''Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum'' (
Latin: ''Hail, God, King of the Jews'') is a volume of poems by English poet
Emilia Lanier published in 1611. It was the first book of original poetry published by a woman in England. It was also the first book of poetry written by an English woman in an effort to attract a
patron.
The volume contains several short poems, each dedicated to a different woman, a long title poem ''Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum'' and the first English
country house poem A country house poem is a poem in which the author compliments a wealthy patron or a friend through a description of his country house. Such poems were popular in early 17th-century England. The genre may be seen as a sub-set of the topographical po ...
entitled "The Description of Cooke-ham".
Poems
Contents
*To the
Queenes Most Excellent Majestie
*To the
Lady Elizabeths Grace
*To All Vertuous Ladies in Generall
*To the
Ladie Arabella
*To the Ladie Susan
*The Authors Dream to the Lady Marie
*To the
Ladie Lucie
*To the
Ladie Margaret
*To the Ladie Katherine
*To the
Ladie Anne
*To the Vertuous Reader (prose)
*Eve's Apology in Defense of Women
*''Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum''
*The Description of Cooke-ham
*To the Doubtfull Reader (prose)
Description
As their titles suggest, the ten prefatory poems were each dedicated to a woman Lanier was inspired by, influenced by, or hoped to attract as a patron.
These dedications were used to "assert the dignity and merit of all women" by declaring the greatness of the women she wrote to.
The title poem is a significantly longer work that focuses on the
crucifixion of Jesus, a defence of women, and the importance of woman in the Biblical crucifixion narrative. Suzanne Woods observes that the poem is "meditating and expanding on the events from the female point of view," which was a revolutionary retelling of the crucifixion at the time.
Lanier's defense of women shifts the blame of sin from
Eve and onto
Adam
Adam; el, Ἀδάμ, Adám; la, Adam is the name given in Genesis 1-5 to the first human. Beyond its use as the name of the first man, ''adam'' is also used in the Bible as a pronoun, individually as "a human" and in a collective sense as " ...
saying, "But surely Adam cannot be excus'd, / Her fault, though great, yet he was most too blame" The poem goes on to explain that Adam should have avoided temptation since he is depicted as stronger than Eve in the
Bible. Lanier strengthens her defence of women by praising the women in the crucifixion story who stood behind
Jesus when his
disciples
A disciple is a follower and student of a mentor, teacher, or other figure. It can refer to:
Religion
* Disciple (Christianity), a student of Jesus Christ
* Twelve Apostles of Jesus, sometimes called the Twelve Disciples
* Seventy disciples in ...
forsook him. For example, Lanier's focus on
Pilate's wife, a woman who attempts to persuade
her husband not to crucify Jesus, shows Lanier's dedication to the recognition of women in the Bible even if they are nameless. Lanier's attention to the women in the poem characterizes her unique retelling of the biblical story.
''Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum'' is also noteworthy because, at the time of its writing, there were no other women who were writing about religious texts in the same way as Lanier. The Poetry Foundation states, "Apart from these English psalm translations, there was one other notable work of religious verse written before Lanyer's." Therefore, Lanier's ''Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum'' was groundbreaking in the theological genre of poetry as well as
English literature
English literature is literature written in the English language from United Kingdom, its crown dependencies, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, and the countries of the former British Empire. ''The Encyclopaedia Britannica'' defines E ...
as a whole.
Reception
There is no indication of any recognition of ''Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum'' in Lanier's lifetime. It did not gain Lanier a fortune as her attempt to attract a patron suggests she wanted.
The collection appears to have had an underwhelming reception due to the nontraditional nature of the poems. The British Library explains the writing by stating, "Lanier uses the language of piety and respect to mount a radical, self-assured 'defence of Women'.
The feminist style that scholars and researchers like those at the British Library attribute to Lanier is probably one of the reasons Salve "Deus Rex Judaeorum" was not well received.
Lanier's ''Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum'' was, for the most part, forgotten for centuries. One scholar says, "
Salve Deus Rex Judeaorum" wasconsigned to oblivion for nearly four centuries, Lanyer has only in recent decades become the focus of a significant body of critical scholarship and achieved a presence in the mainstream of Renaissance poetry."
Although the reception to ''Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum'' was poor, the work has come to claim an important place in the history of English literature. By the account of most scholars, researchers, and biographers Lanier's collection of poems was a groundbreaking text for feminism, literary tradition, and poetry overall.
''Salve Deus Rex Judeaorum'' was indeed forgotten for centuries, but it has finally achieved recognition thanks to carefully edited editions like that of Suzanne Woods and journal articles including "Remembering Aemilia Lanyer" by Kate Chedgzoy.
[Chedgzoy, "Remembering Aemilia Lanyer"]
References
External links
Full text of ''Salve Deus Rex Iudæorum''* {{librivox book , title=Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum
1611 books
1611 poems
Cultural depictions of the Passion of Jesus
English poetry collections
Depictions of Jesus in literature