The Owl and the Nightingale

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The narrative features a lively debate between an owl and a nightingale, tackling timeless themes like love, marriage, and identity while reflecting on cultural and class distinctions. Scholars interpret the poem as both a commentary on debate traditions and a reflection on human-animal differences. Simon Armitage's translation employs full rhyming couplets in iambic octameter and is accompanied by a facing-page translation and an insightful introduction, making this early Middle English work accessible and relevant to modern readers.