The Husband's Message Dreams, Hopes, and Plans Quotes Page 2
(Line) The only manuscript in which the poem is found has been damaged by fire, so that parts of it are indecipherable. (Crazy, right?) These sections are indicated by ellipses in the text.
| Quote #4 Nor can he in all the world desire . . . |
The lord eagerly anticipates the time when he and his lady will be together again, presiding over a hall. The distribution of wealth to his subjects was one of the most important displays of an Anglo-Saxon lord's power. By anticipating his lady's participation in this ritual, the lord is indicating his desire to make her his legitimate queen, not just his lover. The future he is offering her is looking pretty good.
| Quote #5 Now the man has |
Although the lord offers his lady a place at his side as ruler, this passage suggests that the messenger views them as far from equal. The messenger obviously sees the lady as yet another of his lord's numerous possessions. The future that lays ahead for her, at least from the speaker's point of view, is therefore one of both power and subjection.
