“…and every one of them words rang true, and glowed like burning coal…”
In 2007, I posted my translation of the 15th-century romance “The Taill of Rauf Coilyear,” a 972-line Middle Scots poem about the kerfuffle that ensues when Charlemagne, separated from his entourage by a snowstorm, seeks refuge in the home of a proud and irascible collier (a sort of medieval Tommy Saxondale). Combining folklore motifs with burlesque humor and elements of chansons and chivalric romances, “Rauf Coilyear” is a lively but rarely-read tale of courtesy, hospitality, and knighthood. To my knowledge, it’s also the only medieval romance in which Charlemagne totally gets slapped in the face.
Because enough people found the earlier version both readable and entertaining, I’m pleased to make The Tale of Charlemagne and Ralph the Collier available as a snazzy 56-page paperback. The translation—which imitates the form of the original in 75 thirteen-line rhyming, alliterative stanzas—is freshly polished and lightly annotated, and the bibliography is current. I’m offering this little book as a literary curiosity, an experiment in self-publishing, and a way to help defray the costs of maintaining this blog.
To order a paperback copy of The Tale of Charlemagne and Ralph the Collier, please send $12.50 via Paypal to jeffsypeck -at- gmail -dot- com. (That price includes U.S. shipping. Please add $2 for shipping to Canada and Mexico or $4 if you’re outside North America.) Be sure to include your mailing address; you’ll receive a book in around two weeks.
To download a version specially formatted for the Amazon Kindle, just pop by the Kindle store.
To receive a 572 KB, DRM-free PDF of this book via email, please send $5 via Paypal to jeffsypeck- at- gmail -dot- com. (I ask only that you honor my request not to redistribute the PDF.)
If Paypal doesn’t work for you, email me and I’ll give you an address where you can send a check or money order.
To preview this book, you can see a low-res PDF of sample pages or view larger images of the front and back cover.
No one else has ever translated “Rauf Coilyear” into rhyming, alliterative, modern English verse, and I doubt anyone else will be nutty enough to try—so whether you’re a longtime reader of this blog, a student of medieval literature, or a collector of truly obscure manifestations of Charlemagniana, I hope you’ll find this translation a satisfying read. Despite what Mamillius claimed, sometimes a sad tale isn’t best for winter after all.





