This penguin book contains some very nice, naturally flowing translations of the original Middle English poems. The included annotations and introductions are also very informative, and greatly increased my enjoyment of the texts (the essays are a little dated due to this volume having been published in 1971, but they have stood up very well). I very much enjoyed this collection, and plan to read 'The Owl and the Nightingale' again in the original tongue once my proficiency has improved enough. ( )