I slept on this, and woke with the blazing conviction that
the phrase should be 'balm bringing'. The conviction is now
(around elevenses) burning slightly less brightly, but is
not altogether extinguished. The idiom and sense are right,
but I admit it presupposes a copyist/typesetter even more
distracted than is required for most of the alternatives
already proposed. Not impossibly so, however.
Presumably, by the way, 'the' in line 9 should be 'then'
(ie 'than')? I'm assuming the 'e' had one of those squiggly
lines printed above it to indicate the missing 'n'. What
ARE those things called, by the way?
Charlie
On Mon, 7 Oct 2002 15:59:23 EDT Lisa Celovsky
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Puzzle lovers:
>
> Does anyone have a guess as to what "Bram bigning" (line 7 of the
> following sonnet) might mean? It is likely an error introduced in
> type-setting, but any guesses as to original intent?
>
> The sonnet is #39 from *Emaricdulfe* (1595) by E. C. I am posting this
> query for a friend who is supervising a student preparing an edition of
> this sequence for a thesis project. You may reply to me offlist:
> [log in to unmask]
>
> Many thanks in advance.
>
> Image of honour, Vertues first borne childe,
> Natures faire painted stage, Fames brightest face,
> Syren that neuer with thy tongue beguild,
> Sibill more wife then Cumas Sibill was,
> When learnings sun with more resplendent gleames,
> Shall with immortall flowres of poesie,
> Bred by the vertue of Bram bigning beames
> Deck my inuention for thy dignitie:
> With heauenly hymnes thy more the heavenly parts
> Ile deifie, thy name commands such dutie,
> Though many heads of poisest poets arts
> Are insufficient to expresse thy beautie,
> Thy name, thy honour, and lovues puritie,
> With Stanzas, Layes and Hymnes Ile stellify.
>
> ------------------------------
> Lisa Celovsky
> Department of English
> Suffolk University
> 41 Temple Street
> Boston, MA 02114
> ------------------------------
----------------------------------------
Butler, Charles
Email: [log in to unmask]
"University of the West of England"
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