The Digby Poems: A New Edition of the Lyrics

Helen Barr’s new edition comprises the 24 short lyrics of Oxford Bodleian MS Digby 102 freshly transcribed and edited. There is a full critical apparatus, with a substantial introduction and annotation to each poem.New evidence shows that this sequence of poems was written in the early years of Henry V’s reign, and most probably by a Benedictine monk eager to add his support for the Henrician new dawn.The poems are rigorous in their call for orthodox reform from within the Church. There is strong support for war against France and for the proper conduct of parliamentary business. Throughout, the concerns of Church and State are inseparable from a fierce call for penance, both collective and individual.The sequence contains some harrowing devotional writing and human beings are left in no doubt as to their failings! Yet the poet’s voice is spry and dexterous, and there is an especially agile use of stanzaic form. Barr’s extensive annotation brings out not just the political emphasis of the poems but also their place in the tradition of devotional writing.