FURTHER READING
Baird-Lange, Lorrayne Y. “Symbolic Ambivalence in ‘I Haue
a Gentil Cok.’ ” Fifteenth-Century Studies 11 (1985): 1–5.
Roscow, Gregory. “ ‘Of Red Scorel’ in ‘I Haue a Gentil Cok.’ ”
English Studies 83, no. 1 (2002): 6–8.
INGLIS, ESTHER See TUDOR WOMEN POETS.
“IN PRAISE OF MARY” ANONYMOUS (late
13th century) The majority of Middle English lyrics
dealing with religious themes were composed anony-
mously. This French-infl uenced religious lyric in praise
of the Virgin Mary employs the same erotic language as
secular lyrics. The text is written in the Southeast Mid-
lands dialect of MIDDLE ENGLISH. The narrator, pre-
sented as Mary’s “knight” suffering from LOVESICKNESS,
begs her mercy and compliments her by contrasting
her with her antitype, Eve.
The fi rst fi ve stanzas contain numerous phrases and
metrical forms from Latin hymns as well as conventions
from secular love poetry. Mary is “My swete Levedy” (l.
7) as well as “Hevene Quene” (l. 1) who must hear and
“rew” (l. 8), or take pity on him. There is no other lady
more “fair, “shene” (beautiful), “rudy” (bright), “softe,”
or “swote.” Yet Mary’s praise is attached to the “new
light” (l. 11) that will spring from her when the Holy
Ghost “reste[s] upon” (l. 18) her. Her child will bring
humanity’s healing “monkunnes bote” (l. 19), and “ale-
sen” (l. 20) or delivery of the soul. In alignment with
COURTLY LOVE, the narrator pledges himself to Mary’s
service both “to honde and to fote” (l. 23). These fi rst
fi ve stanzas conclude in a prayer. The lover’s voice
declares that all his “drauct” (draught) (leaning, l. 36) is
“lovebende”—that is, bound by love to Mary, who is
his shield from Satan. The use of the word drauct, which
also creates connotations of desire, attraction, inclina-
tion, education, and drink, like a love potion with Mary
as the full vessel, was included in many secular lyrics.
Scholars debate whether the last three STANZAs were
part of the original text because they are more imper-
sonal and formal than the preceding stanzas. Stanza 6
elaborates on what has occurred before: “Thy love us
broughte eche [eternal] wunne [bliss]” (l. 47) because
she bore “thine Helere” (the Savior, l. 56). Stanzas 7
and 8 are more doctrinal and do not continue the
courtly love conventions. Stanza 7 focuses on Mary’s
pregnancy and delivery without labor pains, while the
prayer that ends stanza 8 requests Mary’s assistance
from hell’s “wrake,” or vengeance.
The main theme of this lyric is to depict Mary’s role
as intercessor. The lyric begins by addressing Mary as
queen of heaven and ends with her protecting suppli-
cants from hell, an image largely spread through the
Ave Maria in which Mary’s prayers for sinners at the
hour of their death can keep them from punishment.
In addition, this lyric begins with a VERNACULAR anti-
phon (verse from Scripture) and draws on the typo-
logical signifi cance of the “blossom from one root”
from Isaiah 11 (the coming of Christ) and Gideon’s
fl eece in Judges 6 (the soaking of the fl eece by dew
fi guring Mary’s impregnation by the Holy Spirit) to
present her as a contrast to Eve, who led humanity
away from Heaven.
See also MIDDLE ENGLISH LYRICS AND BALLADS, VIRGIN
LYRICS.
FURTHER READING
Saupe, Karen. Middle English Marian Lyrics. Kalamazoo:
Western Michigan University, 1998.
R. L. Smith“I SING OF A MAIDEN” ANONYMOUS (15th
century) Though this brief religious lyric is simple,
many scholars have deemed it among the best of the
medieval English lyrics for its effortless elegance and
beauty. The subject of the poem is the Blessed Virgin
Mary, Mother of God. She is introduced in the fi rst
STANZA as a woman who is “makeles” and who chose
the king of kings for her son. The poet puns on the
word makeles, which means spotless, matchless, and
mateless. In other words, she is perfect and without
blemishes; there is no one in the world like her, and
she has no husband (that is, she is a virgin). The fol-
lowing three stanzas describe the immaculate concep-
tion, each likening Christ’s approach to his mother’s
womb to dew in April. The fi nal stanza reminds the
reader that there was never another like Mary and
asserts that she was a fi tting mother for God.
Many scholars have noted that the fi rst stanza is
unusual in that it emphasizes that Mary chose Christ as“I SING OF A MAIDEN” 227