Chris Emerson - "Ballad of the Scottish King" (John Skelton)

  

John Skelton: Many Meanings

            The difficulty I have with looking at Skelton was the lack of supplementary material that covers a time period of his work.  Criticisms of individual pieces did exist, but only proved historically worthwhile and not contextually or syntactically. 

The fame orbiting John Skelton it centered on his command of the English language at such an infantile stage for the future worldly language.  His work as a translator, tutor to Henry VIII and man of the church put him in an excellent position to return to the court after a long retirement from 1503 to 1513.  There are instances where Skelton will insult a character or group in his works for misinterpretation of words or phrases.  The position orator regius (king’s orator) comes into question on multiple occasions when looking at Skelton’s work before and after his retirement.  Political motivation was a very big part of the piece I read, and knowing that helped to determine a few context-based meanings in “Ballad of the Scottish King”.

What I found most appealing was that Skelton knew just how many meanings were in his words.  I found that there was a phrase here on line 10 that confused me, but in context seems to mean a poor outcome.  The phrase is recognized as obscure in origin, so it seems that Skelton had as good an understanding in what English was as he did an understanding that it would evolve with use.

Works Cited

Jokinen, Anniina.  “The Life of John Skelton”.  Luminarium.  Web.  1 December 2011.

Kinney, Arthur F.  "John Skelton And Poetic Authority: Defining The Liberty To Speak."  

            Modern Philology 107.2 (2009): 180-183.  Web.  1 December 2011.           

Ballad of the Scottish King.

King Jamy, Jomy[i] your Joye˚ is all go

Satisfaction

You sommnoed˚ our king why did you so

Submerged (has to do with naval encounters)

To you no thing it did accorde˚

Reconcile

To sommon our king your soverayne lorde.

A king a somner[ii] it is wonder

Know you not salt and sugar asonder˚

Aside or apart

In your somnynge˚ you were to malaperte[iii]

Summoning

And your harolde no thing expert

You thought you did it full valyauntolye

But not worth three skppes of a pye;

Sir squyer galyarde[iv] ye were too swift.

Your wyll˚ renne˚ before your wytte˚.

Cunning/expedite/weight

To be so scornful to your alye˚,

Ally

Your counseyle˚ was not worth a fly.

Counsel

Before the French kings, danes, and other

You ought to honour your lord and brother

Trowe̊ you sir Iames his noble grace,

Trust

For you and your scottes would tourne his face

Now you proud scottes of gelawaye.

For your king may synge welawaye[v]

Now must you know our king for your regent,

Your soverayne lorde and presedent[vi],

In hym is figured melchisedeche,

And you be desolate as armeleche

He is our noble champion.

A king anoynted and you be none

Through your counseyle your father was slain

Wherfore I fear you wyll suffer pain,

And ye proude scottes of dunbar

Parde,[vii] you be his homager̊.

One who holds land by homage.

And suters to his parlyment,

You did not your duty therein.

Wyerfore you may it now repent…

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[i] King James IV of Scotland, for whom other works of Skelton’s are dedicated to.

[ii] Summoner: a fictitious post, but respected in the work as a counselor to the King.

[iii] A presumptuous or saucy person.

[iv] An exact trade of sorts – ‘squyer’ is a tool of exact measurement, while ‘galyarde’ is a trade designation.

[v] A song of lament.

[vi] Appears as law in multiple English works.

[vii] Punctuation is mentioned here.

Tags: James IV, King, Scots, Skelton, Summoner

      



Adrienne Athanas - intro & poem 1 of “Posies of Gascoigne” (George Gascoigne)

George Gascoigne (1539-1578) was a member of the Elizabethan court and struggled for status among his contemporaries like the poet John Donne. Because his attempts at becoming a courtier more often failed the succeed Gascoigne often found himself in debt and with a notorious reputation among the religious. Through various legal and financial struggles he produced works that are considered very essential reflections of the time. Gascoigne is both praised and studied for his commanding tone and controversial standings on religion, court life, and the frustrations resulting from the two.

The translation attached is the introduction and first poem from a greater collection of his works called “Posies of Gascoigne” which was printed in 1575. The original text is actually very clear in terms of being able to see each letter and comparatively to other scans on EEBO is extremely readable. By the same token it’s full of dated spellings, which is the most complicated factor in translating.  Though arguably if one were familiar enough with older English reading it straight from the scan on a computer would be possible.

What the edited version of the text does, mainly, is clean up the spelling to make the text clearest on the page and while reading. The interchangeability of f and s, u and v, also extra e’s required the most editing or respelling. Also the interpretation of what was pluralized and going back the root word was important to finding accurate definitions for words that didn’t have a contemporary counterpart. Overall the edited version takes away a certain degree of the time stamp on the poem in such a way that makes it accessible to contemporary readers.

Jokinen, Anniina. “Life of George Gascoigne." Luminarium. 1 Aug 2010.  Thu. 1. Dec. 2011.  

 introduction and first poem from “Posies of Gascoigne”

If fine I found the flower that Bellum height,

Sweet even to those, of silly simple sense

Yet sharp and lower, to those that do delight

In martial marts[1], for gain of peuispense

Such buddes[2] full braue[3], good Gasoignes Garden

To all estates which lift the fame to have.

Wherefore (good friend) fly envies irksome yre[4],

And treed the trace, which Reasons rule hath sought,

Yield not distain to Gascoignes for his here,

Whole bruised brain to thee these flowers that fought,

Left it thou do, the blame on thee do light,

Such friendly pains to recompense with light.

I.D. In prayer of Gascoigne and

            His Posies.[5]

If Virgill how to till the Earth, to every man doth tell,

And Galen he in Physics art doth many man excel,

If Poets old deferuen prayer, by panting out aright,

The fruits of vice, as Ouid doth, and many more that write,

By learned skill of many things: If such exalt their name,

And for their here, deferred pray by trump of Lady Fame:

Why should the Author of this book then leave his due depart,

Sith[6] he lo friendly here to us, hath shewed his skillful arte.

The health-some herbs and flowers sweet, from weeds he hath [7]divi-

The fruits of Giues in prison ftrog he hath right well decided deed,

Of wares also, and warriors too, even like a Martiall knight,

He hath discourse and shewed[8] the lots, that thereupon do light:

Virgill is dead, and Galen is gone, with Poets many more:

Yet works of their still alive, and with us kept in store.

This Author lies, and Gascoigne heights, yet once to die most sure,

Alas the while that worthy writes may not always endure,

But works of his among the best, for ever more shall rest,

When he is heaven shall take a place prepared for the blest.

[1] Ox or cows fattened for slaughter

[2]  A type of beetle.

[3]  The steep bank bounding a river valley. 

[4] yre - itinerant judges who rode the circuit to hold courts in the different counties

[5] plural of posey, meaning, a poetic composition

[6] Afterwards, subsequently

[7]  Originally dividend, meaning, a number or quantity which is to be divided by another.

[8] Originally from “eschew” meaning to avoid or shun

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