Saturday, February 11, 2006
“steer” meaning “rudder” in Chaucer
...among the Middle English tidbits noticed in Chaucer’s “Complaint to His Purse”—a poem he wrote to the king to oh-so-subtly suggest that the king was behind on his payments to Chaucer. Upon receiving this poem, the king paid up.
The ME text with this gloss:
To yow, my purse, and to noon other wight
To you, my purse, and to none other wight[person],Complayne I, for ye be my lady dere!
Complain I, for ye be my lady dear!I am so sory, now that ye been lyght;
I am sorry now that ye be so light,
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