Composed in the early fourteenth century, c.1330, Lay le Freine is a close Middle English translation of Marie de France’s late twelfth century Lai le Fresne. The Middle English text retains the lay form, being composed of short couplets and comprising 408 lines (making it slightly shorter than the French poem, which is 518 lines). It was likely composed in south east England and is extant in a single manuscript, National Library of Scotland Advocates 19.2.1, or the Auchinleck manuscript.
Composed in the early fourteenth century, c.1330,
Lay le Freineis a close Middle English translation of Marie de France’s late twelfth century
Lai le Fresne. The Middle English text retains the lay form, being composed of short couplets and comprising 408 lines (making it slightly shorter…
1362 words
Citation: Bolton, Kirsty. "Lai La Fresne". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 22 January 2021 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=39376, accessed 23 November 2024.]
