Project Gutenberg Book of English Verse | Page 6

blou, blou!
With lokkes lefliche ant longe,?With frount ant face feir to fonge,?With murthes monie mote heo monge,?That brid so breme in boure.?With lossom eye grete ant gode,?With browen blysfol under hode,?He that reste him on the Rode,?That leflych lyf honoure.?Blou northerne wynd, etc.
Hire lure lumes liht,?Ase a launterne a nyht,?Hire bleo blykyeth so bryht.?So feyr heo is ant fyn.?A suetly swyre heo hath to holde,?With armes shuldre ase mon wolde,?Ant fingres feyre forte folde,?God wolde hue were myn!?Blou northerne wynd, etc.
Heo is coral of godnesse,?Heo is rubie of ryhtfulnesse,?Heo is cristal of clannesse,?Ant baner of bealte.?Heo is lilie of largesse,?Heo is parvenke of prouesse,?Heo is solsecle of suetnesse,?Ant lady of lealte.
For hire love y carke ant care,?For hire love y droupne ant dare,?For hire love my blisse is bare?Ant al ich waxe won,?For hire love in slep y slake,?For hire love al nyht ich wake,?For hire love mournynge y make?More then eny mon.?Blou northerne wynd!?Send thou me my suetyng!?Blou northerne wynd! blou, blou, blou!
Ichot] I know. burde] maiden. menskful] worshipful. feir] fair. fonde] take, prove. wurhliche] noble. won] multitude. y nuste] I knew not. lussomore in londe] lovelier on?earth. suetyng] sweetheart. lefliche] lovely. fonge] take between hands. murthes] mirths, joys. mote heo monge] may she mingle. brid] bird. breme] full of life. Rode] the Cross. lure] face. lumes] beams. bleo] colour. suetly swyre] darling?neck. forte] for to. hue, heo] she. clannesse] cleanness, purity. parvenke] periwinkle. solsecle] sunflower. won] wan.
Anonymous. c. 1300
5. This World's Joy
WYNTER wakeneth al my care,?Nou this leves waxeth bare;?Ofte I sike ant mourne sare?When hit cometh in my thoht?Of this worldes joie, hou hit goth al to noht.
Nou hit is, and nou hit nys,?Al so hit ner nere, ywys;?That moni mon seith, soth hit ys:?Al goth bote Godes wille:?Alle we shule deye, thah us like ylle.
Al that gren me graueth grene,?Nou hit faleweth albydene:?Jesu, help that hit be sene?Ant shild us from helle!?For y not whider y shal, ne hou longe her duelle.
this leves] these leaves. sike] sigh. nys] is not. al so hit ner nere] as though it had never been. soth] sooth. bote] but, except. thah] though. faleweth] fadeth. albydene] altogether. y not whider] I know not whither. her duelle] here dwell.
Anonymous. c. 1300
6. A Hymn to the Virgin
OF on that is so fayr and bright
Velut maris stella,?Brighter than the day is light,
Parens et puella:?Ic crie to the, thou see to me,?Levedy, preye thi Sone for me,
Tam pia,?That ic mote come to thee
Maria.
Al this world was for-lore
Eva peccatrice,?Tyl our Lord was y-bore
De te genetrice.?With ave it went away?Thuster nyth and comz the day
Salutis;?The welle springeth ut of the,
Virtutis.
Levedy, flour of alle thing,
Rose sine spina,?Thu bere Jhesu, hevene king,
Gratia divina:?Of alle thu ber'st the pris,?Levedy, quene of paradys
Electa:?Mayde milde, moder es
Effecta.
on] one. levedy] lady. thuster] dark. pris] prize.
Anonymous. c. 1350
7. Of a rose, a lovely rose,?Of a rose is al myn song.
LESTENYT, lordynges, both elde and yinge,?How this rose began to sprynge;?Swych a rose to myn lykynge
In al this word ne knowe I non.
The Aungil came fro hevene tour,?To grete Marye with gret honour,?And seyde sche xuld bere the flour
That xulde breke the fyndes bond.
The flour sprong in heye Bedlem,?That is bothe bryht and schen:?The rose is Mary hevene qwyn,
Out of here bosum the blosme sprong.
The ferste braunche is ful of myht,?That sprang on Cyrstemesse nyht,?The sterre schon over Bedlem bryht
That is bothe brod and long.
The secunde braunche sprong to helle,?The fendys power doun to felle:?Therein myht non sowle dwelle;
Blyssid be the time the rose sprong!
The thredde braunche is good and swote,?It sprang to hevene crop and rote,?Therein to dwellyn and ben our bote;
Every day it schewit in prystes hond.
Prey we to here with gret honour,?Che that bar the blyssid flowr,?Che be our helpe and our socour
And schyd us fro the fyndes bond.
lestenyt] listen. word] world. xuld] should. schen]?beautiful. hevene qwyn] heaven's queen. bote] salvation.
Robert Mannyng of Brunne. 1269-1340
8. Praise of Women
NO thyng ys to man so dere?As wommanys love in gode manere.?A gode womman is mannys blys,?There her love right and stedfast ys.?There ys no solas under hevene?Of alle that a man may nevene?That shulde a man so moche glew?As a gode womman that loveth true.?Ne derer is none in Goddis hurde?Than a chaste womman with lovely worde.
nevene] name. glew] gladden. hurde] flock.
John Barbour. d. 1395
9. Freedom
A! Fredome is a noble thing!?Fredome mays man to haiff liking;?Fredome all solace to man giffis,?He levys at ese that frely levys!?A noble hart may haiff nane ese,?Na ellys nocht that may him plese,?Gyff fredome fail; for fre liking?Is yarnyt our all othir thing.?Na he that ay has levyt fre?May nocht knaw weill the propyrte,?The angyr, na the wretchyt dome?That is couplyt to foule thyrldome.?Bot gyff he had assayit it,?Than all perquer he suld it wyt;?And suld think fredome mar to prise?Than all the gold in warld that is.?Thus