Saving grace

Part II of the series 'Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme'

The herb sage first appears in English in the exquisite love lyric ‘Ichot a burde in a bour ase beryl so bryht’ (‘I know a lady in a bower, as bright as a beryl’). Written down by a scribe in Ludlow around 1350, the anonymous poem compares the lady’s appearance and virtues to those of the natural world, including flowers such as ‘celandine and sauge’.¹