The celebration of Valentinebs Day is often seen as a modern institution, even if the roots of the holiday go back to Late Antiquity and the figures of St. Valentine of Rome and St. Valentine of Terni. Itbs difficult to separate our view of February 14th from the more recent phenomenon of greeting cards, comical cupids, and specialty treats from candy companies.
However, not only are some of these traditions older than we might think (mass-produced Valentinebs Day cards were an enormous success in early 19th-century England), but the earliest Valentinebs Day love poem comes from none other than the first great English author, Geoffrey Chaucer, who wrote in the second half of the 14th-century.
Chaucerbs most famous work is The Canterbury Tales, an enormous collection of linked stories in poetry and prose. But his 700-line poem bParlement of Foulesb has the special distinction of being the first surviving record of a connection between Valentinebs Day and romantic love. Chaucer probably composed the poem in 1381b82. At the time, he was a member of the court of King Richard II, holding an important bureaucratic position in London. The date suggests that Chaucer wrote bParelment of Foulesb to honor the first anniversary of the engagement of the English king to Princess Anne of Bohemia.
The poem follows the dream of the narrator, where he walks through Venusbs temple and discovers a meeting of birds where they all choose their mates. This is where the mention of St. Valentinebs Day appears (English modernized):
For this was on St. Valentinebs Day,B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B
When every bird cometh there to choose his mate.B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B
The poem also contains a familiar Valentinebs image, Cupid with his arrows:
Under a tree, beside a well, I saw
Cupid our lord his arrows forge and file;B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B
And at his feet his bow already lay.
When Chaucer mentions St. Valentinebs Day, is he referring specifically to February 14th? Late winter isnbt a time when birds in England would mate. However, the date for the start of springbwhen some birds would have started nesting in Englandbwas on February 23rd in the calendars of the time, certainly close enough for Chaucer to take poetic license and nudge it a bit to match with Valentinebs Day.
Love birds remain a popular symbol of Valentinebs Day even now, and for this we can thank Chaucer. In fact, he may very well have invented the link between love and Valentinebs Day, although we will probably never know for certain.
Whoever started these traditions, all of us here at Comfort Central, Inc.B hope you have a wonderful February 14^th!