
For this was on Seynt Valentynes day, | |
Whan every foul cometh ther to chese his make, | |
Of every kinde, that men thynke may; | |
And that so huge a noyse gan they make, | |
That erthe and see, and tree, and every lake | |
So ful was, that unnethe was ther space | |
For me to stonde, so ful was al the place. |
This is the first reference to St Valentines as a romantic day. There are at least three Saint Valentines who were martyred in the Roman period and their relics are scattered around Europe (have a look at this National Geographic article for the full S.P.) But until Chaucer no one seemed to link any of them with love.
Chaucer’s poem suggests one possible route to the link with romance. This is about the time when birds pair off – if they want to have their chicks at optimal time, then they need to get going before spring has really sprung.
This is my translation.
For this was St. Valentine’s Day
When every bird came there to chose their mate.
Of every type that men think may
And that so huge a noise did they make
That earth and see and tree and every lake
So full was, that hardly was there space
For to stand so full was the place.Magpies are my favourite love bird, because you see one, and then look around and you soon seen the pair. There is an old tradition that you are supposed to say
‘Hello, Mr Magpie! How’s your wife’
and its good luck if you see her and not if you don’t. But I normally do. As to the seven, ten, or thirteen magpie in various versions. They always seem in pairs to me.
One for sorrow,
Two for joy,
Three for a girl,
Four for a boy,
Five for silver,
Six for gold,
Seven for a secret,
Never to be told.
Eight for a wish,
Nine for a kiss,
Ten a surprise you should be careful not to miss,
Eleven for health,
Twelve for wealth,
Thirteen beware it’s the devil himself.
For details of the versions of this poem click here: