The Descriptions in <i>The Siege of Jerusalem</i> : Source, Theme, and Relationship to <i>The Destruction of Troy</i>

The Middle English alliterative poem The Siege of Jerusalem is famous for its descriptions, which frequently alternate scenes of horror with evocations of natural beauty. Yet several of the descriptive passages have been assumed derivative since they are nearly identical to sequences in another alliterative poem, The Destruction of Troy, a translation of the Historia destructionis Troiae of Guido de Columnis. Some scholars have argued for the priority of The Destruction of Troy and others the reverse. I present additional evidence in support of the argument of the poem’s most recent editors, Ralph Hanna and David Lawton, that The Destruction of Troy is more likely to be the borrower. Taking up a further suggestion of the editors, I demonstrate that the Siege poet, rather than relying on The Destruction of Troy, drew independently on the source of that poem, Guido’s Historia. The poet’s use of Guido as a model of amplification confirms his status as the “encyclopedist” of the alliterative tradition, working creatively with multiple sources as he elaborates his account of a strategically delayed justice.