Full Description
Though definitive information about the fifteenth-century Scottish poet Robert Henryson remains elusive, the quality of the poetry that bears his name is self-evident: consistently achieving what David J. Parkinson describes as "a rhetorical ideal of brevity replete with significance," these Middle Scots works possess an interpretive richness, knowledge of classical and medieval authorities, and command of multilingual vocabulary befitting Henryson's title of "master." Composed amid Middle Scots's consolidation into Scotland's official language in the late Middle Ages, Henryson's poetry reflects in language and theme this pivotal moment in Scottish history. This edition collects all works attributed to Henryson, including his adaptations and interpretations of Aesop's Fables; his The Testament of Cresseid, an epilogue to Geoffrey Chaucer'sTroilus and Criseyde; Orpheus and Eurydice; and twelve shorter poems grouped by the available evidence for their attribution to Henryson, all accompanied by glosses, explanatory and textual notes, and a guide to Henryson's language.
Contents
Preface
Introduction
Fables
Prologue
The Cock and the Jasp
The Two Mice
The Cock and the Fox
The Fox and the Wolf
The Trial of the Fox
The Sheep and the Dog
The Lion and the Mouse
The Preaching of the Swallow
The Fox, the Wolf, and the Cadger
The Fox, the Wolf, and the Husbandman
The Wolf and the Wether
The Wolf and the Lamb
The Paddock and the Mouse
The Testament of Cresseid
Orpheus and Eurydice
Shorter Poems: Stronger Attributions
Against Hasty Credence
The Annunciation
Sum Practysis of Medecyne
The Ressoning betwix Aige and Yowth
Robene and Makyne
The Bludy Serk
The Garmont of Gud Ladeis
The Praise of Age
Shorter Poems: Weaker Attributions
The Abbey Walk
Ane Prayer for the Pest
The Ressoning betwix Deth and Man
The Thre Deid Pollis
Explanatory Notes
Textual Notes
Appendix: Sir Francis Kynaston's Anecdote about the Death of Robert HenrysonBibliography
Glossary
