‘Merry sang the monks’: Cnut’s Poetry and the Liber Eliensis

Abstract

This article discusses a short English verse preserved in the twelfth-century _Liber Eliensis_, which is there claimed to have been composed by Cnut during a royal visit to Ely. Often described as one of the first examples of Early Middle English verse, these few lines are also of considerable interest as evidence for Cnut’s reputation in post-Conquest England. The association of Cnut with the public performance of vernacular poetry seems particularly significant in light of the important role played by the composition and performance of skaldic poetry at Cnut’s Anglo-Danish court. This article examines Cnut’s relationship with Ely and argues that reading the Ely verse in this context can shed light not only on the interpretation of Cnut in post-Conquest Ely, but also on perceptions of the role and status of vernacular poetry in eleventh- and twelfth-century England.