Spending some time at the moment learning some poems by Yeats. I have very little poetry memorised, so, hopefully by the end of the week I'll know '
The Lake Isle of Innisfree', and '
The Second Coming'.
I'm also working on an interesting project this week. I am giving some feedback to a friend of mine who is working on a pamphlet of a 'translation' of selections of the writings of the English mystic
Julian of Norwich. She wrote in the 14th Century so her writings are in Middle English (similar the Canterbury Tales). He is attempting to create a new text that keeps the feel of the original while also adding a new layer, the way a medieval scribe copying a text added their own touch to it through different spellings, marginalia, errors etc.
Here's a sample in Middle English:
There es a visioun schewed be the goodenes of god to a devoute womann, and hir Name es Julyan that is recluse atte Norwyche and yitt ys onn lyfe. Anno d(omi)ni mill(esi)mo CCCCxiij; In the whilke visyoun er fulle many comfortabylle wordes and gretly styrrande to alle thaye that desyres to be crystes looverse.
Here are a few samples of some of it in modern English:
IN this [moment] suddenly I saw the red blood trickle down from under the Garland hot and freshly and right plenteously, as it were in the time of His Passion when the Garland of thorns was pressed on His blessed head who was both God and Man, the same that suffered thus for me. I conceived truly and mightily that it was Himself shewed it me, without any mean.
Also in this He shewed me a little thing, the quantity of an hazel-nut, in the palm of my hand; and it was as round as a ball. I looked thereupon with eye of my understanding, and thought: What may this be? And it was answered generally thus: It is all that is made. I marvelled how it might last, for methought it might suddenly have fallen to naught for little[ness]. And I was answered in my understanding: It lasteth, and ever shall [last] for that God loveth it. And so All-thing hath the Being by the love of God.
long time with wringing of the nails and weight ofthe body. For I understood that for tenderness of the sweet hands and of the sweet feet, by the greatness, hardness, and grievousness of the nails the wounds waxed wide and the body sagged, for weight by long time hanging. And [therewith was] piercing and pressing of the head, and binding of the Crown all baked with dry blood, with the sweet hair clinging, and the dry flesh, to the thorns, and the thorns to the flesh drying; and in the beginning while the flesh was fresh and bleeding, the continual sitting of the thorns made the wounds wide.
I'll ask him if it is okay to post some of his version here. If it is, I'll start a new thread for it.
u.