Pearl
'Pearl' Summary
A father, mourning the loss of his "perle" (pearl), falls asleep in a garden; in his dream, he encounters the 'Pearl-maiden'—a beautiful and heavenly woman—standing across a stream in a strange landscape. In response to his questioning and attempts to obtain her, she answers with Christian doctrine. Eventually she shows him an image of the Heavenly City, and herself as part of the retinue of Christ the Lamb. However, when the Dreamer attempts to cross the stream, he awakens suddenly from his dream and reflects on its significance.
The poem survives in a single manuscript, London, British Library MS Cotton Nero A.x, which includes two other religious narrative poems: Patience, and Cleanness, and the romance Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. All are thought to be by the same author, dubbed the "Pearl poet" or "Gawain poet", on the evidence of stylistic and thematic similarities.
Book Details
Authors
The Gawain Poet
United Kingdom
The "Gawain Poet", or less commonly the "Pearl Poet", is the name given to the author of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, an alliterative poem written in 14th-century Middle English. Its author appear...
Books by The Gawain PoetDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
- Select Speed
Related books
Winners by Rudyard Kipling
'Winners' is a poem by Rudyard Kipling that celebrates the courage and sacrifice of soldiers who have fought and died in war. The poem is written in a...
The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke by C. J. Dennis
The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke tells the story of Bill, a member of a larrikin push (or gang) in Melbourne's Little Lon red-light district, who enco...
The Little People of the Snow by William Cullen Bryant
In the enchanting realm of winter's embrace, where snowflakes dance and frost paints the landscape, lies a hidden world teeming with wonder. Enter "Th...
The Poet's Hat by Robert F. Murray
In a world of words and rhyme, Robert Fuller Murray's captivating poem, "The Poet's Hat," unveils a tale of inspiration, creativity, and the transform...
Coppertop by Harold Gaze
Can a brave young girl with a heart of gold survive the Australian Outback? Coppertop is a classic Australian children's book by Harold Gaze. It tell...
The Myths of the New World by Daniel Garrison Binton
The Myths of the New World's full title describes it as.. " a treatise on the Symbolism and Mythology of the Red Race of America", an attempt to analy...
The Dream Coach by Anne Parrish
The Dream Coach is a children's book by Anne Parrish. It contains four fairytale-like stories linked by the theme of a Dream Coach which travels aroun...
To A Skylark by Percy Bysshe Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley's "To a Skylark" is a lyrical ode celebrating the beauty and freedom of a skylark's song. Written in 1820 during a walk in the It...
Temptation Of St. Anthony by Gustave Flaubert
Flaubert's *The Temptation of Saint Anthony* delves into the psychological and spiritual struggles of a solitary hermit, St. Anthony. The novel is a v...
Autumn Fires by Robert Louis Stevenson
“Autumn Fires” is a collection of poems from Robert Louis Stevenson's iconic work, *A Child’s Garden of Verses*. This collection of poems explores the...
Reviews for Pearl
No reviews posted or approved, yet...