In a dream landscape radiant with jewels, a father sees his lost daughter on the far bank of a river: my pearl, my girl'. One of the great treasures of the British Library, the fourteenth-century poem Pearl is a work of poetic brilliance. Its account of loss and consolation retains its force across six centuries. Jane Draycott in her new translation remakes the imaginative intensity of the original. This is, Bernard O'Donoghue says in his introduction, an event of great significance and excitement', an encounter between medieval tradition and an acclaimed modern poet.
***
One thing I know for certain: that she was peerless, pearl who would have added light to any Prince's life however bright with gold. 1
***
(@Carcanet, 28 April 2011, ebook, 64 pages, borrowed from @GlasgowLib via @OverDriveInc)
***
***
I didn't realise this was a translation of an ancient poem when I decided to read it. I really enjoyed Pearl. Unlike the poetry I usually read, this is one narrative split into different sections. I thought the verses were beautifully written, the language sublime. I really enjoyed Pearl.
