Spenser's letter to Sir Walter Raleigh knight in THE FAERIE QVEENE

怀抱花朵的孩子

Spenser's letter to Sir Walter Raleigh knight in THE FAERIE QVEENE

                                         A
49                Letter of the Authors expounding his
50        _whole intention in the course of this worke: which_
51          for that it giueth great light to the Reader, for
52                the better vnderstanding is hereunto
53                              annexed.
54
55   _To the Right noble, and Valorous,_
56     Raleigh knight, Lo. Wardein of the Stanneryes, and
57     her Maiesties liefetenaunt of the County of Corne-
58     wayll.
59
60   _Sir knowing how doubtfully all Allegories may be
61   construed, and this booke of mine, which I haue entituled the
62   Faery Queene, being a continued Allegory, or darke conceit, I
63   haue thought good aswell for auoyding of gealous opinions and
64   misconstructions, as also for your better light in reading
65   therof, (being so by you commanded,) to discouer vnto you
66   the general intention and meaning, which in the whole
67   course thereof I haue fashioned, without expressing of any
68   particular purposes or by accidents therein occasioned.  The
69   generall end therefore of all the booke is to fashion a
70   gentleman or noble person in vertuous and gentle discipline:
71   Which for that I conceiued shoulde be most plausible and
72   pleasing, being coloured with an historicall fiction, the which
73   the most part of men delight to read, rather for variety of
74   matter, then for profite of the ensample: I chose the historye of
75   king Arthure, as most fitte for the excellency of his person,
76   being made famous by many mens former workes, and also
77   furthest from the daunger of enuy, and suspition of present
78   time.  In which I haue followed all the antique Poets
79   historicall, first Homere, who in the Persons of Agamemnon
80   and Vlysses hath ensampled a good gouernour and a vertuous
81   man, the one in his Ilias, the other in his Odysseis: then
82   Virgil, whose like intention was to doe in the person of
83   Aeneas: after him Ariosto comprised them both in his
84   Orlando: and lately Tasso disseuered them againe, and formed
85   both parts in two persons, namely that part which they in
86   Philosophy call Ethice, or vertues of a priuate man, coloured
87   in his Rinaldo: The other named Politice in his Godfredo.
88   By ensample of which excellente Poets, I labour to pourtraict in
89   Arthure, before he was king, the image of a braue knight,
90   perfected in the twelue priuate morall vertues, as Aristotle hath
91   deuised, the which is the purpose of these first twelue bookes:
92   which if I finde to be well accepted, I may be perhaps
93   encoraged, to frame the other part of polliticke vertues in his
94   person, after that hee came to be king.  To some I know this
95   Methode will seeme displeasaunt, which had rather haue good
96   discipline deliuered plainly in way of precepts, or sermoned
97   at large, as they vse, then thus clowdily enwrapped in
98   Allegoricall deuises.  But such, me seeme, should be satisfide
99   with the vse of these dayes seeing all things accounted by
100   their showes, and nothing esteemed of, that is not delightfull
101   and pleasing to commune sence.  For this cause is Xenophon
102   preferred before Plato, for that the one in the exquisite depth
103   of his iudgement, formed a Commune welth such as it should
104   be, but the other in the person of Cyrus and the Persians
105   fashioned a gouernement such as might best be: So much
106   more profitable and gratious is doctrine by ensample,
107   then by rule.  So haue I laboured to doe in the person of Arthure:
108   whome I conceiue after his long education by Timon, to
109   whom he was by Merlin deliuered to be brought vp, so soone
110   as he was borne of the Lady Igrayne, to haue seene in a dream
111   or vision the Faery Queen, with whose excellent beauty
112   rauished, he awaking resolued to seeke her out, and so being
113   by Merlin armed, and by Timon throughly instructed, he
114   went to seeke her forth in Faerye land.  In that Faery Queene I
115   meane glory in my generall intention, but in my particular I
116   conceiue the most excellent and glorious person of our
117   soueraine the Queene, and her kingdome in Faery land.  And
118   yet in some places els, I doe otherwise shadow her.  For
119   considering she beareth two persons, the one of a most royall
120   Queene or Empresse, the other of a most vertuous and beautifull
121   Lady, this latter part in some places I doe ezpresse in Belph{oe}be,
122   fashioning her name according to your owne excellent
123   conceipt of Cynthia, (Ph{ae}be and Cynthia being both names
124   of Diana.)  So in the person of Prince Arthure I sette forth
125   magnificence in particular, which vertue for that (according to
126   Aristotle and the rest) it is the perfection of all the rest, and
127   conteineth in it them all, therefore in the whole course I
128   mention the deedes of Arthure applyable to that vertue, which
129   I write of in that booke.  But of the xii. other vertues, I
130   make xii. other knights the patrones, for the more variety
131   of the history: Of which these three bookes contayn three.  The
132   first of the knight of the Redcrosse, in whome I expresse
133   Holynes: The seconde of Sir Guyon, in whome I sette forth
134   Temperaunce: The third of Britomartis a Lady knight, in
135   whome I picture Chastity.  But because the beginning of the
136   whole worke seemeth abrupte and as depending vpon other
137   antecedents, it needs that ye know the occasion of these
138   three knights seuerall aduentures.  For the Methode of a Poet
139   historical is not such, as of an Historiographer.  For an
140   Historiographer discourseth of affayres orderly as they were
141   donne, accounting as well the times as the actions, but a Poet
142   thrusteth into the middest, euen where it most concerneth him,
143   and there recoursing to the thinges forepaste, and diuining
144   of thinges to come, maketh a pleasing Analysis of all.  The
145   beginning therefore of my history, if it were to be told by an
146   Historiographer should be the twelfth booke, which is the
147   last, where I deuise that the Faery Queene kept her Annuall
148   feaste xii. dayes, vppon which xii. seuerall dayes, the
149   occasions of the xii. seuerall aduentures hapned, which
150   being vndertaken by xii. seuerall knights, are in these
151   xii. books seuerally handled and discoursed.  The first
152   was this. In the beginning of the feast, there presented him selfe a
153   tall clownishe younge man, who falling before the Queen of
154   Faries desired a boone (as the manner then was) which
155   during that feast she might not refuse: which was that hee
156   might haue the atchieuement of any aduenture, which during
157   that feaste should happen, that being graunted, he rested him
158   on the floore, vnfitte through his rusticity for a better place.
159   Soone after entred a faire Ladye in mourning weedes, riding on a
160   white Asse, with a dwarfe behind her leading a warlike steed,
161   that bore the Armes of a knight, and his speare in the dwarfes
162   hand.  Shee falling before the Queene of Faeries, complayned
163   that her father and mother an ancient King and Queene, had
164   bene by an huge dragon many years shut vp in a brasen Castle,
165   who thence suffred them not to yssew: and therefore
166   besought the Faery Queene to assygne her some one of her
167   knights to take on him that exployt.  Presently that clownish
168   person vpstarting, desired that aduenture: whereat the
169   Queene much wondering, and the Lady much gainesaying, yet
170   he earnestly importuned his desire.  In the end the Lady told
171   him that vnlesse that armour which she brought, would serue
172   him (that is the armour of a Christian man specified by Saint
173   Paul v. Ephes.) that he could not succeed in that
174   enterprise, which being forthwith put vpon him with dewe
175   furnitures thereunto, he seemed the goodliest man in al that
176   company, and was well liked of the Lady.  And eftesoones taking
177   on him knighthood, and mounting on that straunge Courser,
178   he went forth with her on that aduenture: where beginneth the
179   first booke, vz._
180
181   A gentle knight was pricking on the playne. &c.
182
183        _The second day ther came in a Palmer bearing an Infant
184   with bloody hands, whose Parents he complained to haue
185   bene slayn by an Enchaunteresse called Acrasia: and therfore
186   craued of the Faery Queene, to appoint him some knight, to
187   performe that aduenture, which being assigned to Sir
188   Guyon, he presently went forth with that same Palmer:
189   which is the beginning of the second booke and the whole
190   subiect thereof.  The third day there came in, a Groome who
191   complained before the Faery Queene, that a vile Enchaunter
192   called Busirane had in hand a most faire Lady called Amoretta,
193   whom he kept in most grieuous torment, because she would
194   not yield him the pleasure of her body.  Whereupon Sir
195   Scudamour the louer of that Lady presently tooke on him
196   that aduenture.  But being vnable to performe it by reason of
197   the hard Enchauntments, after long sorrow, in the end met
198   with Britomartis, who succoured him, and reskewed his loue.
199        But by occasion hereof, many other aduentures are
200   intermedled, but rather as Accidents, then intendments.  As
201   the loue of Britomart, the ouerthrow of Marinell, the misery
202   of Florimell, the vertuousnes of Belph{oe}be, the
203   lasciuiousnes of Hellenora, and many the like.
204        Thus much Sir, I haue briefly ouerronne to direct your
205   vnderstanding to the wel-head of the History, that from
206   thence gathering the whole intention of the conceit, ye may
207   as in a handfull gripe al the discourse, which otherwise may
208   happily seeme tedious and confused.  So humbly crauing the
209   continuaunce of your honorable fauour towards me, and
210   th'eternall establishment of your happines, I humbly take leaue.
211                                              23. Ianuary. 1589._
212
213                               Yours most humbly affectionate.
214                                                       Ed. Spenser.

[ 本帖最后由 duessa 于 2006-11-16 10:40 PM 编辑 ]

duessa

I love Spenser's poems very much, especially The Faerie Queene. But I do not have a copy of that book now at hand and I don't like reading on net, or maybe I can say something about it. What a pity!

怀抱花朵的孩子

It's a great pity indeed!
I like this book also, and I am reading it on net, I can't find its copy in our university library. I find it not so difficult for me like how I have imagined.
I like his poetic expression, romantic,legendy,and so on.His language is very beautiful and clear,yes, clear.I like that.

duessa

Edmund Spenser was born in London about 1552, and died there in 1599. He was the greatest of the non-dramatic poets of the age of Elizabeth; and the “Faerie Queene” is the longest and most famous of his works. The first three books were published in 1590, the second three in 1596; of the remaining six which he had planned some fragments were issued after his death. The poem is a combination of allegory and romance; and in this prefactory letter to Raleigh the poet himself explains the plan of the work and its main allegorical signification.