Pursevant and Squier Portraits - Draft
For anyone who is interested, here is the final draft of my latest Middle English piece, the "Squier and Pursevant Portraits", the second piece in my overall Canterbury Tales recreation "The New Road to Centerbury".
For those unfamiliar with my art/sci efforts, I am attempting to recreate a full set of Canterbury-esque Tales, in 14th-century Middle English, recreating a religious pilgrimage featuring eight new pilgrims, along with character portraits, an overall story setting, and a Tale for each pilgrim. This is the second piece in this master plan, introducing Pilgrims #2 and #3.
Most of the Middle English vocabulary was taken from "A Concise Dictionary of Middle English). Here is a link to it on Project Gutenberg, if anyone is interested.
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10625
Comments are encouraged.
Yours in Service,
Dmitri
The Squier and Pursevant Portraits
A squier was with us, and a pursevant,
The first was rampant, the second regardant.
Maugre the dyvers wyse bitwix the tweye men,
Here eterne frendrede was nat hard to ken.
Cloos frends wer they, but nat at all semblable,
And no whar was here broderhed chesunabile.
Both were nouys in their professioun,
And raughte to the top of here occupacioun.
The squier was byg, and gret in hardinesse,
His knyght conseilled him wel in worthynesse,
With bokeler and swerd, he trained ful ofte,
And yet in manere, he was ytaught to be softe.
A byg man was he, but with muchel lightnesse;
Alle and some witen him in a ioust makeless.
He was a gentil youthe, yet full of corage,
The parfit ensample of vasselage,
And obeisant as wel, al-so ful thrifty.
Of evene lengthe and wel ykempt was he,
All the maydes trowed him faire and abil,
The lordynges rekened him seruisable,
And yet, for al of his habilitie,
He was nought a man of humilitee.
He foughten igan the liknesse of foltrye,
And combrening was his surquidrie.
He was ay-where arrayed in whyte,
And a bauderyk of sangwin was streite yteyd.
His freend the pursevant had a sondry entente,
A student of harlotrie and euerich queynte,
Of gret wit was he, and al-so gret wyghte,
A man of shrewednesse, I hope to endite,
And had he a gaze you coude nought eschewe.
A courte-py wore he, and clad all in blewe,
Save a belt of grene yteyd at his waast,
And a gipser of moneye he kept ful faste.
A mountance of konning at bataille had he,
Yet curious was he at heraudry.
He was nat well knowne for soothfastnesse,
But was notable for his likerousnesse,
A love of hasardrye had he, he wolde biknowe,
He was proud at his vilanye, I wolde trowe,
Yet to be digne of redoutyng was his delit,
And weel he wiste he highte an ypocryte;
He conceived him-seluen of a goliards trench,
But mainly he wrot to cussen a wenche.
Maugre this alle, he had ligeaunce verray,
And meyntened the kinghed as well as he may.
To-gadere on viage, but sondry in resun,
Ich has dyvers talent for this enchesoun,
Oon gooth for honour, oon gooth for cheuesance.
Bote bothe of hem go to find sum plesaunce.
In comune dide the felawes one thing did deel,
Is lust for gigelots, and caroles, and ale,
While ofte as feends and more ofte as freends,
Thei al-day assemble eft-sone in the ende.
Ilich bretheren they depart, and bretheren repair,
And fostre ech other whan they go on her fare.
For those unfamiliar with my art/sci efforts, I am attempting to recreate a full set of Canterbury-esque Tales, in 14th-century Middle English, recreating a religious pilgrimage featuring eight new pilgrims, along with character portraits, an overall story setting, and a Tale for each pilgrim. This is the second piece in this master plan, introducing Pilgrims #2 and #3.
Most of the Middle English vocabulary was taken from "A Concise Dictionary of Middle English). Here is a link to it on Project Gutenberg, if anyone is interested.
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10625
Comments are encouraged.
Yours in Service,
Dmitri
The Squier and Pursevant Portraits
A squier was with us, and a pursevant,
The first was rampant, the second regardant.
Maugre the dyvers wyse bitwix the tweye men,
Here eterne frendrede was nat hard to ken.
Cloos frends wer they, but nat at all semblable,
And no whar was here broderhed chesunabile.
Both were nouys in their professioun,
And raughte to the top of here occupacioun.
The squier was byg, and gret in hardinesse,
His knyght conseilled him wel in worthynesse,
With bokeler and swerd, he trained ful ofte,
And yet in manere, he was ytaught to be softe.
A byg man was he, but with muchel lightnesse;
Alle and some witen him in a ioust makeless.
He was a gentil youthe, yet full of corage,
The parfit ensample of vasselage,
And obeisant as wel, al-so ful thrifty.
Of evene lengthe and wel ykempt was he,
All the maydes trowed him faire and abil,
The lordynges rekened him seruisable,
And yet, for al of his habilitie,
He was nought a man of humilitee.
He foughten igan the liknesse of foltrye,
And combrening was his surquidrie.
He was ay-where arrayed in whyte,
And a bauderyk of sangwin was streite yteyd.
His freend the pursevant had a sondry entente,
A student of harlotrie and euerich queynte,
Of gret wit was he, and al-so gret wyghte,
A man of shrewednesse, I hope to endite,
And had he a gaze you coude nought eschewe.
A courte-py wore he, and clad all in blewe,
Save a belt of grene yteyd at his waast,
And a gipser of moneye he kept ful faste.
A mountance of konning at bataille had he,
Yet curious was he at heraudry.
He was nat well knowne for soothfastnesse,
But was notable for his likerousnesse,
A love of hasardrye had he, he wolde biknowe,
He was proud at his vilanye, I wolde trowe,
Yet to be digne of redoutyng was his delit,
And weel he wiste he highte an ypocryte;
He conceived him-seluen of a goliards trench,
But mainly he wrot to cussen a wenche.
Maugre this alle, he had ligeaunce verray,
And meyntened the kinghed as well as he may.
To-gadere on viage, but sondry in resun,
Ich has dyvers talent for this enchesoun,
Oon gooth for honour, oon gooth for cheuesance.
Bote bothe of hem go to find sum plesaunce.
In comune dide the felawes one thing did deel,
Is lust for gigelots, and caroles, and ale,
While ofte as feends and more ofte as freends,
Thei al-day assemble eft-sone in the ende.
Ilich bretheren they depart, and bretheren repair,
And fostre ech other whan they go on her fare.