The Owl and the Nightingale
The Owl and the Nightingale is 12th-13th century debate poem between two birds written in Early Middle English by an anonymous author. Medieval debate poems (also known as flyting) were savage ad hominem arguments between two adversaries, something akin to a modern day rap-battle. The date of the poem and the language chose for it are important to note. After the Norman Conquest, the Normans brought their own language, which blended with the existing Old English language, to create Anglo-Norman. With Normans taking up most important roles amongst the clergy, knights, and government, English was relegated to a lowly status.
Writing it in English, therefore, was an inherently political move. The poem itself also undermines the definition of English as the language of the lowest in society, for the author demonstrates his extensive knowledge of Scripture, theology, and classical literature alike. Much material for the poem is also taken from bestiaries (medieval treatises on natural history, with a didactic and theological bent), which held that owls and songbirds were natural enemies, as any birdwatcher today will tell you. The diurnal nightingale is vain and extremely proud of its pretty song, whereas the nocturnal owl is violent and well-learned.
Between them, the birds are trying to decide, quite simply, who is the best. ‘Fly away!’ rails the nightingale at the outset. ‘The sight of you makes me sick.’ ‘If I held you in my talons – if only I could! – and you were off your branch, you’d sing a very different tune!’ responds the owl. The birds proceed to stress their inherent worth, with the odd comic glance at contemporary fashions. The owl, for instance, is known for defecating in its own nest, but points out that the nobility now go to the toilet in their homes, too.
The clamorous birds cover much ground between them, with the owl stressing how useful its predation is to men, and the nightingale insisting that its song is more beneficial. The poem is worthy of inclusion not merely for its humour but the range of sources it quotes, which gives a sense of the level of learning at the time of its composition. Readers should prepare for maxims taken from the writings of Alfred the Great, knowledge from bestiaries, and quotations from Canon Law and Patristic theology. The question of which bird is best is left to the reader to decide.