Fulling Linen, Haunting Clear Waters, and Crying Bitter Tears: Two Middle English Versions of Aelred of Rievaulx’s De institutione inclusarum

Abstract

This article examines two late-medieval English translations of Aelred of Rievaulx’s spiritual treatise De institutione inclusarum, which is originally addressed to a female anchorite but which reaches a wider audience in its later manifestations. Imagery connected with water, a particularly potent and enduring Christian symbol, is used as a case study to reveal the subtle but significant variations between the two versions. Analysis of the use of water as a literary metaphor in both versions shows that, whereas the earlier translation emphasizes spiritual longing and anxiety, the later version is more concerned with practical encouragement and offers its readers a more hopeful spiritual experience.