The Kingis Quair facts for kids
The Kingis Quair (pronounced "The King's Kwair") is a long poem written in the 1400s. Many people believe it was written by James I of Scotland, who was a king. The poem tells a story that is a bit like James I's own life. It talks about how he was captured by the English in 1406 while traveling to France. He was then held prisoner by King Henry IV of England and later by Kings Henry V and Henry VI.
The King's Story in the Poem
The poem starts with the person telling the story, who is alone and can't sleep. He decides to read a book called Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius. At first, he hopes it will help him fall asleep. But soon, he gets really interested in the book. It talks about how Boethius himself faced tough times. This makes the narrator think about his own life and how he became sad.
When he hears the morning bell, he gets up and starts writing a poem about his own journey. He writes about a sea trip he took when he was just twelve years old. During this trip, he was captured and kept in prison for eighteen years. While in prison, he felt very lonely. He thought he was the unhappiest person alive.
One day, he sees birds singing outside his prison window. This makes him feel a connection to the outside world again. He looks out and sees a beautiful woman, and he falls in love with her right away! This woman eventually helps him become free. This part of the poem is very similar to the real life of James I of Scotland. King James's time in prison ended when he married Joan Beaufort. Some people think the poem even hints at her name with the "flour jonettis" (flowers) the lady wears in her hair.
When the lady leaves, the narrator becomes very sad. He eventually falls into a deep sleep, almost like a trance. In his dream, he visits three goddesses who try to help him with his love problems. The first goddess, Venus, says she can't help him. She sends him to Minerva, who asks him about his feelings of love.
Later in his dream, he goes to a special place that feels like paradise. There, he sees Fortune and her spinning wheel. This makes him feel scared. Fortune makes him climb onto her wheel. As she pinches his ear, he wakes up!
Even though he's full of doubts, a turtle dove appears with a message. This makes him feel better and tells him his dream was a good sign. The narrator says that Fortune kept her promise to him. She helped him become wiser, and now he is happy with the woman he loves. The poem ends with the narrator thanking everyone who helped him find happiness. He also dedicates his poem to two famous poets, Geoffrey Chaucer and John Gower. The very last part of the poem repeats its first line, "heigh in the hevynnis figure circulere." This makes the poem's structure like the celestial spheres, which are the old ideas about how planets move in circles in the sky.
How the Poem Rhymes
The Kingis Quair uses a special rhyming pattern called rhyme royal. This pattern follows an ABABBCC rhyme. This means the first and third lines rhyme (A), the second, fourth, and fifth lines rhyme (B), and the last two lines rhyme (CC). People once thought this rhyming style was named after King James I because he used it. However, experts now believe it was named after a French type of song called chant royal.
External links
- Read the full poem here
