The Scrivener’s Tale
The Scrivener’s Tale
John Milton’s Paradise Lost: Book 3 as if told by Chaucer
By Sumiko Saulson
A recounting of Satan’s deception of Uriel and subsequent entry into in Eden as if retold by Chaucer in Middle English. Written using “A Concise Dictionary of Middle English“
| Middle English | Modern English |
|
An accounte off on ongel wæs writ Uriel, Gate-ward of Holi Garite Deceiven derf Uriel wha had naut fautA freke ongel wha had fere nautHis moralitee silded his sightefrome thdeofell lihen in thnyght Hiden frome Uriel’s un-ware eies An accounte wryten of brazon Tricherie of thbryn-ston gobelin |
An account of an angel was writ Uriel, Gatekeeper of the Holy Garret Deceit of brave Uriel who had not fault A warrior angel who had fear not His morality shielded his sight From the devil lying in the night Hidden from Uriel’s unwary eyes An account written of brazen |
| Evesdropen dide he ouer heren A sours off mankin’s uncuð fer A Tre off Knowleche, forboden frut Once ate onan sinne and dæð ta root Tha dæde coste dære, paradis loste Tha dæde deeþ itself woulde cause Th Gabbere isechen to ma man fall Be he enemi off mankin all He bi-healde mankin wit jalousye Hopen to see man demenen rankely And to swo invoken Goddes’ wraththe Wa and waith an after-clap |
Eavesdropping did he overhear A source of mankind’s unknown fear A Tree of Knowledge forbidden fruit Once ate at once sin and death take root That deed’s cost dear, paradise lost That deed death itself would cause The liar sought to make man fall Be he enemy of mankind all He beheld mankind with jealousy Hoping to see man behave rebelliously And to so invoke God’s wrath Woe and peril in the aftermath |
SOURCES AND NOTES:
I primarily used “A Concise Dictionary of Middle English”, but when I couldn’t
find the world I was looking for, I also made use of the etymologies section in
the Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. Mayhew and Skeat’s “Concise
Dictionary of Middle English” contains three different ME regional dialects and
spans approximately 400 years. I did my best to imitate Chaucer’s variety of
ME, using “The Pardoner’s Tale” as a guide. My project “The Scrivener’s Tale”
refers primarily to events in Book Three of Milton’s “Paradise Lost” but it
does briefly mention some events early in Book Four. Notably absent is Milton’s
invoking the muse: I left that out on purpose because I couldn’t see Chaucer
doing that.
Mayhew, Anthony Lawson., and Walter William. Skeat. A
Concise Dictionary of Middle English: From A.D. 1150 to 1580. Oxford: At
the Clarendon, 1888.Http://www.gutenberg.org/files/10625/10625-h/main.html.
The Gutenberg Library. Web.
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~ by Sumiko Saulson on December 13, 2012.
Posted in Sumiko's Writing
Tags: Author, Chaucer, mash-up, Middle English, Milton, Paradise Lost, Scrivener, Scrivener's Tale, Sumiko Saulson
Sumiko Saulson 
Pardon the formatting fails… it lines up better in the original Word document.