"A wayle whyt ase whalles bon" ('A beauty white as whale's bone'), also titled after the opening of its refrain "Ich wolde ich were a threstelcok" ('I wish I were a throstle-cock'), is an anonymous late-13th or early-14th century Middle English lyric poem.[1] The text forms part of the collection known as the Harley Lyrics (MS. Harley 2253, f. 67r).[1]
| A wayle whyt ase whalles bon | |
|---|---|
 Text contains the second part of Most I ryden by Rybbesdale, and the start of A wayle whyt as whalles bon | |
| Written | late-13th or early-14th century |
| Language | Middle English |
Summary edit
The persona praises, and carnally desires, a beautiful woman (wayle; lit. 'selection' or 'preference') who is very white (as 'whale's bone').
See also edit
References edit
Sources edit
- Fein, Susanna Greer, ed. (2014). "Art. 36, A wayle whyt ase whalles bon: Introduction". The Complete Harley 2253 Manuscript. TEAMS Middle English Texts. Vol. 2 (online ed.). Kalamazoo, MI: Medieval Institute Publications.
Further reading edit
- D'Arcy, Anne Marie (2005). "The Middle English Lyric". In Johnson and, David F.; Treharne, Elaine (eds.). Interpreting Medieval Literature: Readings of Old and Middle English Texts. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 318. ISBN 9780199261635.
- Degginger, Stuart H. L. (1954). "'A Wayle Whyt Ase Whalles Bon': Reconstructed". The Journal of English and Germanic Philology. 53 (1): 84–90. JSTOR 27713633.
- Ransom, Daniel J. (1985). Poets at Play: Irony and Parody in the Harley Lyrics. Norman, OK: Pilgrim Books. pp. 64–70.
- Warton, Thomas (1774). The History of English Poetry: From the Close of the Eleventh to the Commencement of the Eighteenth Century. Vol. 1. London: printed for, and sold by J. Dodsley; J. Walter; T. Becket; J. Robson; G. Robinson, and J. Bew; and Messrs. Fletcher, at Oxford. p. 35.
External links edit
- Vesperry, Lindsey; Lenviel, Claire; Spencer, David (2013). "A Wayle Whyt ase Whalles Bon". Weebly.