In contrast with his mediæval counterpart, a nineteenth-century poet who sings in praise of the Blessed Virgin seldom approaches Mary in the guise of a sorrowful sinner, mourning his imperfections. We look in vain for such humble confessions as the mediæval:
. . . me þet am zuo wylde I who am so wild
uram zenne þou me ssylde from sin do thou shield me
ase ich þe bydde can . . . if I may [so] pray [beg] thee
[4-6]
Clearly, therefore, the sinner-mentality so universally present in the mediæval poet appears to be absent from the work of the nineteenth-century poets. It may, however, still be discerned fleetingly in Thompson's description of himself as a poor Thief.
There is a tremendous sense of reverence to be found in mediæval Marian praise poems. The mediæval Christian highly honoured the Blessed Virgin. Therefore it is highly unlikely that he would have described the Blessed Virgin pictured on a painting as some kneeling girl with passionless pale face, the way Oscar Wilde did in the nineteenth century. This indicates that in the intervening centuries some poets had changed in attitude towards religious matters and appeared to have lost the spiritual innocence of an earlier age. Moreover, Wilde's dismay at the simplicity of the Annunciation scene shows that ostentation was highly prized in the visually-oriented outlook of the nineteenth century in contrast to the uncluttered simplicity valued by those who worshipped in mediæval times.
In contrast with his humbler mediæval brother who is nearly always the suppliant, the nineteenth-century poet at times almost seems to be writing as though from a position of power and certitude. He may even at times betray a condescension, albeit a gracious one, to his subject, Mary. This could mean that he uses the same themes, eg Ave/Eva, or Mary as mother, sister, spouse and daughter, as the mediæval poets, but that he uses them in different ways. While the mediæval poet loses himself in wonderment, the nineteenth century is sometimes seen as using his subject to foreground his own cleverness. What is best about this cleverness, however, is that it is more readily understandable to the modern reader than Donne's metaphysical interpretation. Whilst the mediæval poems have the clarity of simplicity, the nineteenth century may have a clarity of the intellectual mind, which focuses on communicating knowledge, intent and insight, rather than on disguising these attributes.
Poet from both periods tend to take their Marian imagery from the Bible. Before 1350, William of Shoreham in Marye, Mayde mylde and fre addressed Mary as þe slinge, [and her] Sone [as] þe ston/þat dauy slange golye op-on [25-26], þe coluere of noe [13], iudith, þat fayre wyf [37], hester þate swete þinge [43], þe temple salomen [31] and þe gate so stronge so stel/Ac euere y-schet fram manne [51-52]. Six centuries later, Christina Rossetti addresses her as fruitful shoot from Jesse's root [2] and Francis Thompsom compares her to a Breathing Eden [46].
Flower imagery is similarly found in the Marian poetry of both eras. St Godric calls Mary moderes flur [6], in a macaronic verse she is addressed as rose sine spina [rose without thorns] [6] and in a third mediæval poem she is called quite as leli floure [12]. In the nineteenth century, Christina Rossetti still calls Mary rose [1] and fair lily [2].
Judging from their Marian poetry, poets of the nineteenth century had less empathy with Christ's sufferings on the cross than did their mediæval counterparts. Their panegyrics were more lofty; their poetry was more multi-syllabic. Though not all of them shared the simplicity and brevity of the mediæval poet, the connection between the world of nature and the spiritual emotion was made by poets of both eras. Of all the occasions in Mary's life, both the mediæval and the nineteenth-century poets as well as those few who lived and wrote between these two eras appear to have been most inspired by the Annunciation and the Assumption of Mary body and soul into heaven. However, whereas the poets of the Middle Ages frequently wrote poems concerning Christ's Crucifixion, this does not seem to have been the case in the nineteenth century.
So, in sum, somes areas of content are similar - celelbration of Biblical events, themes like Mary's role in redemption [Eve/Ave] or her relation to the Divinity - but the forms of the poems tend to be more complex and sophisticated in the nineteenth century. Moreover, aspects such as attitude [which includes the cerebral nature of some of the nineteenth-century poets] also differ. Nevertheless, the intention, which is praise of Mary for her recognised role, seems the same.
The contrast between the tenor of Marian poetry in its two golden ages is notable. Their similarities would appear to have arisen from the sincerity and earnest desire to sing the praises of the most blessed of all human beings which shines like a beacon from the vast corpus of Marian poetry.
In her Magnificat, the Blessed Virgin predicted that thenceforth all generations would call her blessed, In English poetry during the centuries, these words have indeed proved prophetic and we have seen their truth in extant English poetry dating from the Anglo-Saxon era, when English [though in a completely different guise from the way it is written today] first appeared in written form, until the late nineteenth century.
Dr Luky Whittle
Mary Queen of Heaven in the Bible
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Mary+Queen+of+Heaven&&view=detail&mid=5FD2A9369FDC4E7722745FD2A9369FDC4E772274&FORM=VRDGAR
Perfect Love [Mary's Song]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glrQXIl_YNs
With thanks to Bing.com
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