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Middle English Texts
The Poems of Robert Henryson
In this new edition of The Poems of Robert Henryson, David Parkinson offers editions of Henryson's Fables, The Testament of Cresseid, Orpheus and Eurydice, and twelve shorter poems (grouped according to the strength of their attribution to Henryson), as well as the glosses and explanatory and textual notes characteristic of Middle English Texts Series volumes.
In an extensive introduction, Parkinson discusses what is known of Henryson's life, the publication history of the poems, and Henryson's language. As Parkinson notes, Henryson's poems involve an ongoing concern with the function of poetry itself as a blend of truth and fiction in a world in which falsehood is the wellspring of corruption; in operation, the figure of the poet may be analogous to the foxes he repeatedly places at the center of his narratives. Hence arises an abiding concern about the abuses of the natural capacity for playful imitation, for selfish ends.
In an extensive introduction, Parkinson discusses what is known of Henryson's life, the publication history of the poems, and Henryson's language. As Parkinson notes, Henryson's poems involve an ongoing concern with the function of poetry itself as a blend of truth and fiction in a world in which falsehood is the wellspring of corruption; in operation, the figure of the poet may be analogous to the foxes he repeatedly places at the center of his narratives. Hence arises an abiding concern about the abuses of the natural capacity for playful imitation, for selfish ends.
313 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1475
30 people want to read
About the author
Robert Henryson
73 books8 followersRobert Henryson (1425 - 1506) was a Scottish poet who worked as a schoolmaster in the Royal Burgh of Dunfermline after studying church law at Glasgow University. His most popular works were his Scots versions of Aesop's Fables.
Counted among the Scots Makars, he was a distinctive voice in the Northern Renaissance at a time when culture was on a cusp between medieval and renaissance sensibilities.
Henryson's writing consists mainly of narrative works highly inventive in their development of story-telling techniques. He generally achieved a canny balance of humour and high seriousness which is often multi-layered in its effects. This is especially so in his Morall Fabillis, in which he expresses a consistent but complex world view that seems standard, on the surface, vis a vis the major ruling power of the church, while containing critical and questioning elements. This range is further extended in his Testament of Cresseid with its more tragic vision. Overall, his themes and tone convey an attractive impression of humanity and compassionate intellect. He was a subtle rhetorician and remains to this day one of the finest in the Scots language.
Counted among the Scots Makars, he was a distinctive voice in the Northern Renaissance at a time when culture was on a cusp between medieval and renaissance sensibilities.
Henryson's writing consists mainly of narrative works highly inventive in their development of story-telling techniques. He generally achieved a canny balance of humour and high seriousness which is often multi-layered in its effects. This is especially so in his Morall Fabillis, in which he expresses a consistent but complex world view that seems standard, on the surface, vis a vis the major ruling power of the church, while containing critical and questioning elements. This range is further extended in his Testament of Cresseid with its more tragic vision. Overall, his themes and tone convey an attractive impression of humanity and compassionate intellect. He was a subtle rhetorician and remains to this day one of the finest in the Scots language.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 27, 2025
"Thocht feinyeit fabils of ald poetre
Be not al grunded upon truth, yit than
Thair polite termes of sweit rhetore
Richt plesand ar unto the eir of man
And als the caus quhy that thay first began
Wes to repreif thee of thi misleving,
O man, be figure of ane uther thing,
In lyke maner as throw a bustious eird,
Swa it be laubourit with grit diligence,
Springis the flouris and the corne abreird
Hailsum and gude to mannis sustenence,
Sa springis thar a morall sweit sentence
Oute of the subtell dyte of poetry
To gude purpois, quha culd it weill apply."
Be not al grunded upon truth, yit than
Thair polite termes of sweit rhetore
Richt plesand ar unto the eir of man
And als the caus quhy that thay first began
Wes to repreif thee of thi misleving,
O man, be figure of ane uther thing,
In lyke maner as throw a bustious eird,
Swa it be laubourit with grit diligence,
Springis the flouris and the corne abreird
Hailsum and gude to mannis sustenence,
Sa springis thar a morall sweit sentence
Oute of the subtell dyte of poetry
To gude purpois, quha culd it weill apply."
August 1, 2016
"The nuttis schell thocht it be hard and teuch
Haldis the kirnell sweit and delectabill,
Sa lyis thar ane doctrine wyse aneuch
And fill of frute under one fenyeit fabill,
And clerkis sayis it is riche profitabill
Amangis ernist to ming ane merie sport
To blyth the spreit and gar the tyme be schort."
-Fables: Prologue
This particular work took me a long time because the language was so difficult. Not only is this Middle English, but it's a 15th-century Scots dialect, which means it's not very similar to Chaucer or really anyone else I've read from generally similar time periods. Of course, I owe thanks to my followers here for recommending this author to me; Henryson's cycle of fables actually strikes me as very important, if nothing else.
Despite grappling with this weird dialect the whole time, I actually enjoyed Henryson's interpretations and expansions on fables, some being from Aesop and others being from other sources (Chaucer is definitely used). His morals are clearly presented after the story itself is told, and often times the moral being told is not too uncommon for medieval thought. However, any insight into the literature of the time is valuable to me, so these fables really opened my eyes.
There were a couple of other poems in this collection, including two retellings of previous stories (Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde and the Orpheus and Eurydice myth) as well as several short poems. What I was really surprised to see were a couple of poems outlining how to make various medicines at the time. Talk about valuable information about the time period. Want to know a recipe for a cough medicine? Apparently Henryson knows one.
Overall, I must warn the general reader that this poetry is really, really hard. I took two months to read it, and I usually am a fast reader. So while I recommend it to anyone who is into medieval work like me, I would say you'd need to be at least a little experienced in your studies if you wish to read any untranslated.
Haldis the kirnell sweit and delectabill,
Sa lyis thar ane doctrine wyse aneuch
And fill of frute under one fenyeit fabill,
And clerkis sayis it is riche profitabill
Amangis ernist to ming ane merie sport
To blyth the spreit and gar the tyme be schort."
-Fables: Prologue
This particular work took me a long time because the language was so difficult. Not only is this Middle English, but it's a 15th-century Scots dialect, which means it's not very similar to Chaucer or really anyone else I've read from generally similar time periods. Of course, I owe thanks to my followers here for recommending this author to me; Henryson's cycle of fables actually strikes me as very important, if nothing else.
Despite grappling with this weird dialect the whole time, I actually enjoyed Henryson's interpretations and expansions on fables, some being from Aesop and others being from other sources (Chaucer is definitely used). His morals are clearly presented after the story itself is told, and often times the moral being told is not too uncommon for medieval thought. However, any insight into the literature of the time is valuable to me, so these fables really opened my eyes.
There were a couple of other poems in this collection, including two retellings of previous stories (Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde and the Orpheus and Eurydice myth) as well as several short poems. What I was really surprised to see were a couple of poems outlining how to make various medicines at the time. Talk about valuable information about the time period. Want to know a recipe for a cough medicine? Apparently Henryson knows one.
Overall, I must warn the general reader that this poetry is really, really hard. I took two months to read it, and I usually am a fast reader. So while I recommend it to anyone who is into medieval work like me, I would say you'd need to be at least a little experienced in your studies if you wish to read any untranslated.
November 14, 2025
Move the poor man up from C-list. Only a little bit though.
December 18, 2025
(but 5 whole stars for Orpheus and Eurydice!)
December 27, 2007
Second edition 1974, which was when I acquired this book. And it has stayed present in my mind since.
May 14, 2015
Another forgotten gem. The animal fables are more complicated than they look.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews