The Parliament of Fowls

In 1375, the English poet Geoffrey Chaucer wrote the “Parliament of Fowls,” a 700-line verse poem in which the narrator falls asleep and dreams of a beautiful garden.

“upon an hille of floures,
Was set this noble goddesse Nature;”

Nature is presiding over a debate between three high-ranking eagles, all of whom are vying for the attentions of a beautiful female. The other birds, each of which represents a different aspect of English society, are also given a chance to express their opinions. Over the course of a day, each eagle pleads his case in turn.

One says he loves her the best, another says he has loved her the longest, and the third claims he would worship her the most. The other exasperated birds, still waiting to make their choice, start to offer conflicting advice, serving as self-proclaimed authorities on the different types of love. Finally, nature has enough and decides that the formel (the female eagle) should choose for herself which of the three tercels to take as a mate.

Chaucer uses this device to gently satirize the medieval tradition of courtly love and the narrator handles the debate with humour whilst deftly characterising all the various birds.

The debate on love and marriage is never resolved but the poem nevertheless ends on a note of joy and satisfaction. It also gently mocks the futility of the workings of the English Parliament: despite the day-long debate, in the end, the speeches and deliberations amount to nothing.

The Parliament of Fowles is the first piece of English literature to mention Valentines Day:

“For this was sent on Seynt Valentyne’s day
Whan every foul cometh ther to choose his mate.”

February has long been celebrated as a month of romance and the date as usual has both Roman and Christian roots. Exactly who Valentine was is unclear but in every story he seems to have a tragic end, usually by execution under the Roman Emperor, Claudius II.

Originally, the Romans celebrated the ides of February with the festival of Lupercalia which was dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture as well as to the Roman city founders Romulus and Remus. For example, on one day of the celebrations, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn and the city’s bachelors would each choose one. Lupercalia was outlawed by Pope Gelasius in the 5th century AD who then declared February 14 St. Valentine’s Day.

In the midst of the rather gloomy winter months, Valentine’s Day is a highlight. – a time of chocolates, flowers and gifts, all exchanged in the name of love.

Here at Highclere, it is all about tours and teas, a celebration of delicious food with choux pastries in the shape of swans, heart shaped cakes, rose garlands winding up the main staircase, roses on the tables, a little collection of poetry and, of course, champagne.