Alliterative Poems of Middle English Period: Pearl, Purity, Patience

and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

After the Norman Conquest the French Influence rendered great impact
on literature and rhymed verse gained ascendancy. It is after the
victories of King Edward III in France a national self consciousness as
well as a new enthusiasm for the English tongue becomes prominent.
In schools and colleges and law courts English started to displace the
French. In 1362 parliament was opened in English language. As the
result of all these old English verse form revives again in the Middle
English period. Roughly between the year 1350 and 1400 there
appears a number of poem which bring an unbroken development of
old English all iterative verse. In colossians manuscript we get four
remarkable poems written in west midland dialect. They are Pearl,
Purity, Patience and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. It is
supposed that these poems are written by the same poet.
Pearl:-It is a poem of 1200 lines. The total poem is divided into 110
stanzas of 12 lines each. It is a kind of dream poem. The poet has lost
his two years old daughter. One august day the poet falls asleep on the
grave and in dream he meets with his dead daughter dressed in white
with ornaments of pearl. The poet wants to cross the river in order to
unite with her but she says that after the fall of Adam the river only
can be crossed after death. His daughter consoles him and asks her to
surrender the God. His dream breaks and the poet rises having new
spiritual realization. The poem is takes both as an allegory and as an
elegy. In symbolize the Christian faith and Eucharist as well as a typical
elegy the poem treats the personal loss of the poet and his
lamentation. A. C. Rickett In its external love lines and ever more in
its deeper spiritual beauty and themes sufficient reason for most
patient and devoted study of The vita Nova of our layuage.
Patience :-It is a poem of 531 lines. Basically it is a poetical
paraphrase of the book of Jonah, and the gourd in the Bible exalting of
patience.
Purity :-It is a collection of Bible stories in which the poet shows the
impossibility to approach God without purity. It shows how greatly God
is displeased at every kind of impurity and how sudden and severe is
the punishment meted out for offence against the divine Laws.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight:-It comes from colossians

manuscript- poems written in west midland dialect. It supposed that
these poems are written by the same poet. It is a poem of 2530 lines.
The poem basically belongs to Arthurian romance. The stories of the
poem open with the appearance if a green knight riding a green
horse to King Arthurs court at Camelot. He challenges the knight to
strike of his head with the blow of his great are on condition to receive
the similar blow after a year from him after finding him out. When
hesitation is going on Sir Gawain accepts the challenge and strikes of
his head of the Green Knight leaves the court picking up his severed
head. After a year according to the promise Gawain sets out in search
of the Green Knight and a after a long wandering through wilderness
he reaches a castle and he learns that his good is near hand. Each
morning the lord of the castle goes off to hunt white the beautiful wife
of the lord tries to tempt him but Gawain remains pure resisting all
temptation. Finally he receives from her a green girdle. The lord of the
castle proves to be the Green Knight and the blow from him only
slightly cuts him skin. In shame Gawain throws the Green girdle but
green knight presents it as a free gift and Gawain returns to Arthurs
court and tell the Knights the whole story. The poem to remarkable for
several reasons
(I)

The Romance shows close acquaintance with the courtly life the
epic and combined with a lyrical clement.
(II)

(III)

It is remarkable also for the deep and tender love of nature

displayed thought out the poem and some of its most delightful
passages describe the charms of wild scenery
It displays an intimate knowledge of medieval craftsmanship and
art.
(IV)
It shows literary power in its treatment of the story of the
story of the story avoiding monotony and repetition with great skill.