close of the day, the lyric conjures images of nature,
but also pity for Mary, the sorrowing mother.
“Now Goth Sonne Under Wod” is unique among
13th-century lyrics in its borrowing of strategies from
both genres of religious lyrics—those on the passion of
Christ and those on the Virgin. An important com-
monplace in the lyric is a focus on the beauty of the
Virgin and a compassion for her that borders on Mari-
olatry, or excessive praise of Mary.
The poem is evocative and somber. The suggestive
nature of the verse derives not only from the immedi-
acy of the imagery but also from the poet’s skillful use
of paronomasia (wordplay). Key secular words become
imbued with religious signifi cance: “Now goth sonne
under wod,” the poem begins. In one possible reading,
the sun is sinking beneath the trees. However, the
“son” is also sinking beneath the wood (“wod”), or
cross—a common use of METONYMY. “Wod” also carries
an association with madness, a manifestation of exces-
sive grief, which prepares the reader for the next line:
“Me reweth, Marye, thy faire rode” (l. 2). “Rode” is a
key pun in the poem. It could mean “cross,” but it
could also mean “face,” which signals pity for Mary
herself through SYNECDOCHE. The polysemous nature of
“rode” links Mary to the cross and her dying son.
Line 3 reiterates the image in line one: “Now goth
sonne under tree.” Through metonymy, again, “tree”
may be read not only as a tree in the distance but as
“cross” (a conventional poeticism). Line 4 returns to
the two fi gures, mother and son, movingly isolated:
“Me reweth, Marye, thy sone and thee.”
Among the debates that have surrounded this poem
is the nature of Mary’s face. Does the speaker pity
Mary’s face because it has been marred, reddened, by
the sun, or is the poem an example of Franciscan piety,
where human emotion is shifted from the worldly to
the sacred? The latter seems more likely; certainly,
though, the tone, voice, and evocative images in this
poem make it one that will continue to be antholo-
gized and studied.
See also MIDDLE ENGLISH LYRICS AND BALLADS, VIRGIN
LYRICS.
FURTHER READING
Gray, Douglas. Themes and Images in the Medieval English
Religious Lyric. Boston: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1972.
Manning, Stephen. “Nou goth Sonne vnder wod.” MLN 74,
no. 7 (1959): 578–581.
Woolf, Rosemary. The English Religious Lyric in the Middle
Ages. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1968.
Tony Perrello“NUN’S PRIEST’S TALE, THE” GEOFFREY
CHAUCER (ca. 1395) “The Nun’s Priest’s Tale” opens
in a barnyard owned by a poor widow. She owns only
a few animals; among them is her prize rooster named
Chanticleer. He has seven wives, the prettiest of which
is Pertelote. One night, Chanticleer has a nightmare.
Pertelote, hearing his groaning, wakes him, and Chan-
ticleer relates his dream, in which a vile beast invaded
their yard. Pertelote mocks Chanticleer, telling him she
cannot love a coward. Dreams mean nothing; they are
caused by overindulgence and an overabundance of
one of the FOUR HUMORS—in this case, too much cho-
ler. Citing Cato, whom she claims to have counseled
ignoring dreams, Pertelote suggests a purge (consisting
of a laxative and an enema), and offers to concoct one
herself. Chanticleer retorts with a claim that many
authorities believe dreams are powerful, and he pro-
ceeds to tell two stories about dreams being useful.
After this, however, he proclaims that Pertelote’s beauty
and his desire for her outweighs his reason. With that,
Chanticleer fl ies down from the perch and awakens
the hens.
More than a month later, on May 3, Chanticleer and
his wives are in the yard enjoying the sun when a fox
appears. Biding his time, the fox eventually engages
Chanticleer in conversation, fl attering him about his
renowned singing and comparing him to BOETHIUS.
Chanticleer is tickled and agrees to sing for the fox.
When his neck is stretched to the fullest, however, the
fox seizes the rooster by the throat and fl ees. The hens
raise a clamor, and the widow, her daughters, servants,
and dogs all run after the fox and cock. The narrator
laments that these events occurred on a Friday, and at
one point he even compares this clamorous crowd to
“Jack Straw and his followers” (ll. 4191–94), a direct
reference to the PEASANTS’ REVOLT. The narrator then
reminds his audience that “Dame FORTUNE” changes
sides quickly. Indeed, Chanticleer, having regained his
wits, suggests to the fox that he shout at their pursuers.“NUN’S PRIEST’S TALE, THE” 291