(baptized 29 June 1574 – 1620).
English poet. His relationship with William Shakespeare has long made him interesting to scholars. It has been suggested that he was the “rival poet” mentioned in Shakespeare’s sonnets.
Richard Barnfield. Photo: pennyspoetry.fandom.com
As it fell upon a day in the merry month of May, sitting in a pleasant shade which a grove of myrtles made.
Photo: Dan Senior. Meaning 📖 📝:Style and emotional value: The line evokes a typical ‘pastoral’ atmosphere: 🌿 spring / May → cheerfulness, love, new life, 🌸 myrtle → traditional symbol of ‘love’ and ‘beauty’, 🌳 ‘shady spot’ → peace, nature, contemplation. It is therefore an ‘idyllic opening formula’: a beautiful, peaceful spring scene in which something sensitive or poetic is about to follow. 🏛️ Origin: English Renaissance lyric poetry. These lines come from ‘Elizabethan poetry’ of the late 16th century. Important source: The lines are known from: “The Passionate Pilgrim” (1599). That is a collection that appeared at the time under the name William Shakespeare. However, not all poems in it are actually by Shakespeare. Probable earlier author: The lines in question are generally associated with: Richard Barnfield (1574–1620). They are believed to have been printed earlier in Barnfield’s work from 1598. 👤 Author: Shakespeare or Barnfield? Probably: Richard Barnfield. The current literary view is usually: not Shakespeare, but Richard Barnfield. Why the confusion? In 1599, the poem appeared in a collection attributed to Shakespeare. Later research showed that various texts in that collection were likely by ‘other poets’. These opening lines are often regarded as ‘Barnfield’s work’. Carefully put.It is safest to say: The lines are traditionally associated with Shakespeare, but are nowadays usually attributed to Richard Barnfield. 📚 The original English lines: As it fell upon a day, In the merry month of May, Sitting in a pleasant shade Which a grove of myrtles made…
Door Pieter
Mensenmens, zoon, echtgenoot, vader, opa.
Spiritueel, echter niet religieus.
Ik hou van golf, wandelen, lezen en de natuur in veel opzichten.
Onderzoeker, nieuwsgierig, geen fan van de mainstream media (MSM).
