''Cleanness'' (

Middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman Conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English pe ...

: ''Clannesse'') is a

alliterative Alliteration is the repetition of syllable-initial consonant sounds between nearby words, or of syllable-initial vowels if the syllables in question do not start with a consonant. It is often used as a List of narrative techniques#Style, litera ...

poem Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

written in the late 14th century. Its unknown author, designated the Pearl Poet or

Gawain Poet The "Gawain Poet" ( ; late 14th century), or less commonly the "Pearl Poet",Andrew, M. "Theories of Authorship" (1997) in Brewer (ed). ''A Companion to the Gawain-poet'', Boydell & Brewer, p.23 is the name given to the author of '' Sir Gawain ...

, also appears, on the basis of dialect and stylistic evidence, to be the author of ''

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight ''Sir Gawain and the Green Knight'' is a late 14th-century chivalric romance in Middle English alliterative verse. The author is unknown; the title was given centuries later. It is one of the best-known Arthurian stories, with its plot comb ...

'', ''

Pearl A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle (mollusc), mantle) of a living Exoskeleton, shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pear ...

'', and ''

Patience or forbearance, is the ability to endure difficult or undesired long-term circumstances. Patience involves perseverance or tolerance in the face of delay, provocation, or stress without responding negatively, such as reacting with disrespect ...

'', and may have also composed '' St. Erkenwald''. The poem is found solely in the Pearl manuscript, '' Cotton Nero A x''. That manuscript also contains ''Pearl'', ''Patience'', and ''Sir Gawain and the Green Knight''. None of the poems has a title or divisions of chapters, but the breaks are marked by large initial letters of blue, and there are twelve illustrations (or illuminations) contained within the manuscript, depicting scenes from the four poems. Each of these poems is entirely unique to this one manuscript. ''Cleanness'' (which is an editorial title) is also known by the editorial title ''Purity''. The manuscript, Cotton Nero A.x is in the

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. Based in London, it is one of the largest libraries in the world, with an estimated collection of between 170 and 200 million items from multiple countries. As a legal deposit li ...

. The first complete publication of ''Cleanness'' was in ''Early English Alliterative Poems in the West Midland Dialect of the fourteenth century'', printed by the

Early English Text Society The Early English Text Society (EETS) is a text publication society founded in 1864 which is dedicated to the editing and publication of early English texts, especially those only available in manuscript. Most of its volumes contain editions of ...

in 1864. ''Cleanness'' is a description of the virtues of cleanliness of body and the delights of married love. It takes three subjects from the

Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

as its illustrations: the

Flood A flood is an overflow of water (list of non-water floods, or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant con ...

, the destruction of

Sodom and Gomorrah In the Abrahamic religions, Sodom and Gomorrah () were two cities destroyed by God for their wickedness. Sodom and Gomorrah are repeatedly invoked throughout the Hebrew Bible, Deuterocanonical texts, and the New Testament as symbols of sin, di ...

, and the fall of

Belshazzar Belshazzar ( Babylonian cuneiform: ''Bēl-šar-uṣur'', meaning " Bel, protect the king"; ''Bēlšaʾṣṣar'') was the son and crown prince of Nabonidus (), the last king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. Through his mother, he might have been ...

. Each of these is described powerfully, and the poetry is among the finest in Middle English. In each case, the poet warns his readers about the dangers of defilement and the joys of purity.

Genre and poetics

didactic Didacticism is a philosophy that emphasises instructional and informative qualities in literature, art, and design. In art, design, architecture, and landscape, didacticism is a conceptual approach that is driven by the urgent need to explain. ...

homiletic In religious studies, homiletics ( ''homilētikós'', from ''homilos'', "assembled crowd, throng") is the application of the general principles of rhetoric to the specific art of public preaching. One who practices or studies homiletics may be c ...

poem, ''Cleanness'' consists of 1812 lines.

Alliteration Alliteration is the repetition of syllable-initial consonant sounds between nearby words, or of syllable-initial vowels if the syllables in question do not start with a consonant. It is often used as a literary device. A common example is " Pe ...

is used consistently throughout the poem, averaging around three alliterating words per line. The unidentified narrator or preacher speaks in the first person throughout the work. It is an exemplum from the perspective of many.

Narrative

The opening lines of the poem (ll. 1–50) function as a

peroration is the system used for the organization of arguments in the context of Western classical rhetoric. The word is Latin, and can be translated as "organization" or "arrangement". It is the second of five canons of classical rhetoric (the first be ...

in which the narrator states his theme by contrasting cleanness and purity with filth. He also points out that God hates filth and banishes those who are not properly dressed. A paraphrase of the Parable of the Great Banquet follows in lines 51–171. This

exemplum An exemplum (Latin for "example", exempla, ''exempli gratia'' = "for example", abbr.: ''e.g.'') is a moral anecdote, brief or extended, real or fictitious, used to illustrate a point. The word is also used to express an action performed by anot ...

, explained by lines 171–192, follows directly from the previous sartorial

metaphor A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide, or obscure, clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are usually meant to cr ...

and serves to show why the hearers should give attention to cleanness. Following this, lines 193–556 expound on God's forgiveness and wrath, using the Fall of the Angels, the Fall of Adam and Eve (Gen 3), and the story of Noah (Gen 6: 5–32, 7, 8) (the first major

of the poem) to demonstrate these divine attributes. A transition (ll. 557–599), including a comment on how God reacts to sin (esp. lechery), follows. In a second exemplum, the poet retells the stories of

Abraham Abraham (originally Abram) is the common Hebrews, Hebrew Patriarchs (Bible), patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father who began the Covenant (biblical), covenanta ...

and Lot (Gen. 18:1–19, 28) (ll. 600 - 1048), including a description of the

Dead Sea The Dead Sea (; or ; ), also known by #Names, other names, is a landlocked salt lake bordered by Jordan to the east, the Israeli-occupied West Bank to the west and Israel to the southwest. It lies in the endorheic basin of the Jordan Rift Valle ...

as the poet understood it. In another transition (ll. 1050–1148), the narrator explains the symbolism of the second exemplum, ending with a description of God as strongly vengeful. The third, and by far the longest,

(ll. 1149–1796) recounts the conquest of

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar II, also Nebuchadrezzar II, meaning "Nabu, watch over my heir", was the second king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, ruling from the death of his father Nabopolassar in 605 BC to his own death in 562 BC. Often titled Nebuchadnezzar ...

and the transfer of the Temple treasures to

Babylon Babylon ( ) was an ancient city located on the lower Euphrates river in southern Mesopotamia, within modern-day Hillah, Iraq, about south of modern-day Baghdad. Babylon functioned as the main cultural and political centre of the Akkadian-s ...

where they were treated with reverence by the king. But after Nebuchadnezzar died, Belshazzar, a man given to the indulgence of his lusts, succeeded him. During an enormous drunken feast, he ordered that the Temple vessels be brought in and that everyone be served in them. God then determines to punish him. A huge hand appears, writes a message on the wall, and vanishes. No one can interpret this message. At the Queen's suggestion, Daniel (biblical figure), Daniel is called, and he interprets the three words and predicts Belshazzar's downfall. In his conclusion (ll. 1797–1812), the narrator summarizes by arguing that uncleanness angers God, and cleanness comforts Him.

Author

Though the real name of the "Gawain Poet" (or poets) is unknown, some inferences about him or her can be drawn from an informed reading of his/her works. The original manuscript is known in academic circles as ''Cotton Nero A.x'', following a naming system used by one of its owners, Robert Bruce Cotton, Robert Cotton, a collector of Medieval English texts. Before the manuscript came into Cotton's possession, it was in the library of Henry Savile (Bible translator), Henry Savile of Bank in Yorkshire. Little is known about its previous ownership, and until 1824, when the manuscript was introduced to the academic community in a second edition of Thomas Warton's ''The History of English Poetry, History'' edited by Richard Price (British historian), Richard Price, it was almost entirely unknown. Now held in the

, it has been dated to the late 14th century, so the poet was a contemporary of Geoffrey Chaucer, author of ''The Canterbury Tales'', though it is highly unlikely that they ever met. The three other works found in the same manuscript as ''Pearl'' (commonly known as ''

'', ''

'', and ''

'') are often considered to be written by the same author. However, the manuscript containing these poems was transcribed by a copyist and not by the original poet. Although nothing explicitly suggests that all four poems are by the same poet, comparative analysis of dialect, verse form, and diction have pointed towards single-authorship.Nelles, William. "The Pearl-Poet". ''Cyclopedia of World Authors'', Fourth Revised Edition Database: MagillOnLiterature Plus, 1958. What is known today about the poet is largely general. As J. R. R. Tolkien and E. V. Gordon, after reviewing the text's allusions, style, and themes, concluded in 1925: The most commonly suggested candidate for authorship is John Massey of Cotton, Cheshire.Peterson, Clifford J. "The Pearl-Poet and John Massey of Cotton, Cheshire". ''The Review of English Studies, New Series''. (1974) 25.99 pp. 257–266. He is known to have lived in the dialect region of the Gawain Poet and is thought to have written the poem, '' St. Erkenwald'', which some scholars argue bears stylistic similarities to ''Gawain''. ''St. Erkenwald'', however, has been dated by some scholars to a time outside the Gawain poet's era. Thus, ascribing authorship to John Massey is still controversial, and most critics consider the Gawain poet an unknown. Chertsey Breviary - St

Technique

It uses the homiletic principles of education with entertainment (Horace's ) and is primarily rooted in Biblical stories. The reference to the Fallen angel, fall of the angels is drawn from Pseudepigraphy, pseudepigrapha. The technique of presenting exempla and then explicating them as demonstrations of moral principles is characteristic of many sermons of the medieval period. Here the poet uses three exempla with explication in the transitions between them.

Editions and translations

Editions

* Andrew, Malcolm and Waldron, Ronald. 2002. ''The Poems of the Pearl Manuscript''. Berkeley: University of California Press. (4th ed.) . * Gustafson, Kevin, ed. 2010. ''Cleanness''. Peterborough, ON: Broadview Press. / 1551113996. * Vantuono, William, ed. (1984) ''The Pearl Poems : an omnibus edition''. New York: Garland Pub. (v. 1) (v. 2) Text in both Middle English and Modern English

Translations

* Finch, Casey. "The Complete Works of the Pearl Poet” 1993. Berkeley: University of California Press. .

References

External links

Middle English Text of "Cleanness” online
{{Pearl Poet 14th-century poems Biblical poetry Christian poetry Cotton Library Cultural depictions of Belshazzar Middle English poems Works of unknown authorship Works set in the 6th century BC