John Gower was an English poet, a contemporary of William Langland and the Pearl Poet, and a personal friend of Geoffrey Chaucer. He is remembered primarily for three major works—the Mirour de l'Omme, Vox Clamantis, and Confessio Amantis—three long poems written in French, Latin, and English respectively, which are united by common moral and political themes.
John Gower shooting the world, a sphere of earth, air, and water (from a manuscript of his works ca. 1400). The text reads: Ad mundum mitto mea iacula dumque sagitto At ubi iustus erit nulla sagitta ferit Sed male viventes hos vulnero transgredientes Conscius ergo sibi se speculetur ibi (As I shoot I send at the world these my bolts And where the just shall be no arrow may hit But those living wicked lives, the transgressors I aim to harm Thus may in this work those conscious amongst you observe themselves as they truly are)
The tomb of John Gower in Southwark Cathedral
The "Gawain Poet", or less commonly the "Pearl Poet", is the name given to the author of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, an alliterative poem written in 14th-century Middle English. Its author appears also to have written the poems Pearl, Patience, and Cleanness; some scholars suggest the author may also have composed Saint Erkenwald. Save for the last, all these works are known from a single surviving manuscript, the British Library holding 'Cotton MS' Nero A.x. This body of work includes some of the most highly-regarded poetry written in Middle English.
The Gawain Poet (fl. c. 1375–1400), manuscript painting (as the father in Pearl)
The caves at Wetton Mill, near Leek, Staffordshire, have been identified as a possible inspiration for the "Green Chapel" in Gawain and the Green Knight, given the author's dialect and the geography indicated in the poem.
