Anonymous

Anonymous

The author is anonymous, meaning their identity is unknown or deliberately concealed. This can apply to various forms of writing, from ancient texts to contemporary works, where the creator's name is not attached to the piece. Anonymity can be chosen for various reasons, including political dissent, religious conviction, or a desire for the work to stand on its own without the author's personal reputation influencing its reception. The focus then shifts entirely to the content and artistry of the text itself, inviting readers to engage with it on its own terms.

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When Flora had O'erfret the Firth

When Flora had O'erfret the Firth
QUHEN Flora had o'erfret the firth
In May of every moneth queen;
Quhen merle and mavis singis with mirth
Sweet melling in the shawis sheen;
Quhen all luvaris rejoicit bene
And most desirous of their prey,
I heard a lusty luvar mene
--'I luve, but I dare nocht assay!'
'Strong are the pains I daily prove,
But yet with patience I sustene,
I am so fetterit with the luve
Only of my lady sheen,
Quhilk for her beauty micht be queen,
Nature so craftily alway
Has done depaint that sweet serene:
--Quhom I luve I dare nocht assay.
'She is so bricht of hyd and hue,
I luve but her alone, I ween;
Is none her luve that may eschew,
That blinkis of that dulce amene;
So comely cleir are her twa een
That she mae luvaris dois affray
Than ever of Greece did fair Helene:
--Quhom I luve I dare nocht assay!'
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Bio

Identification and basic context

This entry pertains to an anonymous author, whose identity is not known or has been deliberately obscured. This can be applicable to a wide range of written works across different historical periods and genres. The absence of a named author places the focus squarely on the text itself, inviting interpretation independent of personal biography or authorial intent.

Childhood and education

Information regarding the childhood and education of an anonymous author is by definition unavailable. The formative experiences, schooling, and early intellectual influences that shaped any writer are lost when the author remains unidentified. This lack of personal history means that any understanding of the work must be derived solely from its internal characteristics and its historical or cultural context.

Literary trajectory

The literary trajectory of an anonymous author cannot be traced in the conventional sense. There are no records of their beginnings in writing, the development of their style over time, or their engagement with literary communities, publications, or movements. The "trajectory" is only discernible, if at all, through the study of the work itself and its placement within broader literary or historical trends.

Works, style, and literary characteristics

Since the author is anonymous, their specific works, dominant themes, and stylistic particularities can only be inferred from the texts attributed to them or from works that share certain characteristics. Without a named author, literary analysis must rely on stylistic features, thematic content, and historical context to understand the potential origins and characteristics of the writing. Any innovations or relationships with tradition would be identified through comparative literary study.

Cultural and historical context

Understanding the cultural and historical context of an anonymous work is crucial for its interpretation. Although the author's personal circumstances are unknown, the societal, political, and cultural environment in which the work was produced can often be deduced from the text's content, language, and references. This allows for an analysis of its relationship to contemporary events, prevailing ideologies, and the literary circles or movements of the time.

Personal life

The personal life of an anonymous author remains a mystery. Details about their family, relationships, personal experiences, beliefs, or political stances are unavailable. Any attempt to connect the work to a lived reality would be speculative, relying solely on the interpretations drawn from the text itself without biographical anchors.

Recognition and reception

Recognition and reception of anonymous works vary greatly. Some anonymous texts gain renown through their intrinsic merit, historical significance, or the mystery surrounding their authorship. Critical reception is focused on the work itself, often leading to debates about its origin, meaning, and place in literary history. Institutional recognition might come from its inclusion in canons of literature or historical archives, irrespective of the author's name.

Influences and legacy

Assessing the influences on and legacy of an anonymous author is challenging. Influences can only be hypothesized based on stylistic and thematic comparisons with known works and authors. Similarly, their legacy is determined by the enduring impact of their writings, whether through direct influence on later works, inclusion in anthologies, or continued academic study, all attributed to the work rather than a specific individual.

Interpretation and critical analysis

Interpretation and critical analysis of anonymous works often involve considerable scholarly effort to uncover potential origins, meanings, and influences. Debates may arise concerning authorship, dating, and the precise historical or cultural context. The lack of authorial information can open up a wider range of interpretative possibilities, as readers are not constrained by biographical assumptions.

Curiosities and lesser-known aspects

The primary curiosity surrounding an anonymous author is their very anonymity. Lesser-known aspects are inherently tied to the mystery of their identity. Any episodes or anecdotes related to their work would be purely speculative or tied to legends that might have arisen over time about the unknown creator.

Death and memory

Information regarding the death of an anonymous author is, by definition, unknown. Their memory is preserved solely through the survival and continued study of their work. Posthumous publications, if any, would be of works that were either discovered or attributed to them over time, further contributing to the scholarly discussion around the authorship and significance of their writings.

Poems

111

Phillada flouts Me

Phillada flouts Me
O WHAT a plague is love!
How shall I bear it?
She will inconstant prove,
I greatly fear it.
She so torments my mind
That my strength faileth,
And wavers with the wind
As a ship saileth.
Please her the best I may,
She loves still to gainsay;
Alack and well-a-day!
Phillada flouts me.
At the fair yesterday
She did pass by me;
She look'd another way
And would not spy me:
I woo'd her for to dine,
But could not get her;
Will had her to the wine--
He might entreat her.
With Daniel she did dance,
On me she look'd askance:
O thrice unhappy chance!
Phillada flouts me.
Fair maid, be not so coy,
Do not disdain me!
I am my mother's joy:
Sweet, entertain me!
She'll give me, when she dies,
All that is fitting:
Her poultry and her bees,
And her goose sitting,
A pair of mattrass beds,
And a bag full of shreds;
And yet, for all this guedes,
Phillada flouts me!
She hath a clout of mine
Wrought with blue coventry,
Which she keeps for a sign
Of my fidelity:
But i' faith, if she flinch
She shall not wear it;
To Tib, my t'other wench,
I mean to bear it.
And yet it grieves my heart
So soon from her to part:
Death strike me with his dart!
Phillada flouts me.


Thou shalt eat crudded cream
All the year lasting,
And drink the crystal stream
Pleasant in tasting;
Whig and whey whilst thou lust,
And bramble-berries,
Pie-lid and pastry-crust,
Pears, plums, and cherries.
Thy raiment shall be thin,
Made of a weevil's skin--
Yet all 's not worth a pin!
Phillada flouts me.
In the last month of May
I made her posies;
I heard her often say
That she loved roses.
Cowslips and gillyflowers
And the white lily
I brought to deck the bowers
For my sweet Philly.
But she did all disdain,
And threw them back again;
Therefore 'tis flat and plain
Phillada flouts me.
Fair maiden, have a care,
And in time take me;
I can have those as fair
If you forsake me:
For Doll the dairy-maid
Laugh'd at me lately,
And wanton Winifred
Favours me greatly.
One throws milk on my clothes,
T'other plays with my nose;
What wanting signs are those?
Phillada flouts me.
I cannot work nor sleep
At all in season:
Love wounds my heart so deep
Without all reason.
I 'gin to pine away
In my love's shadow,
Like as a fat beast may,
Penn'd in a meadow.
I shall be dead, I fear,
Within this thousand year:
And all for that my dear
Phillada flouts me.

255

Pipe and Can

Pipe and Can
I
THE Indian weed withered quite;
Green at morn, cut down at night;
Shows thy decay: all flesh is hay:
Thus think, then drink Tobacco.
And when the smoke ascends on high,
Think thou behold'st the vanity
Of worldly stuff, gone with a puff:
Thus think, then drink Tobacco.
But when the pipe grows foul within,
Think of thy soul defiled with sin,
And that the fire doth it require:
Thus think, then drink Tobacco.
The ashes, that are left behind,
May serve to put thee still in mind
That unto dust return thou must:
Thus think, then drink Tobacco.
II
WHEN as the chill Charokko blows,
And Winter tells a heavy tale;
When pyes and daws and rooks and crows
Sit cursing of the frosts and snows;
Then give me ale.
Ale in a Saxon rumkin then,
Such as will make grimalkin prate;
Bids valour burgeon in tall men,
Quickens the poet's wit and pen,
Despises fate.
Ale, that the absent battle fights,
And frames the march of Swedish drum,
Disputes with princes, laws, and rights,
What 's done and past tells mortal wights,
And what 's to come.
Ale, that the plowman's heart up-keeps
And equals it with tyrants' thrones,
That wipes the eye that over-weeps,
And lulls in sure and dainty sleeps
Th' o'er-wearied bones.
Grandchild of Ceres, Bacchus' daughter,
Wine's emulous neighbour, though but stale,
Ennobling all the nymphs of water,
And filling each man's heart with laughter--


Ha! give me ale!
232

O Burr

O Burr
O Burr, O Burr, what hast though done?
Thou hast shooted dead great Hamilton.
You hid behind a bunch of thistle,
And shooted him dead with a great hoss pistol.
Caption on a wax tableau of Vice President Aaron Burr's fatal interview with General
Alexander Hamilton.
326

Of a rose, a lovely rose, Of a rose is al myn song.

Of a rose, a lovely rose, Of a rose is al myn song.
LESTENYT, lordynges, both elde and yinge,
How this rose began to sprynge;
Swych a rose to myn lykynge
In al this word ne knowe I non.
The Aungil came fro hevene tour,
To grete Marye with gret honour,
And seyde sche xuld bere the flour
That xulde breke the fyndes bond.
The flour sprong in heye Bedlem,
That is bothe bryht and schen:
The rose is Mary hevene qwyn,
Out of here bosum the blosme sprong.
The ferste braunche is ful of myht,
That sprang on Cyrstemesse nyht,
The sterre schon over Bedlem bryht
That is bothe brod and long.
The secunde braunche sprong to helle,
The fendys power doun to felle:
Therein myht non sowle dwelle;
Blyssid be the time the rose sprong!
The thredde braunche is good and swote,
It sprang to hevene crop and rote,
Therein to dwellyn and ben our bote;
Every day it schewit in prystes hond.
Prey we to here with gret honour,
Che that bar the blyssid flowr,
Che be our helpe and our socour
And schyd us fro the fyndes bond.
224

May in the Green-Wood

May in the Green-Wood
IN somer when the shawes be sheyne,
And leves be large and long,
Hit is full merry in feyre foreste
To here the foulys song.
To se the dere draw to the dale
And leve the hilles hee,
And shadow him in the leves grene
Under the green-wode tree.
Hit befell on Whitsontide
Early in a May mornyng,
The Sonne up faire can shyne,
And the briddis mery can syng.
'This is a mery mornyng,' said Litulle Johne,
'Be Hym that dyed on tre;
A more mery man than I am one
Lyves not in Christiante.
'Pluk up thi hert, my dere mayster,'
Litulle Johne can say,
'And thynk hit is a fulle fayre tyme
In a mornynge of May.'
241

My Lady's Tears, John Dowland's Third and Last Book of Songs or Airs

My Lady's Tears, John Dowland's Third and Last Book of Songs or Airs
I SAW my Lady weep,
And Sorrow proud to be advanced so
In those fair eyes where all perfections keep.
Her face was full of woe;
But such a woe (believe me) as wins more hearts
Than Mirth can do with her enticing parts.
Sorrow was there made fair,
And Passion wise; Tears a delightful thing;
Silence beyond all speech, a wisdom rare:
She made her sighs to sing,
And all things with so sweet a sadness move
As made my heart at once both grieve and love.
O fairer than aught else
The world can show, leave off in time to grieve!
Enough, enough: your joyful look excels:
Tears kill the heart, believe.
O strive not to be excellent in woe,
Which only breeds your beauty's overthrow.
260

Lusty May

Lusty May
O LUSTY May, with Flora queen!
The balmy dropis from Phoebus sheen
Preluciand beams before the day:
By that Diana growis green
Through gladness of this lusty May.
Then Esperus, that is so bricht,
Til woful hairtis castis his light,
With bankis that bloomis on every brae;
And schouris are shed forth of their sicht
Through gladness of this lusty May.
Birdis on bewis of every birth,
Rejoicing notis makand their mirth
Richt plesantly upon the spray,
With flourishingis o'er field and firth
Through gladness of this lusty May.
All luvaris that are in care
To their ladies they do repair
In fresh morningis before the day,
And are in mirth ay mair and mair
Through gladness of this lusty May.
261

Love not me for comely grace, John Wilbye's Second Set of Madrigals

Love not me for comely grace, John Wilbye's Second Set of Madrigals
LOVE not me for comely grace,
For my pleasing eye or face,
Nor for any outward part,
No, nor for a constant heart:
For these may fail or turn to ill,
So thou and I shall sever:
Keep, therefore, a true woman's eye,
And love me still but know not why--
So hast thou the same reason still
To doat upon me ever!
234

Icarus, Robert Jones's Second Book of Songs and Airs

Icarus, Robert Jones's Second Book of Songs and Airs
LOVE wing'd my Hopes and taught me how to fly
Far from base earth, but not to mount too high:
For true pleasure
Lives in measure,
Which if men forsake,
Blinded they into folly run and grief for pleasure take.
But my vain Hopes, proud of their new-taught flight,
Enamour'd sought to woo the sun's fair light,
Whose rich brightness
Moved their lightness
To aspire so high
That all scorch'd and consumed with fire now drown'd in woe they lie.
And none but Love their woeful hap did rue,
For Love did know that their desires were true;
Though fate frowned,
And now drowned
They in sorrow dwell,
It was the purest light of heav'n for whose fair love they fell.
205

London Bells

London Bells
Two sticks and an apple,
Ring the bells at Whitechapel.
Old Father Bald Pate,
Ring the bells Aldgate.
Maids in white aprons,
Ring the bells at St. Catherine`s.
Oranges and Lemons,
Ring the bells at St. Clement`s.
When will you pay me?
Ring the bells at the Old Bailey.
When I am rich,
Ring the bells at Fleetditch.
When will that be?
Ring the bells of Stepney.
When I am old,
Ring the great bell at Paul`s.
270

Quotes

40

Videos

50

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