Playful Poems

Playful Poems

The last volume of these Companion Poets contained some of Chaucers Tales as they were modernised by Dryden. This volume contains more of his Tales as they were modernised by later poets. In 1841 there was a volume published entitled, The Poems of Geoffrey Chaucer Modernized. Of this volume, when it was first projected, Wordsworth wrote to Moxon, his publisher, on the 24th of February 1840: Mr. Powell, my friend, has some thought of preparing for publication some portion of Chaucer modernised, as far and no farther than is done in my treatment of The Prioress Tale. That would, in fact, be his model. He will have coadjutors, among whom, I believe, will be Mr. Leigh Hunt, a man as capable of doing the work well as any living writer. I have placed at my friend Mr. Powells disposal three other pieces which I did long ago, but revised the other day. They are The Manciples Tale, The Cuckoo and the Nightingale, and twenty-four stanzas of Troilus and Cressida. This I have done mainly out of my love and reverence for Chaucer, in hopes that, whatever may be the merits of Mr. Powells attempt, the attention of other writers may be drawn to the subject; and a work hereafter produced, by different persons, which will place the treasures of one of the greatest of poets within the reach of the multitude, which now they are not. I mention all this to you because, though I have not given Mr. Powell the least encouragement to do so, he may sound you as to your disposition to undertake the publication. I have myself nothing further to do with it than I have stated. Had the thing been suggested to me by any number of competent persons twenty years ago, I would have undertaken the editorship and done much more myself, and endeavoured to improve the several contributions where they seemed to require it. But that is now out of the question. Wordsworth had made his versions of Chaucer in the year 1801. The Prioresss Tale had been published in 1820, so that only the three pieces he had revised for his friends use were available, and of these the Manciples Tale was withdrawn, the version by Leigh Hunt (which is among the pieces here reprinted) being used. The volume was published in 1841, not by Moxon but by Whitaker. Wordsworths versions of The Cuckoo and the Nightingale (here reprinted), and of a passage taken from Troilus and Cressida, were included in it. Leigh Hunt contributed versions of the Manciples Tale and the Friars Tale (both here reprinted), and of the Squires Tale. Elizabeth A. Barrett, afterwards Mrs. Browning, contributed a version of Queen Annelida and False Arcite. Richard Hengist Horne entered heartily into the venture, modernised the Prologue to the Canterbury Tales, the Reves Tale, and the Franklins, and wrote an Introduction of more than a hundred pages, to which Professor Leonhard Schmitz added thirty-two pages of a Life of Chaucer. Robert Bell, to whom we were afterwards indebted for an Annotated Edition of the English Poets, modernised the Complaint of Mars and Venus. Thomas Powell, the editor, contributed his version of the Legends of Ariadne, Philomene, and Phillis, and of The Flower and the Leaf, and a friend, who signed only as Z. A. Z, dealt with The Rime of Sir Thopas. After the volume had appeared, Wordsworth thus wrote of it to Professor Henry Reed of Philadelphia: There has recently been published in London a volume of some of Chaucers tales and poems modernised; this little specimen originated in what I attempted with The Prioress Tale, and if the book should find its way to America you will see in it two further specimens from myself. I had no further connection with the publication than by making a present of these to one of the contributors. Let me, however, recommend to your notice the Prologue and the Franklins Tale. They are both by Mr. Horne, a gentleman unknown to me, but arethe latter in particularvery well done. Mr. Leigh Hunt has not failed in the Manciples Tale, which I myself modernised many years ago; but though I much admire the genius of Chaucer as displayed in this performance, I could not place my version at the disposal of the editor, as I deemed the subject somewhat too indelicate for pure taste to be offered to the world at this time of day. Mr. Horne has much hurt this publication by not abstaining from the Reves Tale. This, after making all allowance for the rude manners of Chaucers age, is intolerable; and by indispensably softening down the incidents, he has killed the spirit of that humour, gross and farcical, that pervades the original. When the work was first mentioned to me, I protested as strongly as possible against admitting any coarseness and indelicacy, so that my conscience is clear of countenancing aught of that kind. So great is my admiration of Chaucers genius, and so profound my reverence for him. . . for spreading the light of Literature through his native land, that, notwithstanding the defects and faults in this publication, I am glad of it, as a means for making many acquainted with the original, who would otherwise be ignorant of everything about him but his name. ......Buy Now (To Read More)

Product details

Ebook Number: 6332
Author: Morley, Henry
Release Date: Aug 1, 2004
Format: eBook
Language: English

Contributors

Editor: Morley, Henry, 1822-1894