John Gower

For other people named John Gower, see John Gower (disambiguation).

John Gower shooting the world, a sphere of earth, air, and water (from a manuscript of his works ca. 1400). The text reads:
Ad mundum mitto mea iacula dumque sagitto
At ubi iustus erit nulla sagitta ferit
Sed male viventes hos vulnero transgredientes
Conscius ergo sibi se speculetur ibi (As I shoot I send at the world these my bolts
And where the just shall be no arrow may hit
But those living wicked lives, the transgressors I aim to harm
Thus may in this work those conscious amongst you observe themselves as they truly are)

John Gower (/ˈɡaʊ.ər/; c. 1330 – October 1408) was an English poet, a contemporary of William Langland and the Pearl Poet, and a personal friend of Geoffrey Chaucer.[1] He is remembered primarily for three major works—the Mirour de l'Omme, Vox Clamantis, and Confessio Amantis—three long poems written in French, Latin, and English respectively, which are united by common moral and political themes.[2]

  1. ^ Sobecki, Sebastian (2017). "A Southwark Tale: Gower, the 1381 Poll Tax, and Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales". Speculum. 92 (3): 630–660. doi:10.1086/692620. hdl:11370/ea54db6f-e701-4bc9-8dca-ad742056934f. ISSN 0038-7134.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference DNBG was invoked but never defined (see the help page).