Fortune, Love, Destiny, Sweet Mercy and the Heart, among others, guide and thwart the narrator's quest in René d'Anjou's 15th-century allegorical tale of love and adventure.
This translation is the first in English, presented with the original Middle French en face; the poem's rich poetic imagery, personal feeling, allegorical convention and a direct, almost colloquial tone come through clearly: "What do you wish me to say?/ It could not be believed:/ Loving enmity,/ Sweet battle, delectable misery,/ Pleasing sorrow, unhappy good,/ Repose which so labors/ And, without blows, battling and sorely/ Wounding my heart goes forth, without open wounds, Both openly and hidden from sight. I do not know what I shall become,/ For Pity takes such tiny steps/ In coming to my lady's heart." While the allegorical density and the length of the narrative, and the book's cost, may deter the casual poetry reader, those who take up the challenge will find themselves rewarded. Editors and translators Stephanie Viereck Gibbs and Kathryn Karczewska (Prophesy and the Quest for the Holy Grail) provide extensive introductory material, a biography of the author, textual information, critical context and a bibliography; the book also includes 16 color plates illustrating a manuscript of the text from the Austrian National Library. (July)
Forecast: University libraries should be a lock for this edition, and curious browsers should be drawn in by the title. Renaissance romance spurred by novels like
The Girl with the Pearl Earring could be poised for a revival.
