THE NEW MIDDLE AGES Series Editor: Bonnie Wheeler SSAAMMSSOONN AANNDD DDEELLIILLAAHH IINN MMEEDDIIEEVVAALL IINNSSUULLAARR FFRREENNCCHH TTrraannssllaattiioonn aanndd AAddaappttaattiioonn CCaatthheerriinnee LLéégglluu The New Middle Ages Series Editor Bonnie Wheeler English and Medieval Studies Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX, USA The New Middle Ages is a series dedicated to pluridisciplinary studies of medieval cultures, with particular emphasis on recuperating women’s history and on feminist and gender analyses. This peer-reviewed series includes both scholarly monographs and essay collections. More information about this series at http://www.palgrave.com/gp/series/14239 Catherine Léglu Samson and Delilah in Medieval Insular French Translation and Adaptation Catherine Léglu Department of Modern Languages and European Studies University of Reading Reading, UK The New Middle Ages ISBN 978-3-319-90637-9 ISBN 978-3-319-90638-6 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90638-6 Library of Congress Control Number: 2018949353 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2018 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Cover illustration: © Melisa Hasan This Palgrave Pivot imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland A cknowledgements Many colleagues and friends have contributed directly and indirectly to this book. The idea came out of two invitations. One was a contribution to a conference on the manuscripts of Reading Abbey, co-organised in 2015 by Anne Lawrence and Laura Cleaver for the University of Reading’s Graduate Centre for Medieval Studies. The other was an introductory chapter to a volume devoted to performance in the Middle Ages, edited by Pauline Souleau and Henry Hope. Both projects led me to conclude that there was more to be said about the translation of this biblical nar- rative in medieval culture. Papers from various stages of this project were presented at the conference ‘New Perspectives in Occitan Literature’ at the IMLR, September 2015, the Annual Conference of the Society for French Studies, Glasgow, July 2016, and at the International Medieval Congress, University of Leeds, July 2017. Peter Kruschwitz helped me with the epig- raphy in Chapter 2. Françoise Le Saux, Jim Simpson and Lindy Grant read drafts and made many useful suggestions. I am grateful also for the gen- erous and helpful comments and suggestions of Peter Davies, Marianne Ailes, Linda Paterson, Simon Gaunt, Tom Hinton, Daron Burrows, Rebecca Rist, Irène Fabry-Tehranchi, Paola Nasti, Anne Marigold Norbye, Ardis Butterfield, Jim Simpson, Kathryn Smith, Brent Pitts and Sara James. The University of Reading’s Department of Modern Languages and European Studies granted me a term’s study leave in which to see this project through to its conclusion. Thank you also to my husband and chil- dren for their forbearance. v vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Parts of Chapter 3 are reproduced with permission from the editors from my chapter, ‘Giving Voice to Samson and Delilah: Troubadour and Monastic Songs of the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Centuries’, in Performing Medieval Text, ed. Ardis Butterfield, Pauline Souleau and Henry Hope (Oxford: MHRA—Legenda, 2017), 39–52. Parts of Chapter 4 are reproduced with permission from my article, ‘Reading Abbey’s Anglo-Norman French translation of the Bible: London British Library Royal MS 1 C III.’ special issue of Reading Medieval Studies, edited by Laura Cleaver, 42 (2016), 131–155. c ontents 1 Interpretations 1 2 Visual Culture 27 3 Verse and Music 57 4 Prose and Image 87 Conclusion 121 Index 123 vii l f ist of igures Fig. 2.1 Tympanum depicting Samson and the lion. St Mary Magdalene’s Church, Stretton Sugwas, Herefordshire. Reproduced by permission of Historic England Archive 29 Fig. 2.2 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Tableman, walrus ivory, depicting Samson and Delilah, probably England (possibly St Albans), c. 1130–1140 38 Fig. 4.1 © British Library Board. British Library MS Royal 2 B VII, f. 46v 93 Fig. 4.2 Bayerische Staatsbibliothek München, Cod. gall. 16, fol. 94 95 Fig. 4.3 Bayerische Staatsbibliothek München, Cod. gall. 16, fol. 93v 96 Fig. 4.4 Bayerische Staatsbibliothek München, Cod. gall. 16, fol. 95v 97 Fig. 4.5 © British Library Board. British Library MS Royal 2 B VII, fol. 94v 104 Fig. 4.6 © British Library Board. British Library MS Royal 2 B VII, fol. 122 107 ix d -r B , J 13–16 ouAy heims iBle udges Each of the many different versions of the Bible reflects historical processes of translation and reception. The fourth-century Latin Vulgate, translated by Jerome from Greek and Hebrew versions, is the common source for the medieval translations and adaptations that are discussed in this book. All quotations from it are taken from Biblia Sacra iuxta vulgatam versionem, ed. by R. Weber and R. Gryson, 4th ed. (Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1994). Most recent English-language stud- ies of Judges 13–16 cite the King James Bible (published in 1611, revised in 1769); however, it is easier to render the idiosyncrasies of the Vulgate text by consulting its closest translation into English, the Douay- Rheims Bible (1582 to 1610, extensively revised in 1749–1752). Using an early modern text also highlights the linguistic gap between Jerome’s fourth-century work and writers of the twelfth to fourteenth centuries. The extract below from the Douay-Rheims Bible and all other citations from this text are taken from The Holy Bible, translated from the Latin Vulgateand diligently compared with other editions in divers l anguages (Douay, AD 1609; Rheims, AD 1582), Rev. ed. Richard Challoner (London: Burns, Oates and Washbourne, 1914). Chapter 13 1. And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord: and he delivered them into the hands of the Philistines forty years. 2. Now there was a certain man of Saraa, and of the race of Dan, whose name was Manue, and his wife was barren. xi