Poetry of the Middle Ages: Kinsella's New Oxford Book of Irish Verse

Thomas Kinsella (b. 1928)

> The New Oxford Book of Irish Verse (1986):

– one of the first anthologies of Irish verse in English translations, edited but also translated by Kinsella himself

– the Irish poetry of the Middle Ages was mostly love poetry, from the points of view of both men and women

Anonymous Love Poetry of the 15^th and 16^th Centuries

– mostly on subjects of jealousy, faithlessness, breaking up etc., mostly from the point of view of male speakers

> 84: the male speaker desires a married woman, who favours him, rather than unmarried girls, however beautiful

> 85: a man breaks up with his unfaithful mistress and implores her to ignore him in public and not mention him

> 86: a man refuses to die for a woman, however beautiful in body or noble in mind, for he knows how women are

> 87: an advice to jealous men to live in peace and ignore the moods of their wives for they cannot help themselves

> 88: an advice to a jealous husband that he does not need to be suspicious because nobody would desire his wife

> 89: wives at a fair study jealously a young beautiful girl with loose locks while they are plaiting their own hair

> 90: an elaborate compliment to a beautiful girl with bright eyes and with long yellow curly hair of striking beauty

> 91: a deserted lover contrasts his profound love with the superficial love of his mistress who left him for riches

> 93: a lover invites his mistress to intimacies which he deserves for his love and for his resigning at all other girls

> 94: a deceived woman warns inexperienced girls not to believe the vain promises of men whose love is fleeting

Jonathan Swift, ‘The Description of an Irish Feast’ (1720)

– a translation of the original Irish song recited by O’Rourke, a chieftain of Ulster, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth

– a description of a wild and merry feast with guests eating heartily, drinking heavily and fighting drunkenly

[READING: selections from Kinsella’s New Oxford Book of Irish Verse – see above]