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Teaching Pearl

Explore the evolving symbolism of the pearl and the relationship between the Dreamer and the Pearl-Maiden in this allegorical poem. Interpretations range from literal to anagogical. Does the Dreamer find consolation in the end?

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Teaching Pearl

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  1. Teaching Pearl by Jane Beal, PhD

  2. First Illustration

  3. Second Illustration

  4. Third Illustration

  5. Fourth Illustration

  6. First Lines of Pearl

  7. First Lines of Pearl Perle, plesaunte to prynces pay To clanly clos in golde so clere; Oute of oryent, I hardyly saye. Ne proved I never her precios pere. So rounde, so reken in uche araye, So smal, so smoþe her syde3 were, Quere-so-ever I jugged gemme3 gaye, I sette hyr sengely in synglere. Allas! I leste hyr in on erbere; Þur3 gresse to ground hit fro me yot, I dewyne, fordolked of luf-daungere Of þat pryvy perle wythouten spot. Pearl! Desirable to a prince’s pleasure, purely enclosed in gold so bright: out of Orient, I firmly avow, I never found her precious peer— so round, so worthy in every setting! So small, so smooth her sides were that wherever I judged bright jewels, I valued her uniquely for uniqueness. Alas! I lost her in a garden! Through grass to ground fell she from me. I languish, deeply wounded by love’s fear because of that secret pearl without a spot. (trans. Jane Beal)

  8. Questions • How is the symbol of the pearl transformed throughout the poem? • What is the nature of the relationship between the Pearl-Maiden and the Dreamer? • How might we interpret this poem literally, allegorically, morally, and anagogically? • Is the dreamer consoled at the end of the poem? If not, why not? If so, how?

  9. Symbolism and Transformation • pearl as literal gem (lost in the “erber”) • pearl as the Maiden (met at the stream) • pearl as salvation (in the midst of the Maiden’s breast) • pearl as the kingdom of heaven (beheld in the vision of the New Jerusalem) • pearl as the Dreamer and the readers of the poem (realization after awakening articulated in the last lines of Pearl)

  10. Dreamer and Maiden:Literal Figures • father and daughter (Morris, et al.) • a man grieving the death of his godchild, grandchild, or younger sister (Bishop, Pearl in its Setting) • poet’s patron and the patron’s daughter who died to the world when she joined a religious order (Staley) • King Richard’s young bride, Anne of Bohemia (Bowers) • similarities to suitor and Saint Margaret (Earl) • lover and beloved (Beal, “Pearl-Maiden’s Two Lovers,” drawing on Carson – an unconsummated love)

  11. Now and Then

  12. Dreamer and Maiden:Allegorical Figures • maidenhood or virginity (Schofield) • the Dreamer’s own soul (Madeleva) • the Dreamer’s own soul in mystical union with Christ (Hillmann) • the Dreamer’s regenerate soul, eternal life, and/or beatitude (Hamilton) • the Dreamer’s lost innocence or the innocence of childhood (Cawley and Anderson drawing on Robertson) • the Dreamer’s “alleluia” or his joy in salvation (Beal, “Signifying Power of Pearl”)

  13. Interpretation and Genre • Literal sense: Elegy • Spiritual meaning: Allegory • Moral purpose: Consolation • Anagogical orientation: Revelation

  14. Landscape and Ascent • Garden • Dreamscape • New Jerusalem • Humility • Illumination • dream or vision • Purification • Teaching and pilgrimage • Unification • spiritual marriage to Christ (sponsa Christi)

  15. Consolation and Ending • The Bleeding Lamb • “a very wide and wet wound” • The Awakening • “I have found him, both day and night, a God, a Lord, and a very perfect Friend” • The Eucharist • “bread and wine each day”

  16. The Bleeding Lamb To devise such delight the Lamb went with much marvel in mind. Best was he, happiest, and most to praise, that ever I heard of in speech that was spent. So worthily white were his clothes, his looks simple, himself so noble. But a very wide and wet wound could be seen near his heart, torn through his skin. From his white side his blood sprayed out. Alas, I thought, who did that spiteful deed? Any breast for sorrow ought to have broken before he had any delights from that. Lines 1129-40 (trans. Jane Beal)

  17. Iconic Significance A very wide and wet wound This wound iconically represents Christ’s side, pierced when he hung on the Cross. Alas, I thought, who did that spiteful deed? It is significant that the Dreamer phrases this line as a question. According to the gospels, historically, Christ’s side was pierced by a Roman soldier, but spiritually, according to Church doctrine, Christ’s sufferings on the Cross were caused by the sinful deeds of all humanity.

  18. Discussion • Why is the Lamb happy if he is wounded and bleeding? • What would a medieval Christian remember when looking at the bleeding Lamb? • How is this relevant to the Dreamer’s own suffering?

  19. Last Lines of Pearl To pay þe Prince oþer sete sa3te Hit is ful eþe to þe god Krystyin; For I haf founden hym, boþe day and na3te, A God, a Lorde, a frende ful fyin. Ouer þis hyul þis lote I la3te, For pyty of my perle enclyin, And syþen to God I hit byta3te In Kryste3 dere blessyng and myn, Þat in þe forme of bred and wyn Þe preste vus schewe3 vch a daye. He gef vus to be his homly hyne Ande precious perle3 vnto his pay. Amen. Amen. To please the Prince or be reconciled is very easy for the good Christian. For I have found him, both day and night, a God, a Lord, a very perfect Friend. Upon this hill, this happened to me, where I lay for pity over my pearl. And since then, I have committed it to God, in Christ’s dear blessing and mine, who in the form of bread and wine the priest shows us each day. He gives us to be his humble servants and precious pearls unto his pleasure. Amen. Amen. (trans. Jane Beal)

  20. The Bleeding Lamb MS Ludwig III 1 (English, 1255-60 - detail)

  21. Ghent Altarpiece

  22. Ghent Altarpiece

  23. Ghent Altarpiece (detail)

  24. Beyond the Four Levels:Genre Patterns in Pearl • Parable • Fable • Fairy-Tale

  25. General Definitions • The parable features human characters, often in an agricultural context, and uses images from the lived experience of the anticipated audience to reveal hidden truth about the spiritual world. (parables of Jesus) • In contrast, the fable often uses animal characters to comment on social injustice and unequal power dynamics in hierarchal cultures. (fables of Aesop) • The fairy-tale includes not only men, women, and animals as characters, but supernatural beings as well, interweaving magic with the plot in order to address the psychological experiences of human beings: hopes, fears, wishes, and dreams. (myth of Cupid & Psyche)

  26. Image and Truth • “In the 19th century, Lisco and Fairbairn stated that in the parables of Jesus, "the image borrowed from the visible (material) world is accompanied by a truth from the invisible (spiritual) world.”

  27. Parables in Pearl • Parable of the Pearl of Great Price • Parable of the Treasure Hidden in the Field • Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard • Also consider the Parable of the Sower and the Parable of the Seine Net (Matt. 13)

  28. Fable Motifs in Pearl • Birds and birdsong in the dreamscape • Dreamer as mild hawk, dancing doe, and dazed quail • Dreamer’s protestations as if against social injustice in a hierarchical system … in the context of a strained relationship with a woman of elevated status • The Lamb • Moral lesson expressed as a proverb at the conclusion • “He gives us to be his humble servants / and precious pearls unto his pleasure”

  29. Fairy-tale Elements in Pearl • courtly love language and Song of Songs imagery • Love and the Soul • Cupid and Psyche • Orpheus and Eurydice • Pygmalion and Galatea • Setting: “Once upon a time” (cf. liturgical time in Pearl) and rarely place-specific, but rather intersects with supernatural places

  30. Review • How is the symbol of the pearl transformed in Pearl? • How can the relationship between the Maiden and the Dreamer be interpreted? • How might we interpret this poem literally, allegorically, morally, and anagogically? • Is the Dreamer consoled? What is the significance of the iconic bleeding Lamb? How does the Dreamer view the Lamb after awakening? • How does the highly wrought and obviously literary form of Pearl show the influence of traditional oral / aural folk-tale genres like the parable, fable, and fairy-tale?

  31. Works Cited • Beal • Bishop • Bowers • Carson • Cawley and Anderson • Earl • Field • Hillmann • Hamilton • Madeleva • Robertson • Schofield • Staley

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