A partial translation of Middle Dutch to modern Dutch of the Der Naturen Bloeme (Book of Nature) of Jacob van Maerlant.

The illustrations in this booklet are all from one of the oldest manuscripts, probably produced around 1325 and now kept in London (British Library, Additional MS 11390). The most important editions are the edition of Verwijs (1872-1878) and the edition of the Detmold manuscript (the oldest, made when Maerlant was still alive, probably in 1287) in the Corpus Gysseling ... A valuable supplement to the publication of Verwijs is provided by the notes of WH van de Sande-Bakhuyzen in TNTL 1 (1881) and TNTL 2 (1882). ... Some volumes were annotated in: Seven passages from Jacob van Maerlant's Der Naturen Bloeme. Final reports of the seminar Main problems of Middle Dutch literature in the course 1984-1985. De Vooys Institute, Utrecht 1984. When translating, I chose from the available variants each time the one that could be suspected to come closest to the text as written by Maerlant. There is no complete critical, annotated edition of Der Naturen Bloeme. Der Naturen Bloeme treats all of nature. However, only parts of the first seven chapters, on humans and animals, have been translated for this anthology; from chapter 1, 'Man', nothing has been omitted, from chapters 2 to 7 a choice has been made. Occasionally, rules from the chapter on gemstones have been included in entries on animals if the relevant gemstone was mentioned in it. In the selection I was guided, apart from personal taste, by the aim to include all 'classic' bestiary animals (pelican, basilisk, dragon, unicorn, etc.) and to make a representative choice from the others. I have also slightly shortened formulations here and there, deleted stoppers and added a little more variation in the choice of words. Where the interpretation of the text presented insurmountable difficulties, I sometimes borrowed a solution from Maerlant's source, De natura rerum by Thomas van Cantimpré. The Latin animal names, which are often scrambled beyond recognition in the manuscripts of Der Naturen Bloeme, have been respelled where possible after CT Lewis & C. Short: A Latin dictionary (Oxford 1879). These Latin names certainly do not always correspond to modern scientific nomenclature. The order of the entries is not the same as in Der Naturen Bloeme: Maerlant arranged according to Latin name, I - if possible - according to Dutch name. - [Burger]

Language: Dutch

ISBN: 90-214-0565-2; LCCN: 90-119668; LC: PT5570.N31989; OCLC: 22386808