Spenser's The Faerie Queene, Book I: 40 words to know before you read it
The 40 words Edmund Spenser uses again and again in Spenser's The Faerie Queene, Book I that are outside the 4,000 most common in English. Learn them first and the opening chapters read much more easily. Each comes with its pronunciation and a sentence from the book.
knight/ˈnaɪt/223× in the book
… justice, and energy shown by his countrymen were aptly portrayed under the allegory of a mighty spiritual warfare of the knights of old against the power of evil.
doth/ˈdɔθ/86× in the book
"In which that wicked wight his dayes doth weare."
unto/ˈəntu/69× in the book
But forth unto the darksome hole he went,
hart/ˈhɑɹt/65× in the book
That glorious fire it kindled in his hart,
shield/ˈʃiɫd/62× in the book
Upon his shield the like was also scor'd,
thou/ˈðaʊ/58× in the book
Yet, till that thou thy poeme wilt make knowne,
wight/ˈwaɪt/45× in the book
That everie wight to shrowd it did constrain,
goodly/ˈɡʊdɫi/45× in the book
Was nigh beguiled with so goodly sight:
thee/ˈði/44× in the book
To thee that art the sommers Nightingale,
grace/ˈɡɹeɪs/39× in the book
The grace and dignity of his bearing was enhanced by a face of tender and thoughtful expression in which warmth of feeling was subdued by the informing spirit of refinement, truthfulness …
dread/ˈdɹɛd/37× in the book
And thou most dreaded impe of highest Jove,°
sore/ˈsɔɹ/35× in the book
His Lady sad to see his sore constraint,
beast/ˈbist/35× in the book
As her slow beast could make; but all in vaine:
heavenly/ˈhɛvənɫi/34× in the book
And with them eke, O Goddesse heavenly bright,°
nigh/ˈnaɪ/33× in the book
"Renownèd Spenser, lie a thought more nigh
nought33× in the book
Who nought aghast his mightie hand enhaunst:
allegory/ˈæɫəˌɡɔɹi/33× in the book
First among the poetic geniuses of the Elizabethan period came Edmund Spenser with his Faerie Queene, the allegory of an ideal chivalry.
wondrous/ˈwəndɹəs/32× in the book
He is enamoured of Gloriana, having seen her in a wondrous vision, and is represented as journeying in quest of her.
delight/dɪˈɫaɪt/31× in the book
Add to this intense delight in life, with all its mystery …
fierce/ˈfɪɹs/29× in the book
As one for knightly giusts and fierce encounters fitt.
noble/ˈnoʊbəɫ/28× in the book
The whole land was saturated with an unexpressed poetry, and the imagination of young and old was so fired with patriotism and noble endeavor that nothing seemed impossible.
feeble/ˈfibəɫ/27× in the book
Shed thy faire beames into my feeble eyne,
sorrow/ˈsɑɹoʊ/27× in the book
But beeing unable to performe it by reason of the hard Enchauntments, after long sorrow, in the end met with Britomartis, who succoured him, and reskewed his love.
virgin/ˈvɝdʒɪn/24× in the book
Most like that virgin true, which for her knight him took.
wont/ˈwoʊnt/23× in the book
Ay wont in desert darknesse to remaine,
behold/bɪˈhoʊɫd/23× in the book
Did never mortall eye behold such heavenly grace.
sword/ˈsɔɹd/23× in the book
Much of the machinery and properties used in carrying on the story, such as speaking myrtles, magic mirrors, swords, rings, impenetrable armor, and healing fountains, is supernatural.
stanza/ˈstænzə/22× in the book
If we include within the sphere of Spenser's influence also those who have made use of the stanza which he invented, we must add the names of Burns …
wretched/ˈɹɛtʃɪd/22× in the book
Die is my dew; yet rew my wretched state
dwell/ˈdwɛɫ/22× in the book
But if of daunger which hereby doth dwell,
tremble/ˈtɹɛmbəɫ/22× in the book
And their greene leaves trembling with every blast,
earthly/ˈɝθɫi/21× in the book
The first two Hymns are early poems, and the two latter maturer work embodying Petrarch's philosophy, which teaches that earthly love is a ladder that leads men to the love of God.
wicked/ˈwɪkəd/21× in the book
That soone to loose her wicked bands did her constraine.
mighty/ˈmaɪti/21× in the book
The mighty impulse of this New Learning culminated during the reign of the Virgin Queen in a profound quickening of the national consciousness, and in arousing an intense curiosity to know and to imitate the rich treasures of the classics and romance.
hight/ˈhaɪt/20× in the book
The false Duessa, now Fidessa hight,
plight/ˈpɫaɪt/20× in the book
In this sad plight, friendlesse, unfortunate,
thence/ˈðɛns/19× in the book
… had bene by an huge dragon many yeers shut up in a brazen Castle, who thence suffered them not to issew: and therefore besought the Faery Queene to assigne her some one of her knights to take on him that exployt.
stout/ˈstaʊt/19× in the book
The Champion stout
dragon/ˈdɹæɡən/19× in the book
All the characters—the knights, ladies, dwarfs, magicians, dragons, nymphs, satyrs, and giants—are the conventional figures of pastoral romance.
till/ˈtɪɫ/19× in the book
To this criticism, Mr. Saintsbury remarks: "Not, perhaps, till the Orlando has been carefully read, and read in the original, is Spenser's real greatness understood.
Pronunciation: ipa-dict (MIT), from Wiktionary.
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