NOTE : A special thanks to Kirk Johnson for his inspiration and assistance with this topic. Kirk Johnson is the Contributing Editor for Garden Design at Suite 101 (http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/gard... and the Managing Editor of Suite 101's DesignArts (http://www.suite101.com/category.cfm/des...
Many of the sentiments that have been endeared to Valentine's Day have been around for centuries. It was as long ago as the third century when the ill-fated martyr Valentine signed a farewell note to his beloved, and scribed the first "From Your Valentine." This correspondence became famous as the very first "Valentine" ever sent.
Saint Valentine's loving act set the stage for many an expression of romance, but it was a poem, LE ROMAN DE LA ROSE, became known as the "Bible of Courtly Love."
When Guilliaume de Lorris (born c. 1212) died in or about 1240, he left behind an incomplete poem about a lover's dream. This romance poem, written in Middle French, would become a renowned masterpiece. Translated, the title of the verse meant "THE ROMANCE OF THE ROSE."
This 4000-lined verse of courtly love and a Medieval quest, written c. 1237, portrayed such a beautiful vision, that it cried out for completion. Accordingly, an anonymous poet penned a brief conclusion, then forty years later, Jean de Meun added 18,000 lines. Close to 300 versions/translations of this poem of rhymed couplets exist today.
Aside from being a testament to love, ROMANCE OF THE ROSE is highly reflective of the times in which it was written, particularly life at Court, where women were held of great importance. Because of this emphasis, "romantic love" bloomed, and love-thirsty troubadours composed music and lyrics in an attempt to impress the ladies. Due to the fact that the times did not allow ladies to marry beneath their station, most of these songs complained of suffering hopeless devotion and unrequited love. LE ROMAN DE LA ROSE is once such lament. de Lorris' own lyrics take root in an exquisite Medieval garden. Here, a young knight dreams of a beautiful young woman held captive behind an enclosed hedge. This enamored youth narrates his own dream, as he strolls through the garden, in verse.
This garden, or "Deduit's Garden" (thought to mean mirth/ pleasure, according to its English translation) is filled with allegorical figures and geometric symbols (which represent the nature and function of the object/person), both on the inside and outside. The characters of "Hate," "Felony," "Baseness,"
