Language is always evolving. As Jeff Lynne once said 'It's a living thing...' English is a particularly rich and complex language that has drawn upon multiple sources and ages to bring it to its present state.
Elizabethan English (EE) seems to be a version of English that many poets are drawn to. Perhaps they wish to draw inspiration from the Stratford Bard himself, William Shakespeare, whose poems and plays span 1580-1610; or maybe they wish to echo the poetic scriptures of the King James Bible, first published around 1611.
Whatever the motivation, when it's done well, a modern poem written in Elizabethan English (more accurately Early Modern English) can be quite impressive. When it's done badly, it can be an absolute disaster. I have witnessed many poets, who don't quite have a full understanding of EE, struggling terribly to try to articulate their ideas.
So, for those who would love to write this archaic form of poetry, but don't yet have the skill, here is a crash course in how to do it...
Let's start off with the simple phrase 'You have made it.' It's a past participle phrase. It has been made, and it was you who made it. You could articulate it like this:
Thou hast made it.
...or better still ...
Thou hast fashioned it
...or the ultimate...
It hath been fashioned by thy hand.
Some of the archaic EE words can be brought to bear to transform a mundane phrase into something special. Here's another example:
You will, as time passes, see yourself differently
...becomes...
Thou wilt, as time passeth, see thyself differently.
Remember the following common verbs...
Has = hath (he/she) or hast (thou)
Shall = shalt
Will = wilt
Can = canst
Does = doeth
Are = art
... and other verbs that can often be extended by the suffix '-eth', e.g. walketh, maketh or sleepeth.
...and for the use of the first person...
You = thou or thee
Your = thy
Yours = thine
These are merely the rudimentary rules of EE grammar. There's plenty more to be learnt. I hope this helps you if you're intent on writing poetry in the archaic style of Elizabethan English. I wish thee good fortune.
Steve Wheeler
Image from Wikimedia Commons
I read it...not going to try this just yet... needs more thinking...
ReplyDeleteI’ve been doing this for years with much of my poetry I didnt even know there was a term for that style I always just called it old English. I read the KJV and older artists so I suppose it naturally implemented in my articulations. Thank you for this Steve.
ReplyDeleteIt's more accurately known as Early Modern English
DeleteVery interesting Steve. As you say, the English is particularly rich in archaic words. I like writing sonnets, usually Shakesperian sonnets with that rhyme scheme a b a b etc. There is so much to be learnt by reading the poetry of long ago. Whether it's the Elizabethans or the wondrous Border Ballads or the Metaphysical Poets. Happy reading...and writing everyone!
ReplyDeleteTerry Bridges
Great blog Steve. I used n’er just today in a villanelle… I have no idea as to why… mayhaps my vernacular continue to shilly shally lest I come to my senses and fall into madness…
ReplyDeleteSteve, thou raiseth mine hand lest to deny 'badly' may come close to describing I....working on it? Universal Peace & Love 🪷
ReplyDeleteForsooth!!!
DeleteVery interesting, rather like the King James version of the bible.
ReplyDeleteReading the KJV or Shakespeare really helps with the writing of archaic forms of poetry.
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