The original text of the poem, written in Middle English, is as follows:

Fyrst he watz funden fautlez in his fyue wyttez,

And efte fayled neuer þe freke in his fyue fyngres,

And alle his afyaunce vpon folde watz in þe fyue woundez Þat Cryst kaȝt on þe croys, as þe crede tellez;

And quere-so-euer þys mon in melly watz stad,

His þro þoȝt watz in þat, þurȝ alle oþer þyngez,

Þat alle his forsnes he feng at þe fyue joyez

Þat þe hende heuen-quene had of hir chylde;

At þis cause þe knyȝt comlyche hade

In þe inore half of his schelde hir ymage depaynted,

Þat quen he blusched þerto his belde neuer payred.

Þe fyft fyue þat I finde þat þe frek vsed

Watz fraunchyse and felaȝschyp forbe al þyng,

His clannes and his cortaysye croked were neuer,

And pité, þat passez alle poyntez, þyse pure fyue

Were harder happed on þat haþel þen on any oþer.

Now alle þese fyue syþez, for soþe, were fetled on þis knyȝt,

And vchone halched in oþer, þat non ende hade,

And fyched vpon fyue poyntez, þat fayld neuer,

Ne samned neuer in no syde, ne sundred nouþer,

Withouten ende at any noke I oquere fynde,

Whereeuer þe gomen bygan, or glod to an ende.

Þerfore on his schene schelde schapen watz þe knot

Ryally wyth red golde vpon rede gowlez, [folio 100r]

Þat is þe pure pentaungel wyth þe peple called with lore.

Now grayþed is Gawan gay,

And laȝt his launce ryȝt þore,

And gef hem alle goud day,

He wende for euermore.

"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight." Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse, University of Michigan Library Digital Collections, https://name.umdl.umich.edu/Gawain. . Accessed December 20, 2024.

Because Middle English is difficult to rhyme, English poems from the Middle Ages often used alliteration for visual and audial effect. This modern English translation keeps the alliteration from the original version of the poem.

This poem, the 28th out of the 101 poems that make up the epic Gawain and the Green Knight, describes Gawain's virtues in five groups of five. Put together, these fives are symbolized by the "pentangle" or five-pointed star painted on Gawain's shield, which, like Gawain's virtues, is interconnected and never-ending. Several of these virtues, such as his faith in the "five wounds", "five joys" and his "piety" are specifically Christian values. Religious imagery appears frequently throughout Gawain, sometimes literally, as with the portrait of "holy Heaven's Queen" or the Virgin Mary on the inside of the shield. The close associations between Gawain's virtues and his armor show that both will protect him, a theme that is developed further throughout the poem, as when the Green Knight spares his life because of his chivalrous behavior. In addition, this imagery links morality to appearance, another theme which is explored through the poem's portrayals of the Green Knight himself and his lady.

Taken from A.S. Kline's modernized version of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (2007).

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Poetry in Translation, translated by A.S. Kline, 2007, https://www.poetryintranslation.com/PITBR/English/GawainAndTheGreenKnight.php. Accessed Dec 20, 2024.

The final four lines of each poem within Gawaine and the Green Knight follow a French poetic style called the bob-and-wheel. This short quatrain follows an ABAB rhyme scheme and breaks up the longer passages of unrhymed verse that make up the majority of the poems.

In the original, untranslated poem, piety is written as "pité", which the Middle English Dictionary defines as "the quality of being merciful" and "Godliness, reverent and devout obedience to God, righteousness; devotion (to duty)", both of which could be applicable in this context.

"pitẹ̄." Middle English Dictionary, University of Michigan Library, Middle English Compendium. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/middle-english-dictionary/dictionary/MED33521/track?counter=1&search_id=3182037

Sight, smell, taste, hearing, and touch.

Refers to the five Joyful Mysteries recited in the Rosary, a Catholic prayer sequence. The Joyful Mysteries commemorate events in the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ's life that brought Mary great joy. They include: the Annunciation, or "the Annunciation of Christ's Incarnation to Mary"; the Visitation, or "her visit to Elizabeth"; the Nativity, or "the birth of Christ"; the Finding of Jesus at the Temple; and the Resurrection, or when Jesus was "found at the temple" (667).

"Rosary." New Catholic Encyclopedia, edited by staff at The Catholic University of America, vol. 12, McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1967, pp. 667-670.

References the five wounds Jesus Christ received during the Crucifixion - one in each hand and each foot, as well as a spear wound in his side. He retained these wounds after the Resurrection as "badges of triumph" ("Wounds of our Lord, Devotion To", 1035). Since the Middle Ages, there has been a tradition of devotion to the five wounds within the Catholic faith as they represent Jesus' victory over death, his Passion (suffering before death), and his love.

"Wounds of our Lord, Devotion To". New Catholic Encyclopedia, edited by staff at The Catholic University of America, vol. 14, McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1967, pp. 1035-1036.

"Wounds of our Lord, Theological Significance Of." New Catholic Encyclopedia, edited by staff at The Catholic University of America, vol. 14, McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1967, pp. 1036-1037.

Another name for the Virgin Mary, Jesus' mother.

From Cambridge Dictionary: used to describe something on a coat of arms (= a special shield or shield-shaped pattern that is the sign of a family, university, or city) that is red.

testing

Available at https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44097/the-canonization

John Donne (1572 - 1631) was an English poet. His work was primarily circulated in the manuscript form while he was alive and published only after his death. This is because for most of his life, he wrote for wealthy patrons that would circulate his work amongst their friends. His patronage by Sir Thomas Egerton ended abruptly when Donne eloped with Egerton's niece, Ann More, and the couple spent much of their life together in poverty. Despite this, the couple had a total of 12 children (6 surviving to adulthood) and stayed together until Ann's death in childbirth in 1617. Late in life, Donne was ordained as a priest of the Anglican church. His sermons elevated him to great popularity, and he quickly became one of the most celebrated priests of his time despite having been a Catholic for the majority of his life. Today, Donne is primarily remembered for his religious and love poetry. These themes are frequently mixed together, as he often uses religious motifs in his love poetry and vice versa. The following poem, The Canonization, exemplifies these themes using Donne's trademark humor and lyricism. (Adapted from Professor Skalak's lecture on 9/10/2024 and "John Donne", by The Poetry Foundation, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/john-donne, accessed on 9/27/2024.)

In the final stanza, the speaker puts himself into the minds of people in the future looking back at the life story of the speaker and his lover. He claims that in the time he was alive, love was peace, but after he and his partner died, no love could compare to theirs and so love became rage. They saw the entire world in each other's eyes, and in turn, the way they saw each other was reflected back to the entire world, causing all people to want to be able to fall in love in the same way they did. Much like Christians strive to emulate the lives of saints, lovers will strive to emulate the speaker's relationship with his partner.

The fourth stanza states that if their love will not be recognized while the speaker and his partner are alive, it will be remembered after their death. Even if the lovers do not get grand physical memorials or are included in the official records of history, they will be immortalized in love poetry. The speaker claims that poetry is just as good of a resting place as a "well-wrought urn", and that the poems themselves will be so good that everyone will recognize them as saints. The word "Love" is capitalized in the last line of the stanza as if it is a cause to die for, cementing the idea that the speaker and his partner were martyrs for love.

This stanza uses figurative language and allusions to mythology to describe the nature of the speaker's relationship with his partner, with focus on the physical aspects of their relationship. When he metaphorically refers to himself and his partner as tapers, it is to show that they are wearing themselves out through sex, but they are the only ones affected by this - they only burn themselves out. He continues the fire imagery by referencing the phoenix, who burns alive then rises again from the ashes, much like they do during sex. The speaker also highlights the all-encompassing nature of the relationship by referencing the eagle and the dove, saying that they find both war and peace in each other. This idea is furthered when the speaker describes them as being "one" and "one neutral thing". This is a sexual reference, but also a reference to the myth that soulmates used to be physically joined together into one body but are now split apart, forcing soulmates to search the world for each other. Throughout the third stanza, the speaker continues the ideas raised in the second stanza of his love doing no harm to other people.

In the second stanza, the speaker asks a series of rhetorical questions in order to prove that no one is harmed by his relationship. He creates hypothetical situations that could not possibly be caused by love, such as floods and changes in the weather. He concludes that the world keeps turning while he is in a relationship, as evidenced by the fact that wars are still happening and lawyers still have work.

In the first stanza, the speaker of the poem admonishes the world at large for trying to prevent him from loving his partner. He acknowledges some of his traits that would be better targets for insult, such as his appearance or the fact that he has lost all of his money. He then offers his naysayers other options for how they could fill their time, such as studying under a judge or taking a position at court. If they are occupied by more important jobs, the speaker will be left alone to live and love as he likes.

alternate spelling for blessed

My Mine of precious stones, My Empirie, * The speaker compares his lover to a mine of jewels and medicine to show how valuable she is to him. How blest I am in this discovering thee! He feels very lucky to have her. Also, "discovering" refers to sex in this context - he's lucky to be able to have sex with her. This word choice also contributes to earlier comparisons of women to land/property. To enter in these bonds, is to be free; Their relationship has given him the freedom to express his feelings. Then where my hand is set, my seal shall be.* When the speaker touches his lover, he is laying claim on her. This also goes back to the idea of bonds - touch is what legitimizes their bond to each other.

Definition in context: mark of authority/ownership

Poetic devices: Metaphor The speaker compares his partner to a jewel mine and medicine without using like or as.

Bonds = bonds of marriage. By entering into a bond, the couple is now free to do what they like within their relationship, both sexually and emotionally.

Definition: a remedy or medicine (OED)