I cannot stress enough the importance of reading the introductory material that prefaces Dante's Inferno. There is a great deal of historical, social, and political context which you must learn of in order to truly understand Dante's writing, and its significance within the world of literature. Indeed, much of the events in his actual life spurred the genesis of this infamous work. These events and their consequences directly relate to the themes and topics of our course involving the Self, exile, and journey. Critics and scholars of Dante also make many arguments concerning the style, language, and form in which he composed this work; you will learn of these things in the Introduction. In closing, it was stated above that much of this poet's personal life was metaphorically and allegorically transposed into his writing; thus it is important to highlight that the characters of his actual life mirror those fictional characters in his texts. Such correlations should never go unnoticed.
And, because you may have been wondering... the image which adorns the top-right of our e-journal blog is Dante at the entrance of The Dark Wood. It is the work of Gustave Doré, a nineteenth-century French artist, sculptor, and engraver. I will be bringing facsimiles of Doré's complete Dante collection to class here shortly.
Okay, on to the journal, which is due anytime before class meets on Wednesday, 2/17.
Journal #2:
This journal consists of multiple short answers, you may choose to respond to either numbers one or two, but you must complete number three. When writing your two different responses below, be sure to CITE A PASSAGE FROM THE TEXT for each part, thereby providing evidence and support for your claims and reasoning.
- Pick one moment from the prima pars on the "Canon's Yeoman's Tale" that you found to be important and/or significant. It could be an event, or perhaps something that the Yeoman says, a detail, or even a section that appeared mysterious to you. Explain why you have chosen your passage as such. How can it relate to the things we have been discussing in class so far?
- Pick one moment from the pars secunda that displays or fulfills the issues, warnings, or moral imperatives presented and discussed by the Yeoman in the "Prologue" and/or the prima pars. In a few sentences detail how your selected passage exemplifies (or shows as/by example) the Yeoman's efforts to impart his audience with such information.
- Revisit those textual moments you selected in the previous two answers, yet this time go to the Middle English copy of our assigned reading. Try and find discrepancies or perhaps striking similarities… comment on any thoughts or illuminations you may have upon seeing the text in its original versus a modern rendition.
Email with questions or concerns. Happy reading and writing, and enjoy the long weekend everyone!
s.
1. In prima pars on the “Canon’s Yeoman’s Tale” we, as readers, read about who the Yeoman is. In page 454, there is a very important quote that reads: “I’ve served this canon seven years and more, yet am no nearer science than before.” This quote is important in serving the purpose of telling us the Yeoman’s history. It shows how he has given up seven years of his life to go into alchemy, basically exiling himself from everyone. We discussed in class about exile and this type of exile is “self-exile,” where he is a “tortured soul.” He lost everything and doesn’t know what to do from here. The reason I chose this passage is that it ties back to what we discussed in journal #1 about exile. His nature is to find the Philosopher’s Stone, something that can’t be found. It is an endless journey that has taken him seven years so far. The Yeoman is broke and is in debt and doesn’t know what to do. His physical appearance from the prologue to prima pars is different. The line that talks about his physical appearance is in the same page, in stating “Time was when I was fresh and fond of cheer, liked decent clothes and other handsome gear.” This quote shows how the Yeoman’s physical appearance has changed as well over the years. It added a vivid description in depicting what has past and what the Yeoman has become. Alchemy has taken over him and his own life that he has lost control of the world around him.
ReplyDelete3. There are some similarities between the Middle English text and the translation. One striking resemblance is that they illiterate the fact the Yeoman spending seven years with his canon. To be honest, in the beginning, it was hard to read the Middle English without the text, but when you put both next to each other; I got a better understanding of the text. In the beginning, I would read the Middle English without the translation and try to sound out the words, but it became too difficult to grasp. The language was too “ancient.” I guess I am too used to reading modern English. One thing I did like about the Middle English was how it sounded more poetic than the translation. As I compare the two, it seems that the translation stands out a lot more. Even though both rhyme, it seems that the Middle English text is forcing to rhyme words and makes the text unorganized. The modern rendition, on the other hand, seems more organized in telling the story a lot better and flows evenly throughout.
David, your observations concerning the Yeoman and his self-inflicted exile are accurate, remember that while he may lament the fact that he and his master never reach the golden goal they desire (he states in the Riverside l.773 "For alle oure sleightes we kan nat conclude;" which is to say that hey can never reach their "conclusion."), they nevertheless return to the laboratory for another go. They are both driven to madness by their obsession with the promise of alchemy; the Yeoman says this explicitly, "We faille of that which that we wolden have, / And in our madnesse everemoore we rave" (ll.958f). So while he is exiled internally, this internal distance is mirror by the fact that he and his master must keep to the town's edges, for the very smell of sulphur (brimstone) on their clothes would give their practice of the "art" away.
ReplyDeleteTo comment briefly on your answer to #3... you've identified that in the Middle English the syntax is awkward and therefore the text is more difficult to read. Syntax is a sentence's structure, and in Modern English we rely on the fact that our sentences are ordered in the following way: Subject, Verb, Indirect/Direct Object (SVO). You, and the rest of the class, need to know that Middle English is identified as such because it was a time when the English language changed drastically, and indeed with some confusing, seemingly rule-less moments. The syntax of a typical Old English sentence was VSO, which speaks to our language's German and Latin roots. After the French-led Norman Conquest of 1066 (Wiki this for some brief info...), the French language exerted incredible influence upon the English tongue, introducing countless new words and, importantly, syntactical order. Thus, Chaucer's "ancient" and sometimes wayward sentence/word ordering stems from two reasons: (1) the transitional status of Old English to Middle English, and (2) poetic convention and form.
Recall that in poetry it is tradition to purposely "mess" with word order for EMPHASIS; e.g., withholding the verb until the end of a line (punchline?!) or even mixing the sentence's constituent parts (S, V, O) via line breaks (enjambment), so that the language moves beyond simple rhyme begins to take on a song-like quality where the sound(s) of each individual words add to their meaning. Thinking on this now, I and many other critics contend that THIS is the beauty and purpose of poetry: to bend language in such a way to as to reveal a greater deal of meaning and significance, to expose strange and otherwise uncommon or rare connections or combinations, analogies, etc. I encourage you and other students to locate such moments within the "CYT" and mention them in subsequent comments or during in-class discussion.
In closing, I must leave you all with this thought... while Chaucer may indeed exemplify moments where his "song-like" poetic language and arangement of lines serves a greater purpose on a syntactical level, it is Dante and especially Milton who are the masters of this tradition. When we arrive at our reading of Paradise Lost, you will truly see the English language pushed to its limits. The very skin or fabric appear to tear, if you will, but through this tension, great beauty and meaning is transmitted to the reader making these works some of the greatest examples of such phenomena in Western Literature.
1) In the prima pars, I found it rather fascinating that the Yeoman finds the trade of Alchemy impossible to teach a "simpleton." On page 457, the text reads: " To learn the weird directions verse by verse, They'll find it all in vain, God knows, and worse. And as for trying to teach a simpleton, Pooh! No use talking of it; it can't be done." I found this passage to be interesting because I was curious as to what its intentions were. I have come to several hypotheses as to why the Yeoman included this passage. One possibility is that he is establishing his and the Canons credibility as Alchemists by talking about how hard it is, and simultaneously talking about his own smartness. Perhaps he uses this tactic to promote is writing so that he could ultimately make money.
ReplyDeleteI was also interested in who the Canon feel the simpleton is. My hypotheses is that the Canon feels that the simpleton is someone who is illiterate.
To elaborate more my previous point about the Canon and Yeoman's credibility as alchemists, it is clear that they are both struggling with this trade, but their devotion to it suggests that believe that they are better than the clergy. This is because though the clergy is devoted to God, (and were at the time at the height of society) the alchemist are the ones seeking the true secrets of the universe and deserve just as much or more respect than clergyman (not to mention the fact that the Yeoman can read and write and deserves respect by virtue of that fact alone).
I will also mention that this verse is awesome because its uses the words "weird" and "God" within four lines; two concepts that I am obsessed with...
3) After revisiting these lines in the Old English, I noticed an interesting point. In the original text, the word "lewd" is used to describe one who cannot be taught alchemy. In the translated version, one who cannot be taught alchemy was called a "simpleton." Clearly, these are two separate but similar words. HOWEVER, in line 786 of the original text, the word "lewd" is used to describe himself! This is THE SAME WORD that he uses to describe someone who cannot be taught alchemy. The new version translates "lewd" in the context of the Yeoman describing HIMSELF as "uneducated" (pg 456). It reads: "I am an uneducated man." I found it fascinating that the translated version skewed the meaning of the verse. Also, it might suggest that the Yeoman is either uneducated OR a simpleton, however, it would make no logical sense for him to be a simpleton and uneducated. Clearly, the word in the original has two different meanings in two different contexts.
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ReplyDelete1) In the very beginning of the Prima Pars, I feel there is a significant message that can be taken one of two ways. On page 454 it says "all that i ever had ive lost thereby...time was when i was fresh and fond of cheer, liked decent clothes and other handsome gear, now i might wear my hose upon my head, and where my colour was a lively red, my face is wan and wears a leaden look, if you try science youll be brought to book." It seems as though the seven years the Yeoman has served the canon has truly taken its toll on his spirits. Now, he also seems to dissuade people from following in his path, so perhaps it wasnt just his canon that truly made his soul suffer, but his trade was wearing down his spirits as well. To this point, my impression was that he harbored enmity toward the canon and the canon alone. But now it seems as though (assuming my understanding is correct) he feels the science has truly worn him down and reduced his status, which we see when he says "thats all the good you get from transmutations, that slippery science stripped me down so bare that im worth nothing, here or anywhere." This idea can be applied to what we discussed in class about personal exile. The science, in addition to the methods of the canon, have truly worn down the yeoman and created a destructive, internal "exile" that sounds very sad and depressing.
ReplyDelete3)For starters, the different choice of words caught my eye. In the beginning, in the modern english, it states "ive SERVED this canon for seven years," whereas the old english states "with this chanoun i DWELT have seven yeer." With our modern understanding of the word dwell, it seems to be different from how it is translated in the modern text. From my understanding, dwell means to live, not necessarily serve. Another point i noticed was the use of the letter "y" instead of "i" in the word "clothyng." In addition, in the old english, it says "were an hose upon MYN heed," which sounds like the word "mine" only with a "y" instead of the "i," although the modern text translates it to "my head." Overall, i find it difficult to casually read through the old english. You truly must read slowly and sound out the words and try to get an understanding of what youre being told and even then, at times, it can still be difficult to decipher what it says.
Khaskil Amirov
ReplyDelete1).One thing that the Yeomen mentioned seemed particularly interesting to me. On page 459 he says " Although the devil didn't show his face Im pretty sure he was about the place. In hell itself where he is lord and master there couldn't be more rancour in disaster Than when our pots exploded as I told you; All think they've been let down and start to scold you." The Yeomen mentioned this passage when he described the explosion that occured during their expiriments. This passage is interesting to me because Yeomen relates their work with sin and the Devil. He says that the devil was present during these expiriments which makes it seem that the acts of Alchemy are evil. Yeomen clearly describes his feelings towards what his master and him were doing.
3). After reading it in modern english it was so much easier to understand the old english. In old english it says " Though that the feend noght in oure sighte hym shewe," and honastly if I did not read the modern english I would have no idea what this meant. Now I understand that "the feend" is supposed to be the devil and I can see the similarities. The words are different but the massage that is getting across is the same in both editions. Some of the wording is very similar too. In modern english it says " In hell itself where he is lord and master" and in old english it states "In helle, where that he is lord and sire". The spelling is different and some words are as well but we can see that both sentences bring across the same massage. Still it would be a pain reading the middle english without the modern translation.
2)”…since god will not allow
ReplyDeletePhilosophers to tell their pupils how
To find this stone, no doubt its better so,
And my advice would be to let it go.
Make god your adversary for a whim
And work at what is contrary to Him
And to his will, and you will never thrive.
Though you transmute as long as you’re alive.”
I chose this passage from the pars secunda because i feel it exposes exactly what the yeoman believes is the reason for his failing art of transmutation. He thinks that it is because of God will that alchemy could never be profitable for himself nor other alchemists since god has not allowed them to locate the Philosophers stone. This is an important section because In the previous passages the yeoman was only describing the problems and misery of his life of being an alchemist, Here he begins to give himself a “reality check”. He claims that if God himself does not want the stone to be found then it should forever be that way. Basically, he is saying that there is no success in Alchemy because you are working against god and his will is stronger than anything they could ever overcome. I believe that the yeoman really wanted us to know this reason behind his failure because he mentions it at very end of both the prima pars and pars secunda. At the end of prima pars he states “To think we’re wise, the wisest one, by jesus, Will prove the biggest fool, that’s my belief”(461). This section adds to the significance of the first passage I chose because here he actually states that anyone who believes they can overpower god must be a fool, and if you believe you are wiser than him you will never thrive in the art of transmutation.
3) The Middle English version of the section I chose in the first part is somewhat different yet very simular to the translated version we read. It’s really interesting to see how the English language has evolved throughout the centuries. All the words seem so oddly spelt but I guess in that period, since few people were literate enough to read anyway they might have relied a lot on sounding words out rather than spelling them correctly. However, an example of a similarity I found is the second to last line which states ”Of his wil, certes, never shal he thryve” It is defiantly something that I could have read and understood without reading the translated version. However, I would have been confused by the word “certes” and why it was taken our for translated version, my guess is that is that it’s just a form of addressing someone.
1. Reading the “Canon’s Yeoman’s Tale”, the prologue and both part I and II gave me a
ReplyDeleteclear understanding why the yeoman was behaving in an unrighteous way. In Part I, the Yeoman says “…I’m worth nothing, here or anywhere.” “Let every man be warned by me for ever; whoever tries his hand at such behavings, if he goes on I say will lose his savings.” It seems to me that the Yeoman at a previous time of his life wasn’t in debt. He was once among the acceptable society, but working with the Canon for more then seven years the Yeoman felt like he was an outcast from his peers. Basically the Yeoman learned how to cheat and lie working for the Canon.
3. In the Middle English copy, it wasn’t to hard to find the statement because the first two lines I mention is pretty basic, “…I have no good, wher that evere I fare;” “Lat every man be war by me for evere! And this is where it got a little challenging to me, “what maner man that casteth hym therto, If he continue, I holde his thrift ydo.” For starter, this last line I choose in number one isn’t that long. The similarities between these two line would be, …”I holde his thrift ydo.” and “…I say will lose his savings.”
1) At the beginning of the prima pars we can notice that the yeoman was a servant in page 454 “ I’ve served this canon seven years and more, yet I am no nearer than before”. I really like this first part in the prima pars because it shows you that the yeoman was living in a world of sadness where he was trying to survive for seven years in a field which is science where he did not learn much. Maybe I can say he came out blank meaning that he was living in a self- exile where he was trying to convince himself that for someone being in debt is the only solution. It looks like he lost his soul in a world of unknown. In class we discussed about self exile each and every one of us has a way to exile from the world in any way you can feel free but the difference is that the yeoman was somewhere he did not like because he was suffering. He was in science where after the seven years he felt delivered and free to tell the truth about what he was doing. But my question is why wait seven years before getting out of the pain?
ReplyDelete3) Reading the middle English was really hard because English is my second language and reading modern English is little bit hard so I have to focus if I really want a get something out of my reading. Now I was amazed when I was reading the middle English because I read it out loud and the pronunciation was funny, the spelling is different. In line 1353, the quote “ What shal this receite coste?” I think here is asking for the recipe I would never guess that it was that. The modern and middle English are similar in context meaning is the same story. It’s like a totally different world the middle English because we have to put both text next to each other to understand what is the meaning of certain word and to see what part exactly we are reading.
1) What I found interesting in while reading the Yeoman's tale prima pars is p. 460 " however, all that glitters is not gold and thats the truth as were so often told, it isn't every apple on the spray is good to eat, lament it how you may". I found this text interesting because we as a society usually "judge a book by it's cover" and we do not realize the bad that looks good to us. This happens all the time and over the years and as society develops more and more all we care about is material things. My favorite quote is "all that glitters in not gold" because this saying has so much truth to it, no matter if your looking at a person or thing. We can relate this to the Yeoman, where he is trying to be someone he is not.
ReplyDelete3) The text in middle English is "but al thung which that shineth as the gold nis not gold, as that I have herd told; ne every appul that is fair at eye ne is not good, what so men clappe or crye". (p.275) The words are basically saying the same exact thing. The one thing that I found while reading these texts side by side is that the story sounds somewhat more magical when you read it in middle English, it is hard to understand but once you sound it out and have the other text next you, you realize how beautiful the text is.
2) In the prologue the Yeoman seems to feel somewhat genuine in his remorse as he begins explaining what the canon had been doing to other people. Then in pars secunda he speaks meticulously about how they would go about tricking someone and hunt out people with money. At first it came off as though we should feel bad for the Yeoman and what he had been subjected to. However, now in the pars secunda I feel like he was being a little spiteful in how much information he was revealing. In the prologue it was the Yeoman who ran up to the host to ask if they could join them so he probably intended on telling more then he should to these people from the beginning. He mentions on more than one occasion that he doesn’t want to speak of what the canon has done in the past, but that he has to.
ReplyDelete“It dulls my wits, I say, to speak of him. Oh, to take vengeance on this treacherous, trim Liar! If only I knew hoe! But there, he’s slippery- here and there and everywhere.” (Middle of page 466)
“Friendly he seemed to those he hadn’t caught But was a fiend in what he felt and thought. It wearis me to say how false he was, Yet I must try to speak of it because It may help other to beware his treason In time, and truly my only reason.” (Top of page 470)
He makes it as though he doesn’t want to even speak about the way they tricked people with alchemy but then he continues on in great detail. He says that his only reason for telling them all of this is to help others but I don’t buy it. After reading the second part I don’t really believe he feels as much remorse as he makes it out to be, it seems like he is trying to sell the host this idea against the canon for his own benefit.
3) In the Old English version the last six lines read:
“But it a feend be, as hymselven is.
Ful many a man hath he bigiled er this,
And wole, if that he lyve may a while;
And yet men ride a good ful many a mile
Hym for to seke and have his aqueyntaunce,
Noght knowynge of his false governaunce.”
This is strikingly similar to the second quote I mention. However, this is the end in the Old English version so it comes as the Yeoman’s last words. That could coincide with what I was saying about the Yeoman trying to convince the people the canon was a bad man for his own reasons but it was difficult for me to decipher the undertone of the Old English text.
1. One part of the prima pars on the “Canon’s Yeoman Tale” that I found interesting and important stated, “That I have no good, wher that evere I fare; and yet I am endetted so thereby of gold that I have borwed, trewely, that will I lyve I shal it quite nevere. Lat every man be war by me for evere!.” ( line 733-736) I’ve chosen this part of the Yeoman’s Tale because I thought it was very interesting yet hard to understand. We’ve discussed in class of how “The Yeoman”, could be in exile, which I have to say gave interest into the class discussion because in this part of the text the servant per-se is in self-exile. The servant feels he can’t give anything back because of his own persona and the way he sees himself. No matter how hard he works he feels he can’t give back what he worked for, he feels as if he was worthless, but it goes on by saying he will never quite. I thought this was important because no matter how much the yeoman feels trapped inside and or feel self-exile, he still is willing to be strong in trying to accomplish the goal of getting the gold.
ReplyDelete3.In the Middle English copy of the reading that we’ve read and the old version, there were slight similarities between them both. Although it was hard for me to understand the old version compared to the modern rendition, it just was reworded differently and more poetic than the old version. For example, in the modern rendition it states, “that I’m worth nothing, here or anywhere. Added to that I am in debt from borrowing money, you can lay a bet long as I live I’ll never pay it, never!” (pg 454), where as the old version states,"And yet I am endetted so thereby of gold that I have borwed, trewely, That whil I lyve I shal it quite never" (lines 734-736) The lines are similar but different in the way of how its worded and the fact that I feel the old version had intense language whereas, the modern version gave an impression of having a little bit more subtle language. The feeling I grasp from it was a little more subtle. It was a little bit challenging to understand at first but words like lyve and endetted were different in the old version.
1. what i have found to be significant In the prima pars of the "Canon's Yeoman's Tale" is found in the middle of page 457, when the yeoman begins talking about alchemy and its deception. He tells others that if you have money and willing to spend them on alchemy and learning its ways, you may as well do it thinking that it will be simple but be aware that it will be all in vain. This piece i have found to somewhat pop put because it explains the idea of alchemy or its result more or less to thoes who wish to practice it. This piece also further elaborates of the the actions this yeoman's canon pactices."If one of you has money in his fist, set up and make yourself an alchemist. Perhaps you think the trade is easy learnt? why then come on and get your fingers burnt......they'll find it's allin vain, God knows, and worse." p.457. This can be related to what we have talked about in class as it can be the cause of all of the yeoman's sorrow and exile feeling that he is going throw, all cause by the deception of alchemy.
ReplyDelete3. To get something off my chest first, the middle english text was really hard, complicated and vague. That being said, i have found the text i have illustrated in the previous question to ressemble alot the first paragraph on page 274 of the middle english. " nay, nay God woot, al be he monk or frere, preest or chanoun, or any oother wyght, though he sitte at his book bothe day and nyght, in lernying of this elvysshe nyce loore, al is in veyn,.." line 839-843. As we can see from reading these few lines, they circle around the same point i have mentioned in the question before, but in a very complex accent and context. So we can simply say that these two pieces are similar in both texts and deliver the same message in both cases where the yeoman is talking about alchemy and its uselessness for whoever that wishes to uptake this field.
1) In the prima pars i found it very interesting when the yeoman says
ReplyDelete"Though it may please us; to think we're wise,the wises one, by Jesus; will prove the biggest fool, that's my belief,; And he that seems the honestest, a thief; That will be clear to you, my friends, Before i leave you and my story ends." This stood out for me because i feel it sets the mood for the rest of his tale, which was full of deceit and treachery performed by the canon. This quote also made me wonder why the yeoman, knowing that he was deceived with hopeless dreams, has let himself get so caught up with this science that has led him to a life of debt and self pity.
3) Reading the Middle English piece is quite challenging. Reading both passages side to side is very helpful even though i wasn't able to understand some of the words since they were very different than the ones in the translation even though they tried to say the same thing. i would love to understand how to read this style of writing because it seems to be more in tune with the true feelings of the writer and being able to experience those feelings would be priceless.
2.As deeply plagued by the frantic pursuit of alchemy which caused the Yeoman to shoulder debt can never be paid and a miserable life, he is more frustrated, outraged and concerned about the devious fraud so often practiced by the canon. Alchemy itself might be a dead end to get rich quick and destroy the last penny for anyone who tries to transmute base metal into noble metal, but it could also be used to conduct sincere scientific research. Just like narcotics can be used to save life, or destroy one. It boils down to how they are used and who are using them. A drug dealer takes advantage of people’s psychological weaknesses to facilitate the abuse of narcotics and makes profit at the cost of others’ risks. The canon does the same tricks to anyone falls into his trap by giving false hope of alchemy actually works. “Friendly he seemed to those he hadn’t caught, but was a fiend in what he felt and thought. It wearies me to say how false he was, yet I must try to speak of it because it may help others to beware his treason in time, and truly that’s my only reason” (470). The Yeoman hereby warns his listeners not only the danger of abusing alchemy, but also the more treacherous and depraved monsters dwell inside man’s minds.
ReplyDelete3.It is not insanely difficult to locate my quotes in the Middle English copy and most texts are interesting to read in terms of their unique yet funny tones. The only part makes no sense is line 1306 “To th’entente that men may be war therby,” does not seem to correspond to the translated text “It may help others to beware his treason” in page 470. After checking with surrounding texts with their wording and meaning, it still sticks out as discrepancy for the time being.
2. In pars Secunda, right after the Yeoman finishes his storytelling, he issues a warning towards his audience about the dangers of taking interest in alchemy. A passage taken from pars secunda: "theres so much lucre in this fine affair. One's joy can be transmuted to despair. It can impoverish the heaviest purses, Yet all it does for one is buy the curses of those that lend their goods before they've learnt" in which the Yeoman basically explains to his audience that alchemy only parts you with your money and leaves you with nothing no matter how rich you are; thus coinciding with what he was saying in the prima pars saying that they will never be able to obtain the philsopher's stone:
ReplyDelete"Ah no, let be! For the philosopher's stone, called the elixir, never can be known. We seek and seek, and were it once discovered We should be safe enough - expenses covered. But there's no way; whatever paths we trod the search was useless and I swear to God, for all our cunning, when all's tried and done that stone won't yeild itself to anyone."
3. The old english one is very hard to understand for me. My thoughts wander elsewhere when I don't understand anything I'm reading. I did find it a lot easier to understand when I read them along side each other but I just find it pointless if someone wants to understand what the passage is about. I understand that translations can lead to subjective views on what the author was originally trying to display but unless you are an english major, something alone the lines of that or have a knack for deciphering obsolete languages, it is very discouraging to new audiences.
By the way I was typing this in to notepad and I noticed I could not copy and paste in to the comment box.. I guess its to prevent plagiarism?
1. In the Prima Pars there was something that struck me as something that seemed interesting. One (pg. 458) there were the lines as follows “we seek and seek, and where it once discovered. We should be safe enough- expenses covered. But there’s no way; whatever paths we trod the search was useless I swear to God for all our cunning when all’s tried and done that stone won’t yield itself to any one.” I believe this is important because this may give some leeway to why they have no money and may influence what sorts of clothes they wear (which seems to be of some sort of importance). Most of all, this small paragraph tells us that with all the attempts to discover what it is they have been looking for, he is certain that it will never be found. To try and talks about this in accordance to what we talked about in class one being exiled. I believe that we could look at exile as in this case looking for something and never really being able to get a hold of it or another example one could feel exile through ones own debt. In being an alchemist I feel a sense of exile in itself.
ReplyDelete2. In going back to look at the middle English version I find that if I were to directly translate what was written in this version I may find some similarities. The Middle English version states “but onto God of hevene I make avow” I would have translated this to god I make a vow. In the Chaucer version I see that it states “ The search was useless I swear to god.
2) In “The Canon’s Yeoman’s Tale” the Yeoman explains to us how alchemists can deceive the mind of anyone. In the Pars secunda, there are many parts that display warnings to us, the readers. On Page 464, the Yeoman says:
ReplyDelete“The priest had no idea with whom he dealt and what was coming to him never felt. O foolish priest! O innocent in bliss, soon to be blinded, and by avarice!”
He’s telling us that the alchemist is going to use the priest. How he is scheming a plan, that will deceive the priest and he has no idea of what is really going on. This was his first warning sign to his readers. As the pars secunda continues, they show us how the alchemist plays with the mind of the priest. On page 467, the Yeoman shows us that the job is done, and the priest has been fooled.
“The priest, alas, knew nothing of all this, thinking the coals were all alike and good; It was a trick he had not understood.”
3) In the middle english copy of “The Canon’s Yeoman’s Tale,” there are many similarities to the translation. The line that I picked out on P.464, is similar to that written in the middle english. Line 1076-77 reads “O sely preest! O sely innocent! With covertise anon thou shalt be blent!” However on lines 1200-02 it is slightly harder to translate similarly to the current version. “But therof wiste the preest nothyng, alas! He demed alle the coles yliche good, For of that sleighte he nothyng understood.” Both the middle english and the translation, are written differently but mean the same things. One difference is in the original text he uses sleighte and in the translation he uses trick. It is hard to determine what the middle english is really saying, but you get some idea of what is going on, and then when you read the translation you see the image of what Yeoman is trying to say.
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ReplyDeleteJournal #2
1.“However, all that glitters is not gold, and that’s the truth as we’re often told. (Chaucer, 460).” The few lines mentioned above, taken from prima pars on the “Canon’s Yeoman’s Tale,” really stood out to me. I first heard the proverb on Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven,” but failed to realize the significance of the phrase. In my perspective, the quote refers to many desires that are often met with negative or misleading outcomes. It’s easy to be confounded by the glitz and glam of material wealth, but only when we realize that we are unhappy despite excess wealth or failures to accumulate such amounts, do we begin to reflect on the true meaning of life or the nature of desire in relation to our happiness. The saddest tale of the Yeoman’s journey to riches is the realization of his master’s trickery, and the idiocy that befell him. Despite alchemy’s mystical features, I find it quite akin to the philosopher’s thirst for knowledge. As a budding philosopher, I sometimes wonder if I would choose like Faust to sell my soul in exchange for knowledge, which thousands of years of human inquiry has failed to discover. I can understand the Yeoman’s sorrow, spending seven years developing a skill that has left him contrary to his initial goal. Like the man who travels a thousand miles, climbing and trekking through treacherous mountains, to be told that the meaning of life was “dog” or “fountain” by a monk who’s contemplated in silence for a hundred years, the Yeoman’s disappointment is much like ours. In our search for the ultimate truth, there are some of us who exile to the deepest recesses of our minds, and yet find ourselves no nearer than the ancients, contemplating a thousand years ago what we have merely found evidence for. It is only when we open our eyes do we see the harsh reality of an uneventful life, merely material and boring, crude in its simplicity, “All that glitters is not gold.”
3.“But al thing which that shineth as the gold, Is nought gold, as that I have herde told (Chaucer, middle English original of quote above).” Despite several differences between both editions, it is nonetheless quite clear that both versions remain as contextually intact for a proper interpretation of Chaucer’s thoughts. I find the old English version livelier, in the sense that it comes off better as a proverb than our modern translation, which puts the text as if it were written from the third person omniscience point of view. Despite the beauty, as described by the far too nostalgic, of old English, I much prefer the modern version for its rhythmic flow, at least from the tongue of a 21st century American. I can understand that words are bound to be loss in translation, but better paraphrased and understood than verbatim and baffled.
The passage I believe that conveyed a great deal of information and a glipse into the character of the Yeoman is on pg 459, lines 27-32.
ReplyDelete"Although the devil didn't show his face
I'm pretty sure he was about the place.
In Hell itself where he is lord and master
There couldn't be more rancour in diaster
Than when our pots exploded as I told you."
At first I believed that this passage had to do with Alchemy itself and how the people at the time, portrayed it as a demeaning and sinful act. At first glance one would think the Yeoman is comparing Alchemy to some type of devil worship, but I do not believe that is the case. Although many people at the time were confident in their assumptions that Alchemy was evil, I believe the Yeoman was addressing the greed that he and the Canon had; and what better physical manifestation of this sin of greed than the devil himself. So, while this passage does express some type of evil, I conclude that it is more importantly, about the greed that the Yeoman and Canon carry.
3) The Old English translation wasn't fairly difficult to comprehend. I believe more now in my previous deduction that the Yeoman is physically representing his greed. In Old English, the passage is as follows:
"Though that the feend nought inoure sighte, hym shene. In helle, where that he is lord and sire."
Notice how in the Old English they use the word "feend"; Why was the word "devil" not used? I believe the word was changed to give the reader a better visual aid to represent the greed of the Yeoman and his master. Another point that I would like to bring up is if the Yeoman felt that he was doing such a great evil and that the devil was in the room, why didn't he stop what he was doing? Wouldn't the ptresence of the devil and jepordizing his eternal soul compel him to stop? No, because their collective greed was too strong.
Trying to make something out of what little product you have is sometimes impossible. At the rate that the Yeoman and Canon were going, they were using up all material and money they had. In Prima Pars the Yeoman complains significantly about what has happen to him in the past seven years. One thing that caught my attention was when he said on page 454 “Time was when I was fresh and fond of cheer, Liked decent clothes and other handsome gear; Now I might wear my hose upon my head, And where my colour was a lively red, My face is wan and wears a leaden look”. Science is a very expensive and never ending process. In order to achieve something, it usually takes years. In science there are experiments involved, which most of the time go wrong in the beginning. The combustion of metal is a very delicate procedure. A little too much or not enough can go a long way. If you pt much more of one substance than another your product will not develop. The Yeoman seems to not understand what it takes to make something. His complaining and winning will not get him anywhere. They have spent a lot of money on try to figure out how to make “gold”. They are left with practically nothing; they have no money to keep an appearance, no sleep and have more debt than imaginable. If he starts to think positive, eventually they might reach their target goal and they will not have to worry about money or how they look. People don’t realize what it takes to accomplish greatness.
ReplyDeleteThe Middle English version is different from the modern one. Understanding the language is very confusing because in all the lines there are recognizable words from the modern language as well as Middle English word, which makes it very confusing to understand what is going on. In Middle English it says “ Al that I hadde I have lost therby, And, God woot, so hath many mo than I. There I was wont to be right fresh and gay Of clothing and of oother good array”, while the translation is “Time was when I was fresh and fond of cheer, Liked decent clothes and other handsome gear; Now I might wear my hose upon my head, And where my colour was a lively red, My face is wan and wears a leaden look”. If it wasn’t for the translation I would interpret the text in a completely different aspect. Once I had both the translation and the text it make much more sense as to what was going on in the Middle English version.
1) The part that I find important is the first paragraph in the prima pars. They basically say that the Yeoman worked for the Canon for seven years and he gained nothing. For those seven years they worked to enhance their knowledge of science, but did not achieve that goal. This ties into what we have been discussing by it shows the Yeoman is exiling himself to help his master find something that does not exist. The first paragraph goes on telling how the Yeoman now looks beaten and worn out and that he is in so much debt. In the seven years he was so into his science that he would do anything to continue, even if that meant moving from town to town to cheat people out of their money.
ReplyDelete2) The conning of the priest shows how low the moral standing of the Canon is. He would do anything to make money, even if it is to go against the church. The Canon borrows money from the priest saying, “It’s only for three days, I’ll pay you on the nail- I’m one who pays. And if I fail you when come to check, another time just hang me by the neck!” That line shows the Canon is serious about paying the debt back, but yet he does not pay, instead he offers to teach the priest and art of science he is not even sure of.
1) In prima pars, the “Canon’s Yeoman’s Tale” an important quote on page 452, where the Yeoman states:" We lurked in holes and corners and blind alleys, Places where every thief and robber rallies...Where those reside who dare not show their faces", this quote shows how Yeoman was forced to self-exile himself because of the practice of alchemy.
ReplyDeleteThis exile them in many ways and financial aspect of that is shown in quote in how they are living in such poor severe setting were no one would show their faces. The practice of alchemy has affected their lives entirely and he shows his regret.He uses the words "lurked in holes and corners" these are places of seclusion to hide their practices of alchemy which are not allowed by society. It shows the extent of change from being a person "Liked decent clothes and other handsome gear", to an individual lurking in holes and corners, completely exiled from the society he was once a part of.
3)In the previous Middle English copy there is a similarity in the writing with the modern text. The Yeoman's quote "Lurkynge in hernes and in lanes blynde,Whereas thise robbours and thise theves by kynde" , it similarly gives the same imagery as the modern texts a description of the slums, but it is not the exact word for word quote and is difficult to read out.
1) “Ive served this canon for seven years and more, yet am no nearer science than before”. I chose this line because it really shows you who the Yeoman is. Interestingly, he can be described as a lot of different people. He is devoted, passionate, naive, desperate and possibly dumb. Also, you get a feeling that the Yeoman has a feeling of exile. Where as he was with this canon for seven or more years and now he has nothing. He felt some kind of relationship or bond with this canon and now is left all on his own. It is comparable to our first journal entry, where we speak about a moment in our life where we felt exiled.
ReplyDelete3)In the line "Ive served this canon for seven years and more, yet am no nearer science than before", I find a striking resemblance to the same line in Old English. Both lines are so similar but at the same time are so different. The spelling is completely different for most words and the positioning of words are different. "And of his science am I never the neer", it is completely different from the Middle English version but still makes sense. It is very interesting trying to read Old English and trying to figure out what some words mean. At times though, it can be frustrating.
2.In the pars secunda, the Yeoman says on page 469, "And while the priest was busy at his job, the canon came and touched him with the knob, And with a flourish cast the powder in, Just as before-the devil scrape his skin , Here me, O God, and flay him for his trick!- And stirred the crucible with this same stick, Primed in the treacherous way that you have heard; He always was a crook in deed and word, He stirred the coals until the wax began, To melt over the flame, as any man , except a fool of course would know it must. Out of the stick slid all the silver dust, And down into the crucible it fell." Here, the Yeoman tries to show his audience how the canon tricked the priest into believing that he really transmutated quicksilver to gold. This goes back to the prologue, when the yeoman warned the Host of the canon's intelligence. The yeoman says the pride of the canon and his sharp, unreasonable self-delusion leads him into cruelly deceiving other men like the priest. The priest ends up being a victim of the canon's trick. The yeoman also says that intellectual pride is the canon's sin which resulted in a substitution of reason for faith. This is exactly what happened to the priest in pars secunda. The priest with little evidence of the canon's honesty, forgets his vows and comes to accept the canon's pretensions.
ReplyDelete3. In the Middle English text, bisynesse is used for busy, skyn and poudre sound the same as the modern. Line 1271 seems very different in the original text but the word devel in Middle English sounds like the word devil. Also, the word crosslet is used for crucible, which seems strange to me. Coles is used for coals. "For he was evere fals in thoght and dede" sounds the same as the modern rendition.
Yeva said...
ReplyDelete1) I completely agree with Diego. The final verse of the prima pars is what stood out to be significant to me:
“However, all that glitters is not gold,
And that’s the truth as we’re so often told.
It isn’t every apple or the spray
Is good to eat, lament it how you may.
It’s just the same with us. Though it may please us
To think we're wise, the wises one, by Jesus,
Will prove the biggest fool, that's my belief,
And he that seems the honestest, a thief.
That will be clear to you, my friends,
Before i leave you and my story ends."
I think that this was the perfect transition and ending. It dictates what the second part of the Yeoman’s tale will entail. However, what I truly liked about this part in particular is that it is very relatable. In everyday life everything does not go according to plan and nothing can ever be perfect. The Yeoman admits that during his journey/exile things went wrong. He is hinting at the fact when his journey first began he thought that all will turn out well, but at the end things proved to go in the opposite direction.
3) The Middle English is extremely difficult to read. I found it easier to understand when I read the text out loud, however quite frequently I struggled to understand it. I read the Middle English text first and then the modern version. The modern rendition flows easier to me. I got easily confused because I mistook the meaning of many words in the Middle English version because they resembled words from the language we use today.
1)In Prima par"Canon's Yeoman Tale" It was interesting "I have no good, wher thatevere I fare;and yet I am endentted so thereby of gold that I have borwed,trewely,that will I lyve I shal it quite nevere. Lat every man be for evere!(line 733-736).I found it "The Yeoman" interesting that servant per-se is in sef-exile. The servant feel that it's worth nothing. I think that it important. It doesn't matter how the Yoeman feel trapped inside, he still being strong in trying to get the gold.
ReplyDelete3)The middle English copy"The Canon's Yeomoan's" There are similar translation. It was hard to understand the old version. Ex.In modern is says, "That I'm worth nothing,here or anywhere'added I'm in debt from borrowing money,you canlay a bet long as I live I'll never pay it,never!(pg454) The old version states"And yet I'am endetted so there by of gold that I have borwed,trewely, that whil I lyve I shal it quite never"(line734-736)The lines different in way of how it's worded. It was a little bit of a challenge to me but i realized it in some way.
1) One moment that I found very important and that caught my attention in the Prima Par of "The Canon's Yeoman's Tale" is in the beginning as it states: "All that I had I have quite lost thereby;...And where my colour was both fresh and red, Now it is wan and of a leaden rue." This moment caught my attention because it tells a lot about the character, and about the events that will develop the tale continues. Meaning that the reader can anticipate not just the mood or tone of the tale but can begin to develop that image of the main character. As soon as i read those lines it set a pitious tone for the character. Later it continues with, "To lose his wealth as he himself has done...Because hindeed, I am an ignorant man, Yet will I tell them as they to come to mind, Though I'll not try to class each one by kind;".
ReplyDelete3) There are similarities with both translations. The most notable is the first lines which states in the Middle English version, "With this Chanoun I dwelt have seven year" explaining the time of the canon. It also follows with "Al that I hadde I have lost thereby And God woot , so hath many mo than I...That whil I lyve shal I quite nevere;". Finally, also the beginning, it says in the middle English version, And wher my colour was bothe fresh and reed, Now is it wan and of leaden hewe". This translation would have been very difficult if I read it first but after looking at both in detail it is easy to notice how similar they are.