the Greater Nomadic Council

Follow Up to Canterbury Rap

Jeff writes a thoughtful response to my preceding post about the Canterbury Tales in rap. I agree with pretty much everything he writes, too. I did, after, all, say in my original post that I find any translations of Chaucer into other forms of English unnecessary. I do take minor exception to this, though:

Likewise, rap is well suited to boasting, brashness, and bawdy humor, but when it aims higher, the results are unintentionallly hilarious.

While I would never dispute that Chaucer's range was far greater than any rap artist (Chaucer, after all, was writing literature, not music; the spoken-word nature of rap too often leads to unfair comparisons with more complex written works), Jeff nevertheless gives rap short shrift. It certainly has its braggarts, but there are numerous rappers speaking well, thoughtfully, and movingly about a staggering array of topics. It also has a long history of socially-aware, soul-baring, and touching lyrics. That said (and unnecessarily so), Chaucer still blows them all away. He was, as Jeff points out, an incredibly learned poet, aware of and interested in just about every major debate in his day, be it scientific, philosophic, poetic, or something else. He spoke many languages, was a well-traveled and respected diplomat, managed important building projects, and had the most powerful man in England after the king as his brother-in-law and close friend. Speaking of building and thoughtfulness, these lines from Troilus and Criseyde seem apt:

For everi wight that hath an hous to founde
Ne renneth naught the werk for to bygynne
With rakel hond, but he wold bide a stounde,
And sende his hertes line out fro withinne
Aldirfirst his purpos for to wynne.

                       (I.1065–69)

For those of you not familiar with Middle English, here's a quick vocabularly list to help you interpret this:

wight: person
rakel: rash, hasty
aldirfirst: last of all

The rest is pretty much like Modern English, just spelled differently. Reading it outloud should dispel any remaining confusion. Enjoy.