February 25, 2005
On Chaucer's Punctuation
This may be of interest only to myself and other lovers of Chaucer, but I thought I'd share a minor thought. Most people already know that English spelling was not standardized until much later than when Chaucer wrote, hence all the variations we find in his works. Even so, most modern editors attempt to standardize his spelling somewhat while retaining the flavor of variation which is fine as it doesn't effect the sense much. However, what a lot of people don't realize is that Chaucer's work was written without any punctuation whatsoever. For a good article on the effect this has on meaning, read Howell Chickering's "Unpunctuating Chaucer." You can find it in The Chaucer Review 25.2 (1990). For a practical example of this, let's look at one of my favorite passages from "The Clerk's Tale" as it is rendered in a couple of texts. First off, a modern translation:
"O storm-torn people! Unstable and untrue!
Always indiscreet, and changing as a vane,
Delighting ever in rumour that is new,
For like the moon aye do you wax and wane;
Full of all chatter, dear at even a jane;
Your judgment's false, your constancy deceives,
A full great fool is he that you believes!"
Now here's the passage in Middle English from the standard Riverside Chaucer, the most respected and widely used modern scholarly edition of Chaucer's works:
"O stormy peple! Unsad and evere untrewe!
Ay undiscreet and chaungynge as a fane!
Delitynge evere in rumbul that is newe,
For lyk the moone ay wexe ye and wane!
Ay ful of clappyng, deere ynough a jane!
Youre doom is fals, youre constance yvele preeveth;
A ful greet fool is he that on yow leeveth."
And now, from an online source:
"O stormy peple, unsad and evere untrewe!
Ay undiscreet and chaungynge as a vane,
Delitynge evere in rumbul that is newe;
For lyk the moone ay wexe ye and wane,
Ay ful of clappyng, deere ynogh a jane,
Youre doom is fals, youre constance yvele preeveth,
A ful greet fool is he that on yow leeveth!"
First off, a note on the quotation marks. This stanza is followed by "Thus seyden sadde folk in that citee." In other words, these lines are supposed to be a criticism of the foolish people by the wiser, more sober ones ("sad" or "sadde" can mean "serious, sober, steadfast, firm, trustworthy" in ME along with its modern meaning).
Now, note the differences between the two ME passages. The first one, from the Riverside Chaucer uses exclamations points very heavily, giving the passage a strong and powerful sense of criticism. The "sadde folk" are practically shouting their disapproval. The problem with this is that since Chaucer didn't use any punctuation they've added a significant amount of stress to the lines. I have little problem with the addition of commas, semi-colons, periods, or questions. They make the text easier to read while not changing the meaning too terribly much (in most, but not all cases; see Chickering for a detailed examination). Exclamation points, however, noticeably change the tone, suggesting that they should be used very sparingly, if at all. Here, however, the editors have added five! The second passage does far better and you can tell the difference. Without all the exclamations the passage gains a sadness and poignancy as if the speaker(s) were sadly shaking his or her head at the folly of the mob. Even so, there's still 2 too many !s. Also, look at the modern English translation for a clue as to why you need to read Chaucer in the original. For one, it's poetry. As Robert Frost has said, "poetry is what gets lost in translation." Secondly, not just sound and rhythm, but meaning changes. "Unsad" becomes "unstable," losing a whole complex of meanings. Likewise, "rumbul" becomes "rumor" turning a sensual detail into an abstraction. Naturally, I wouldn't write all this without an idea of my own as to how the line should be punctuated if it must be:
"O stormy peple, unsad and evere untrewe,
Ay undiscreet and chaungynge as a fane,
Delitynge evere in rumbul that is newe
(For lyk the moone ay wexe ye and wane)
Ay ful of clappyng, deere ynogh a jane:
Youre doom is fals; youre constance yvele preeveth.
A ful greet fool is he that on yow leeveth."
I think this version has a more delicate and sad tone that is appropriate to the "sadde folk" voicing the complaint. Rather than the indignation and energy implied by exclamation points, it is more the controlled and somewhat tired criticism of one who sees the follies of mankind, but knows they are unchangeable.