Booklet of Advance Readings for Lectures
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UNIVERSIDADE DE SÃO PAULO FACULDADE DE FILOSOFIA, LETRAS E CIÊNCIAS HUMANAS DEPARTAMENTO DE LETRAS MODERNAS Semestre 02, 2013 Disciplina: Literaturas Não Hegemônicas de Língua Inglesa: 500 Years of Scottish Literature Booklet of Advance Readings for Lectures This booklet gives you the readings referred to in the lecture series on 500 years of Scottish Literature. Mostly these are excerpts, though some longer texts are given here, and fuller versions of the excerpted texts are often available on moodle. You are asked to read the relevant excerpts before the lecture each week. There are also short weekly activities on moodle that you are required to do, before class each week – these are assessed and will form part of your course grade (30%). There are two full novellas that you are required to look at for the course: Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (Robert Louis Stevenson) and The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (Muriel Spark). References to available versions of each of these novellas are available on the moodle site. 1: Beginnings (a) Cú Chiumne, an Iona monk, is credited with this 8th century hymn to Mary, possibly intended to be sung by a two-part choir. Translated from Latin, it begins: Let us sing every day Harmonising in turns Together, proclaiming to God A hymn worthy of holy Mary. In two-fold choir, from side to side, Let us praise Mary, So that the voice strikes every ear With alternating praise. Mary of the Tribe of Judah, Mother of the Most High Lord, Fitting care she gave To languishing mankind. Gabriel first brought the Word From the Father’s bosom Which was conceived and received In the Mother’s womb. 1 She is the most high, she is the holy Venerable Virgin Who by faith did not draw back, But stood forth firmly. None has been found, before or since, Like his mother, Not one of all the descendants Of the human race […] Latin version at http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/L400002/index.html (b) From The Gododdin (Cumbric, 7th century) The soldiers celebrated the praise of the Holy One, And in their presence was kindled a fire that raged on high. On Tuesday they put on their dark-brown garments; On Wednesday they purified their enamelled armour; On Thursday their destruction was certain; On Friday was brought carnage all around; On Saturday their joint labour was useless; On Sunday their blades assumed a ruddy hue; On Monday was seen a pool knee deep of blood. The Gododin relates that after the toil, Before the tents of Madog, when he returned, Only one man in a hundred with him came. From the translation by John Williams available on the Project Gutenberg website: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/9842/9842-h/9842-h.htm (c) Viking graffiti, Orkney (?Thorhall Asgrimsson, mid-12th Century) The man who is Most skilled in runes West of the ocean Cut these runes With the axe Once owned by Gauk Son of Trandil In the south country. (d) From the Orkneyinga Saga, written in Old Norse in the late 13th century and relating the history of the Scandinavian Earls of Orkney. The Saga is a blend of fiction and fact, prose and poetry: Earl Rognvald stayed a very long time in Hordaland that summer when he came into the land, and heard then many tidings out of the Orkneys. It was told him that there was great strife, and the chieftains had gone into two bands, but there were few who sat by so that they had no share 2 in the strife. Earl Harold was on one side, but on the other earl Erlend and Sweyn Asleif’s son. And when the earl heard that said, he sang this song: “Now the princes of the people Have gone back on many an oath; That is blasphemy ‘gainst God; Men’s ill redes now come to light; But this evil will not lessen In those who guile devise at home; So let us on lissom leg Step light so long as beard will wag.” The earl had no ships at his command. Then he looked to his kinsfolk and friends that they should get him some longships made that winter. They took that well upon them, and granted him in that matter just what he asked. The earl busked him that summer to fare west into the Orkneys to his realm, and he was very late boun, for he lingered much. He fared west on board that trading-ship which Thorhall Asgrim’s son owned; he was an Icelander, and of great kindred, and had a house south at Bishopstongues. The earl had for all that a great train on board the ship and a noble band of companions. They made Scotland when the winter was far spent, and long lay off Scotland under Turfness. The earl came a little before Yule into the Orkney to his realm. From http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/ice/is3/is304.htm (e) ‘Arran’ (Gaelic, 8th century) Arran of the many stags, the sea reaches to its shoulder; island where companies are fed, ridges whereon blue spears are reddened. Wanton deer upon its peaks, Mellow blaeberries on its heaths, cold water in its streams, mast upon its brown oaks. Hunting dogs there, and hounds, blackberries and sloes of the dark blackthorn, dense thorn-bushes in its woods, stags astray among its oak-groves. Gathering of purple lichen on its rocks, grass without blemish on its slopes; over its fair shapely crags gambolling of dappled fawns leaping. Smooth is its lowland, fat are its swine, pleasant its fields, a tale to be believed; its nuts on the boughs of its hazel-wood, sailing of long galleys past it. 3 It is delightful when fine weather comes, trout under the banks of its streams, seagulls answer each other round its white cliff; delightful at all times is Arran. Trans. Kenneth Jackson: http://www.rampantscotland.com/poetry/blpoems_arran.htm (f) From ‘The Dream of the Rood’ (Old English, 7th century). Excerpts carved in runes into the Ruthwell Cross in Dumfriesshire are shown in red. I beheld all that. Sore was I with sorrows distressed, yet I bent to men's hands, with great zeal willing. They took there Almighty God, lifted him from that grim torment. Those warriors abandoned me standing all blood-drenched, all wounded with arrows. They laid there the limb-weary one, stood at his body's head; beheld they there heaven's Lord, and he himself rested there, worn from that great strife. Trans. Jonathan A. Glenn: http://www.lightspill.com/poetry/oe/rood.html (g) From John Barbour, Brus (Scots, 1375) A! Fredome is a noble thing A! Freedom is a noble thing, Fredome mays man to haiff liking. Freedom allows men to be happy. Fredome all solace to man giffis, Freedom gives men comfort, He levys at es that frely levys. He who lives freely is at ease. A noble hart may haiff nane es A noble heart may have no ease Na ellys nocht that may him ples Nor anything else that pleases him Gyff fredome failyhe, for fre liking If freedom fails, for love of freedom Is yharnyt our all other thing. Is desired above every other thing. 2. Sentence & Style: The 16th century ‘makars’ (a) From The Chronicles of Scotland, Compiled by Hector Boece, translated into Scots by John Bellenden, 1531; Book XII. The samyn tyme happynnit ane wounderfull thing. Quhen Makbeth and Banquho war passand to Forress, quhair King Duncan wes for þe tyme, thai mett be þe gaitt thre weird sisteris or wiches, quhilk come to þame with elrege clething. The first of þame sayid to Makbeth: ‘Haill, Thayne of Glammys!’ Þe secund sayid: ‘Hayill, Thayn of Cawder!’ The thrid sayid: ‘Haill, Makbeth, þat salbe sum tyme King of Scotland!’ Þan said Banquho: ‘Quhat wemen be ʒe, quhilkis bene sa vnmercifull to me and sa propiciant to my companʒeoun, gevand him nocht onlie landis and grete rentis bot als triumphand kingdome, and gevis me nocht?’ 4 To this ansuerit þe first of þir wiches: ‘Wee schaw mair feliciteis appering to the þan to him; for þocht he happin to be ane king, ʒite his empyre sall end vnhappely, and nane of his blude sall eftir him succede. Be contrair, þou sall neuer be king, bot of þe sall cum mony kingis, quhilkis with lang and anciant lynage sall reioise þe crovun of Scotland.’ Thir wourdis beand sayid, þai suddanlye evanyst oute of þair sycht. (b) From ‘Ane ballat of Our Lady’ (William Dunbar) Hale, sterne superne, hale in eterne, In Godis sicht to schyne, Lucerne in derne for to discerne Be glory and grace devyne, Hodiern, modern, sempitern, 5 Angelicall regyne, Our tern inferne for to dispern Help, rialest rosyne. Ave Maria gracia plena. Haile, fresche floure femynyne, 10 Yerne us guberne, virgin matern, Of reuth baith rute and ryne. (c) From ‘The Thrissill and the Rois’ (William Dunbar) Quhen Merche wes with variand windis past, And Appryll had with hir silver schouris Tane leif at Nature with ane orient blast, And lusty May, that muddir is of flouris, Had maid the birdis to begyn thair houris 5 Amang the tendir odouris reid and quhyt, Quhois armony to heir it wes delyt: In bed at morrow, sleiping as I lay, Me thocht Aurora with hir cristall ene In at the window lukit by the day 10 And halsit me, with visage paill and grene; On quhois hand a lark sang fro the splene, “Awalk, luvaris, out of your slomering! Se how the lusty morow dois up spring.” […] This awfull beist full terrible wes of cheir, Persing of luke and stout of countenance, Rycht strong of corpis, of fassoun fair but feir, Lusty of schaip, lycht of deliverance, Reid of his cullour as is the ruby glance.