CHAUCER, GEOFFREY / RICHMOND, E. B.
The earliest of Chaucer`s major works, this charming and absorbing dreampoem is traditionally read as an allegorical elegy for Blanche of Lancaster, John of Gaunt`s first wife. A sleepless poet lies in his bed, reading the legend of Ceyx and Alcyone, wishing that he might be granted rest. He finally falls asleep, only to have a beautiful vision. Dreaming himself in a chamber with stained glass windows that portray the tale of Troy, the poet hears the sound of a hunting party, which he hurries to join. When the hunt disbands, he follows a small dog into a forest, where he meets a black knight, mourning the loss of his love. The poet cannot understand the exact nature of the knight`s grief until the very end of his dream, when he wakes, book still in hand. Reluctant to forget such a wonderful dream, he determines to put it down in verse.
Geoffrey Chaucer va néixer probablement a Londres el 1342 i hi va morir el 1400. Assistent del rei Eduard III, diplomàtic a Flandes, Gènova i França, traductor de Boeci i del Roman de la Rose, abans dels trenta anys va compondre el seu primer poema original, el Book of the Duchesse. Més tard va escriure el que s'ha volgut veure com la primera novel·la anglesa, Troilus and Criseyde, que va ser represa per Shakespeare en una cèlebre tragèdia. Però la fama li va arribar pels Contes de Canterbury, començats cap el 1386, que el van col·locar en un lloc d'honor no solament en la literatura anglesa, sinó també en la universal.
