Pearl

Pearl is a 14th century poem, believed to be by many as one of the most important surviving works written in Middle English. It’s structured along the idea of a vision dream with many religious ideas played out. I enjoyed this, though slightly preferred J.R.R. Tolkien’s translation. Complex and crea......more

I liked this somewhat less than I like the Armitage translation, and I'll repeat what I said of that one.I have certain hesitations about any approach to the translation of a rhymed, metrical poem that deliberately avoids end rhyme. If you believe that naturalness of language is the primary criterio......more

A gorgeous translation of this short 14th c. poem into modern English. Elegantly done and a real pleasure to read. I’m glad, however, that I also read an old-fashioned translation of the poem (Brian Stone’s 1964 translation in the little Penguin Classics paperback, Medieval English Verse), because i......more

decent translation......more