Monthly Poetry Event: WESTRON WYNDE

March27

Poetry Monthly event

It’s the last Tuesday of the month, and time for the monthly poetry blog-along. Since Nova Scotia is shivering today in a frigid early-spring storm with strong northerly winds and blowing snow, I thought I’d make a call for spring by sharing this lovely classic of medieval poetry.

Westron wynde, when wilt thou blow,
The small raine down can raine?
Cryst, if my love were in my armes
And I in my bedde again!

western wind Wikipedia says that this poem was used as lyrics to an early 16th century song which first appeared with words in a partbook of around 1530. Historians believe that the lyrics are a few hundred years older (‘Middle English’) and the words are a fragment of medieval poetry. (Here’s a sung version).

In a Globe and mail column several years ago, Fraser Sutherland pointed out that “twenty-five of [the poem’s] 26 words (the exception is “Christ”) have Old English, ultimately Germanic roots […] Twenty-four of the 26 words have one syllable, and the longest word has only seven characters.”

But, oh, what the poet did with those few letters! I have spent over 40 years wondering why these lovers were separated, and arriving at different conclusions at various times in my life.

What about you? Why do you think the author was apart from his (or her) love?

posted under Reading Challenges 2012

7 Comments to

“Monthly Poetry Event: WESTRON WYNDE”

On March 29th, 2012 at 2:51 am Snowball Says:
I don’t know how I might have read it at another time. But right now I can’t help but hear the words as a soldier on a third, forth, or fifth, deployment – with no end in sight.

And that makes these 26 words pregnant with possibilities that go far beyond themselves, not all of them good.
On March 31st, 2012 at 9:18 am Parrish Says:
Like you said, it will depend on where you are in your life, will decide what conclusion you come to. Another wonderful poet who does much with little is Erich Fried

Without You.

Not nothing
without you
but not the same

Not nothing
without you
but perhaps less

Not nothing
but less
and less

Perhaps not nothing
without you
but not much more
On March 31st, 2012 at 1:49 pm Debbie Says:
Gary – that’s lovely! I shall have to look for some Erich Fried. Thank you!
On March 31st, 2012 at 12:49 pm Lu Says:
Thank you for sharing! What a lovely little poem. So much meaning in so few syllables.
On March 31st, 2012 at 1:49 pm Debbie Says:
Thank you for hosting, Lu!
On March 31st, 2012 at 5:04 pm Parrish Says:
Hi Debbie a good place to start is his Love Poems, of which I posted on here (http://parrishlantern.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/heart-in-reality.html) this has links to other options, for more ideas check out my Pomesallsizes page, thanks.
On April 2nd, 2012 at 8:01 am National Poetry Month - Read More/Blog More Poetry Event | Regular Rumination Says:
[…] Debbie at ExUrbanis shares a short and sweet, simply beautiful medieval poem. […]