Chaucer is
smitten and, much like legions of romantic poets before and after him, employs a hyperbolic
lexicon to express it. However, beneath the language we now find so typical of love poetry,
there is a sweetness and a degree of worship and consequent submission, which is
unusual.
The woman shines like a "crystal," with cheeks like
"Ruby." Her beauty is a shrine with scope enough to encircle the world. By now,
suchhas been used so many times as to appear hackneyed. Modern readers glaze over at the mention
of precious jewels to relate the beauty of a loved one, but within its own literary contexti.e.,
a much sparser onethese comparisons might have ignited passionate flames in those who read or
heard them.
Moreover, he goes further than admiring her in a purely aesthetic
manner. Seeing her dance is "ointment unto my wound"; it is not merely her physical
body he finds attractive, but the way she moves. Granted, this is still a shallow estimation of
a person's worth, but it goes further towards appreciating her for the person she isher
attitude, energy and passionthan merely admiring her physique and symmetry.
The closing line of the second stanza shifts the mood somewhat, but only by giving us
new information. She will do him "no dalliance," meaning she will not engage with him
in a love affair. The modern reader may be accustomed to coupling such refusals with fiery anger
and violence in the male suitor. Such stories abound in bars and nightclubs all over the world,
even in spaces where courtship is not part of the accepted running order.
However, the speaker's attitude does not waver. His devotion overpowers his sense of
loss. Despite crying a whole basin of tearsa further example ofin the poemhe can only think of
his love:
Yet may that woe not confound my
heart.
Your seemly voice that you so delicately bring forth,
Make my thoughts,
in joy and bliss, abound.
His love, given the qualities
of lightness and heat, "may not be cooled nor sunk." Love is noble, and his love is
eminently so. It will not be brought to its knees, despite being unrequited. After all, should
we not wish the best for those whom we love, even if it does not involve
us?
No comments:
Post a Comment