Irrespective of your point of view, that is, as to whether or not you are religious, today, for me, belongs to St. Valentine, though if you are not religious, no harm is done by your calling it, Valentines Day.
As for the day belonging to lovers and would be lovers, rather than to a third century Christian saint and martyr, it seems that it was Geoffrey Chaucer, author of The Canterbury Tales,, Troilus and Criseyde, and other great works, who set the ball rolling in that particular directions, with, The Parlement of Foulys; a poem that has lost some of its charm, since in contemporary English, it is known as, The Parliament of Birds. And the scholars tell us, that it was "probably" written in 1383, so as to be ready for St. Valentine's Day.
Now as this poem runs to 21 pages, and it has never been my intention to discuss it in detail, you will have to be content with a flavour of what it was that Chaucer achieved, all those centuries ago, in, The Parlement of Foulys. And a part of what makes this piece fascinating, is, that in its characterisations it is mischievously contemporary.
At the outset, and before the Parliament of Birds has assembled, Chaucer, whoa has been reading, is in reflective mood:
So short is life, so long to learn its art!
So hard the trial, so keen our least success!Our perilous joys, so swift to leave the heart!
All this I link with Love, and I confess
Myself astounded by his artfulness,
Which brings such pain that when I pause and think,
I'm hardly certain whether I float or sink.
For though I know not Love in every deed,
Nor how he pays the folk who've earned their hire,
It happens that in books I often read
About his miracles and cruel ire,
And resolution to be Lord and Sire:
And since his blows are fierce, "God save that Lord!"
Is all I dare say - not another word.
Then with the Parliament Of Birds assembled, (as was the custom on St. Valentine's Day), and according to rank as determined by nature, Nature herself, presiding, presents "a fornel eagle, quite the loveliest", as natures greatest achievement; and that in turn, prompts a succession of eagle suitors, in descending order of rank, to declare their undying love, and promise of fidelity. But soon there is uproar among the assembled birds, who, anxious to find their own mate, tire of this public pasturing:
So loudly through the air the bird-calls flew
To be set free - "Have done, and let us go!"
I thought the forest would have burst in two.
"Come on!" they cried, "You'll bring us all to woe!
This curst debate must stop! When will it so?
How can a judge without a sign of proof
Resolve the case on my bird's behoof?"
Then cried the goose, the duck, the cuckoo too
"Kek-kek!" Quack quack! Cuckoo! Cuckoo!" so high -
That with the din my ears were riddled through.
"All this," the goose said, "isn't worth a fly!
I've got a thorough cure for it, have I.:
Whoever's pleased or cross, my vote I cast
For water-birds, and do it loud and fast."
But as you would expect in a parliament, the tensions subside; and order is restored; with each of the species selecting one of their own to address the Parliament, a task, which some of them accomplish, with wisdom, and wit.
As told, the story is a dream, with Chaucer having fallen asleep while reading tales of romance, a story that ends when he awakes, and as he tells us, carries on reading.
_______________
And just as interesting, though for different reasons, is the idea of St. Valentine's Day belonging to one particular Valentine. There are in fact, 14 of them, three of whom were martyred at Rome, and two of them on this date, February the 14th.
We are in the third century, at a time when the persecution of Christians, wherever they were to be found in the Roman Empire, was a common occurrence. And there was no shortage of cruel methods, by which, they were put to death. Some, for sport were pitted against wild beasts, while others were crucified, or thrown into pits of lime, or burned at the stake, or lowered into vats of hot oil. And some, quite literally, were roasted alive on grids. And what perplexed the Roman rulers as much as the lives of these early Christians, was their willingness to die for Christ, rather than accept the alternative, which was to worship the gods that the Romans worshipped, and live. What they, the Romans feared, was what they could not understand, a way of life that was diametrically opposed to the brutal methods by which the Romans exercised power.
Stepping back in time, into the second century, when Pliny was appointed magistrate, in Bythnia-Pontus, by the Emperor Trajan, Pliny was surprised and alarmed by the number of Christians that he found there, And having questioned some, and put others to death, for their obstinacy: their refused to worship the Emperor, or offer wine to the Roman gods, he wrote to Trajan asking for advice as to how to deal with them, because according to his informants, the Christian way of life, could not br considered a threat to the imperial power. To Trajan he wrote: -
"This the information told me was the whole of their crime or mistake, that they were accustomed to assemble on a stated day before dawn, and to say together a hymn, to Christ as a god, and to bind themselves by an oath, [sacramento] (not to any crime, but to the contrary) to keep from theft, robbery, adultery, breach of promise, and appropriating deposits.After this they used to separate, and then meet again for a meal, which was social and harmless. However, they left that off, after my edict about their meeting."
_______________
And something else that gives significance to St. Valentine's Day, is, that it is my birthday; and this year, (despite a youthful premonition that I would die young), I am celebrating three score years and ten. And when, a few days ago, a card arrived bearing a rather large 70, I found myself gazing at it in near disbelief, and thinking, - numbers don't mean what they used to.
And something else has arrived. that I had not foreseen or planned for.
In a weeks time I will be visiting the Norwich & Norfolk University Hospital, to discuss with a surgeon, her suggestion that I should have Mohs surgery on my nose, the idea being, to remove "a non life threatening cancer." As I understand it, Mohs surgery is a painstaking procedure, that requires an hour of waiting, each time a portion of tissue is removed for analysis. And it is painstaking also, so as to do as little damage as possible, to what are described as "sensitive" areas, (by which I think they mean, those areas of the body where disfigurement from surgery would be visible. And by this method, if necessary, they will keep removing tissue and analysing it, until all traces of the cancer have gone.
On my first visit to the hospital, when the biopsies were taken, my nose was photographed from every imaginable angle, and what I don't know until I meet the surgeon, is how far these abnormal cells have spread into the nasal tissue. As the cancer is at the tip of my nose, the best case scenario is, that the treatment required will be minimal. But on the other hand, I could be facing reconstructive surgery.
And as if that were not sufficient, on the back of my right hand I have some small crusts, and several areas of heightened pigment, so at the same time as the biopsies were taken, I took the opportunity to to have it confirmed, that these are pre-cancerous lesions, and was told that if they were left untreated, they will mutate and become life threatening. And they also confirmed what I had read previously on the Internet, that these lesions if caught in time, can be treated successfully with an ointment.
So a few days ago, and in the context of the Mohs surgery, I phoned the hospital and asked at what point these lesions would be treated; and gave as my reason for wanting to know, the fact that since I had seen them last, a lesion, an inch or so behind the wrist, and that was of no consequence at the time of my visit, has assumed a life of its own. And when I described the change, (that it was growing upwards like a stalagmite), it was clear from the reaction at the other end, that this was a potentially serious turn of events. It was a change, I was told, that they would have wanted to know about, and, in the circumstances, they would want to see me, "sooner rather than later!" But in this instance, as I had an appointment to meet the surgeon in just over a week, we were agreed hat it could wait until then.
So how does all this affect my birthday celebrations? Not at all. As a family, and as planned, we will live as kings and queens for a day. And I will enjoy tomorrow, and the day after that, and so on, remembering the words of Christ to his disciples; when he told them not to worry, and which I prefer in the old translation.
"Sufficient for the day" he told them, "is the evil thereof"
And I will hope to live life to the full for another thirty years. But if it is to be three, that's another story, about which, for the moment at least, I have no anxiety whatever.
And lest I forget, and as it is St.Valentine's Day, I think I should try to explain how Chaucer may have come to make the connection between St Valentine and young love. legend has it, that before he was martyred, St Valentine wrote an affectionate letter, and gave it as a parting gift, to his jailers daughter.
As for you, if you are young and in love, or not so young, but an eternal optimist, (provided that they are good for you), may your dreams - come true.
_______________
© Cormac McCloskey
Image of St Valentine
Catholic Online - here
The Parliament of Birds
Taken from Love Visions
by Geoffrey Chaucer
Translation by Brian Stone
Publisher: Penguin Classics (1983)
Pliny quotation taken from
An Essay In Aid of A Grammar Of Assent
Author: John Henry Newman
Publisher: Elibron Classics
ISBN 1-4021-3523-8
www.elibron.com
Do Not Worry
The Gospel of Matthew 6. 25-32
Luke 12. 22-31
Gospel quotation Matthew 625-34
Stepping back in time, into the second century, when Pliny was appointed magistrate, in Bythnia-Pontus, by the Emperor Trajan, Pliny was surprised and alarmed by the number of Christians that he found there, And having questioned some, and put others to death, for their obstinacy: their refused to worship the Emperor, or offer wine to the Roman gods, he wrote to Trajan asking for advice as to how to deal with them, because according to his informants, the Christian way of life, could not br considered a threat to the imperial power. To Trajan he wrote: -
"This the information told me was the whole of their crime or mistake, that they were accustomed to assemble on a stated day before dawn, and to say together a hymn, to Christ as a god, and to bind themselves by an oath, [sacramento] (not to any crime, but to the contrary) to keep from theft, robbery, adultery, breach of promise, and appropriating deposits.After this they used to separate, and then meet again for a meal, which was social and harmless. However, they left that off, after my edict about their meeting."
_______________
And something else that gives significance to St. Valentine's Day, is, that it is my birthday; and this year, (despite a youthful premonition that I would die young), I am celebrating three score years and ten. And when, a few days ago, a card arrived bearing a rather large 70, I found myself gazing at it in near disbelief, and thinking, - numbers don't mean what they used to.
And something else has arrived. that I had not foreseen or planned for.
In a weeks time I will be visiting the Norwich & Norfolk University Hospital, to discuss with a surgeon, her suggestion that I should have Mohs surgery on my nose, the idea being, to remove "a non life threatening cancer." As I understand it, Mohs surgery is a painstaking procedure, that requires an hour of waiting, each time a portion of tissue is removed for analysis. And it is painstaking also, so as to do as little damage as possible, to what are described as "sensitive" areas, (by which I think they mean, those areas of the body where disfigurement from surgery would be visible. And by this method, if necessary, they will keep removing tissue and analysing it, until all traces of the cancer have gone.
On my first visit to the hospital, when the biopsies were taken, my nose was photographed from every imaginable angle, and what I don't know until I meet the surgeon, is how far these abnormal cells have spread into the nasal tissue. As the cancer is at the tip of my nose, the best case scenario is, that the treatment required will be minimal. But on the other hand, I could be facing reconstructive surgery.
And as if that were not sufficient, on the back of my right hand I have some small crusts, and several areas of heightened pigment, so at the same time as the biopsies were taken, I took the opportunity to to have it confirmed, that these are pre-cancerous lesions, and was told that if they were left untreated, they will mutate and become life threatening. And they also confirmed what I had read previously on the Internet, that these lesions if caught in time, can be treated successfully with an ointment.
So a few days ago, and in the context of the Mohs surgery, I phoned the hospital and asked at what point these lesions would be treated; and gave as my reason for wanting to know, the fact that since I had seen them last, a lesion, an inch or so behind the wrist, and that was of no consequence at the time of my visit, has assumed a life of its own. And when I described the change, (that it was growing upwards like a stalagmite), it was clear from the reaction at the other end, that this was a potentially serious turn of events. It was a change, I was told, that they would have wanted to know about, and, in the circumstances, they would want to see me, "sooner rather than later!" But in this instance, as I had an appointment to meet the surgeon in just over a week, we were agreed hat it could wait until then.
So how does all this affect my birthday celebrations? Not at all. As a family, and as planned, we will live as kings and queens for a day. And I will enjoy tomorrow, and the day after that, and so on, remembering the words of Christ to his disciples; when he told them not to worry, and which I prefer in the old translation.
"Sufficient for the day" he told them, "is the evil thereof"
And I will hope to live life to the full for another thirty years. But if it is to be three, that's another story, about which, for the moment at least, I have no anxiety whatever.
And lest I forget, and as it is St.Valentine's Day, I think I should try to explain how Chaucer may have come to make the connection between St Valentine and young love. legend has it, that before he was martyred, St Valentine wrote an affectionate letter, and gave it as a parting gift, to his jailers daughter.
As for you, if you are young and in love, or not so young, but an eternal optimist, (provided that they are good for you), may your dreams - come true.
_______________
© Cormac McCloskey
Image of St Valentine
Catholic Online - here
The Parliament of Birds
Taken from Love Visions
by Geoffrey Chaucer
Translation by Brian Stone
Publisher: Penguin Classics (1983)
Pliny quotation taken from
An Essay In Aid of A Grammar Of Assent
Author: John Henry Newman
Publisher: Elibron Classics
ISBN 1-4021-3523-8
www.elibron.com
Do Not Worry
The Gospel of Matthew 6. 25-32
Luke 12. 22-31
Gospel quotation Matthew 625-34
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