The sonnes passynge sheweth fere

This simple Middle English lyric is written in the tradition of many such short and multi-faceted poems from the 12-14 th centuries describing from a pastoral, rural viewpoint the beauty of nature in the same breath as reflecting upon the life and death of Jesus Christ. The poem above was inspired specifically by the four-line 13 th century poem “Nou goth sonne under wode”(1) which reflects upon a sunset as well as the death of Christ, sympathizing with Mary and her troubles.(2) Several other poems followed a similar formula, utilizing the phrase “When I see” to informally begin a work that would focus on some aspect of the life of Christ.(3)

The language used within the poem is fairly simple and seemingly straightforward, with juxtapositions of meaning (sun/son) that allow for an easy switch within the reader’s or listener’s mind to interpret the poem one way or the other. The spelling forms used in the poem were taken from the works of Chaucer as an easy source of vocabulary.(4) The word shiten in particular may seem curious, as it provides an almost blasphemous hint within the work; it was used in lieu of similar words, such as forsaken, due to its entirely earthy and pastoral sound. Hopefully, because of this the poem maintains the sense of a simple pastoral work until the reader arrives at the final line.(5)

The poem’s form is extremely simple and in keeping with other Middle English pastoral-religious lyrics. The meter is essentially lines of 4 iambs (or at least 4 stressed syllables within each line), considered be a social/cultural step down from the ‘general’ forms of 5 stressed syllables (often iambic). The latter, more accepted, learned, and courtly meter can be seen in The Canterbury Tales and Chaucer’s short poems, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and Piers Plowman; this distinction was even recognized later by poets like Spenser.(6)

(1) “Nou goth sonne under wode / Me reweth, Marie, thi faire rode. / Nou goth sonne under tre. / Me reweth, Marie, thi sone and the.”

(2) For an excellent analysis of the poem and its several subjects, see: Reiss, Edmund. The Art of the Middle English Lyric: Essays in Criticism. Athens, Georgia: University of Georgia Press, 1972. p. 14-17.

(3) Reiss, pp. 30-36, focusing on the poem “Quanne hic se on rode” and its relatives.

(4) Benson, Larry. The Riverside Chaucer. 3rd ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1987.

(5) Again, reference “Nou goth sonne under wode” and its use of reweth to convey a ‘strange’ and curious tone to the poem before the revelation of religious meaning sets in.

(6) See Thenot’s pastoral narrative in “Februarie” from The Shepheardes Calender.