Maria maiden, mild o mode..standes vs for sceild and targe [Laud tarche].
Zacharie[1] yow clepeth[2] the open welle [L177][1] Zacharias: meaning "Yahweh remembers". 6th century Hebrew prophet.[2] clepeth, from clepe: To proclaim, invoke.[3] L177-8 contain a reference to a prophecy: [1] In that day there shall be a fountain open to the house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem: for the washing of the sinner.... [Zacharias 13]
To wasshe sinful soule out of his gilt.[3]
Therfore this lessoun oughte I wel to telle,
That, nere[4] thi tender herte, we were spilt.[5] [L180]
Now, ladi bryghte, sith thou canst and wilt
Ben[6] to the seed of Adam merciable,[7]
Bring us to that palais that is bilt [L183]
To penitentes that ben to merci able.[8] Amen.
[4] nere: contraction of ne were: were it not. (as in 'were not thy heart tender')
[5] spilt: from spill v: To destroy by depriving of life; to put (or bring) to death; to slay or kill. c1385 Chaucer Legend Good Women Ariadne. 1917 So that the site was al at his wille To sauyn hem hym leste or ellis spille.
[6] Ben: be
[7] merciable: merciful. A borrowing from French merciable. Etymology: < Anglo-Norman and Old French merciable (adjective; early 12th cent. in Old French). Mercy is frequently used in connection with Our Lady, as the mediatrix of all graces: eg, as illustrated in the Litany of Loreto: Virgo clemens: Virgin most merciful.
[8] merci able: a play on the word merciable in L182: able or fit to receive mercy. The poem thus ends where it began, with the al merciable queene, the glorious and blessed Virgin and Mother of mercy.
