The Middle English Pearl : a translation and commentary

Includes bibliographical references (pages 118-124)Pearl, a twelve hundred line poem, is recognized as one of the most important products of the Alliterative Revival which took place in England during the fourteenth century. Yet, its obscure dialect and the changes that have occurred in the English language over the intervening six hundred years make the poem unavailable to an untrained modern reader. This paper is a translation into Modern English of the Middle English Pearl, with a critical introduction and commentary.\ud The opening essay and the commentary serve as an introduction to the critical and linguistic issues that make up the large body of scholarship on the poem. Questions concerning the nature of Pearl, the significance of its imagery, its relationship to other poems, and the\ud identity and orthodoxy of its author have been raised and debated since Pearl was first published in 1864. The commentary in particular addresses textual matters such as the derivation of a debatable word or the effect a particular passage has on the interpretation of the poem as a\ud whole. \ud The guiding principle in making the translation itself was that it should be as true to the original as possible, both in meaning and structure, while eliminating archaic diction and syntax which might hamper a modern reader's enjoyment or understanding of the poem. The\ud twelve-line stanza, four-beat rhythm, and some of the alliteration have been preserved, but much of the beauty of the language has been lost. Still, the poem's radiance and strength shine through and identify Pearl, in any translation, as the masterpiece it is