The Harley Lyrics are a collection of 32 MIDDLE
ENGLISH lyric poems contained in the British Museum MS. Harley 2253. The manuscript was produced in the West Midlands (most likely Hereford
or Leominster) some time in the first half of the
14th century, though the poems themselves appear
to be from various parts of England. In addition
to the lyrics, the manuscript contains a variety of
material, including Anglo-Norman lyrics, SAINTS’
LIVES, and FABLIAUX, as well as Latin verse and
prose, mainly of a religious nature. The 32 English
poems are the earliest collection of lyrics in Middle
English assembled in one manuscript, and contain
more than half of the extant secular lyrics from
prior to the 15th century. They include some of the
most admired short poems of the English Middle
Ages.
The collection comprises a wide variety of
poems gathered from several authors and forms.
They show both a native English and a French influence. Their prosody displays remarkable range,
from complex rhymed stanzas to ALLITERATIVE
VERSE to TAIL–RHYME stanzas. In subject matter they
show no less diversity. There are political poems,
such as the one on the Battle of Lewes (1264) and
one on the famous Battle of Bannockburn (1314).
There are love songs, including the well-known
ALYSOUN, which praises the beauty of the speaker’s
lady, and the equally admired LENTEN IS COME WITH
LOVE TO TOUNE, which is essentially a REVERDIE rejoicing in the spring that brings love to the world.
Another famous Harley lyric, Blow, Northern
Wind, uses the foul weather of winter to convey the
feelings of the lover who cannot win his lady.
These and other poems in the manuscript show
the influence of the COURTLY LOVE conventions
popular in continental lyric poetry of the time.
There are also religious lyrics, including prayers
and songs of praise to the Virgin, as well as a kind
of love song to Christ called Suete Iesu, King of
blysse. Finally, there are poems that defy classification, like the humorous Man in the Moon that
takes a comic look at the mythic creature of the
heavens. Considered as a whole, the lyrics are lively
and fresh, rising above the conventionality of
much continental verse, yet the lyrics also show an
aesthetic sophistication suggesting a highly literate group of authors.
Robert Harley, first Earl of Oxford (1661–
1724), apparently acquired the manuscript shortly
before his death. It passed to his son, Edward
Harley, the second Earl, who was a well-known
book collector and a friend of Alexander Pope.
When the second earl died, his collection of 7,639
manuscripts was sold to the British nation, and became the cornerstone of the manuscript collection
in the British Library. Of these, the best-known
and arguably the most important manuscript is
number 2253, because of its invaluable collection
of lyrics.
Bibliography
Brook, G. L., ed. The Harley Lyrics: The Middle English
Lyrics of Ms. Harley 2253. 4th ed. Manchester,
U.K.: Manchester University Press, 1968.
Facsimile of British Museum MS. Harley 2253. With
an introduction by N. R. Ker. Early English Text
Society, o.s. 255. London: Published for the Early
English Text Society by the Oxford University
Press, 1965.
Ransom, Daniel J. Poets at Play: Irony and Parody in
the Harley Lyrics. Norman, Okla.: Pilgrim Books,
1985.