Westron Wynde (Western Wind) — Medieval Lyric: Reading and Analysis
Is the west wind a spring wind bringing relief, or an autumn wind intensifying suffering? Is the invocation of Christ blasphemous or heartfelt — or both? And what is it about this tiny fragment that gives it such universal appeal? As Charles Frey argues, the poem stands at the intersection of pleasure and pain — capturing what he calls "the incalculable duality of desire."
0:00 Introduction
0:12 The melody
0:57 Reading (original text)
1:20 Reading (in modern English)
1:33 Analysis
2:27 Charles Frey's paper
2:51 Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales"
3:09 "Christ"
3:34 The musical accompaniment
3:48 Interpreting the overall meaning
4:22 The juxtaposition of the first two lines and the second two
5:10 The manuscript
5:35 Alliteration
6:08 Words, music and images
My medieval playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSgwv...
If your language is not included in the subtitles, let me know and I will add it.
Westron wynde when wyll thow blow
the smalle rayne downe can Rayne
Cryst yf my love were in my Armys
And I yn my bed Agayne.
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