Patience

Patience is currently the only one of the four poems in British Library MS Cotton Nero A.x that has not been translated into modern idiomatic poetry. The poem uses the biblical story of Jonah as an exemplum but expands on its Old Testament sources with startling poetic effects, vivid descriptions of the natural world, and probing theological questions. This new edition, with a lively, alliterative facing-page translation, will enable students and general readers, as well as scholars, to study and enjoy this poem.

A critical introduction explores the poem’s themes, poetics, and social and political contexts, and a rich selection of historical appendices includes biblical sources, contemporary analogues, visual material from the Cotton Nero A.x manuscript and other illuminated manuscripts, and maps of the world of the poem.

Helen Barr is Emeritus Professor at Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford.