Pearl <\/em>is a dream vision. A father falls asleep in the garden where his two-year-old daughter is buried. Spices fill his breath and carry him to a splendid landscape by a river. Across the river, he sees his daughter, now a grown-up maiden. She describes her sublime life to him, and he tries to go to her and share that glorious life, but it is not God\u2019s will for him to cross the river yet. He wakes up in the garden. The manuscript contains the only extant version of four poems by the same author. The best known of these is “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” The dialect of Middle English is highly alliterative, and images from the natural world permeate the language. The poet skillfully interweaves vivid phrases and ideas throughout each work, connecting human feeling, nature, and spiritual insight.<\/p>\n Where Marvels Move My soul has gone by God\u2019s good grace When beams between the clouds glide by, A stream cuts through that gleaming land, As streaming stars on a winter nightPoem<\/h3>\n
\nFrom the Middle English Pearl
\nTranslated by Linda Marie Zaerr<\/p>\n
\nAdventuring where marvels move,
\nBy wooded hills and crystal cliffs,
\nWhere birds of flaming hues descend.
\nThe gravel grinding underfoot
\nIs precious pearls from the East.<\/p>\n
\nThe leaves as burnished silver slide
\nAnd whisper with a shimmering sheen,
\nA gleaming glory glimmering.
\nThe splendor of that woodland wild
\nMakes my soul forget my grief.<\/p>\n
\nSheer banks of beryl, steep and bright.
\nA rumbling roar, the river sweeps,
\nAnd at my feet a limpid deep,
\nWhere emerald, sapphire, topaz blue,
\nAdorn the bottom of the pool.<\/p>\n
\nShine on high while shepherds sleep,
\nSo every pebble in that pool
\nEmbellishes my soul with light.
\nAnd when I cross that precious deep
\nMy mortal grief will wash away.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"