The Book of Ashes

THE BOOK OF ASHES, (originally called Little Job, or Pety Job) is a meditative fifteenth century verse paraphrase of excerpts from the Book of Job; a passionate penitential monologue that uses as its meditative base the liturgical text intoned daily for the souls of the dead. The original author is unknown. Early manuscripts describe the work as follows: The nine lessons of the Dirge, which Job made in his tribulation lying on the dunghill, declaring more clearly to our understanding, in a solemn and worthy manner, that which will suffice to steer sinners towards compunction. This edition follows a middle English text edited by Susanna Greer Fein and then rendered into modern English by Jabez L. Van Cleef. It consists of 57 parts, each part a 12 line poem. Inasmuch as possible the content, form and meter of the original Middle English has been kept.