LXXXVIII.
[1]
Mildehertnesses of lauerd in ai
Sal .i. singe, bi night and dai;
2
In strende and strende schew sal .i.
Þi sothnes in mi mouth for-þi.
3
For in euer, saidest þou,
Þi merci sal be bigged nou
In heuens; graiþed sal be als-swa,
Sal þi sothfastnes in þa.
4
“I graiþhed witeworde to be with
Mi chosen; .i. swore to Dauid,
Mi hyne: til in euermare
Sal .i. graiþe þi sede mare.
5
And bigge sal .i., for to be
In strende and strende, þe se[t]e ofe þe”.
6
Schriue sal heuens þi wondres, lauerd, swa,
And þi sothnes in kirkes of halyhes, ma.
7
For wha þat in kloudes, sal
Euened be to lauerd al,
Like to lauerd sal he be
In sones ofe god forto se?
8
God, þat blissed es dai and nighte
In rede ofe his halyhes brighte,
Mikle and aghfulle es fullange
Ouer alle þate ere in his vmgange?
9
God lauerd ofe mightes, wha to þe like mai be?
Mightand ertou, lauerd, and þi sothnes in vmgange ofe þe.
10
Þou lauerdes ofe mighte ofe see nou,
And stiringe ofe his stremes slakes þou.
11
Þou meked, als wounded, proude swa,
In mighte of þine arme forspilte þi faas.
12
Þine ere heuens, and land þine isse;
Ertheli werld and folhed hisse
Þou grounded; þe north to be,
And þou maked als þe se.
13
Thabor and Hermon in þi name
Sal glade; þine arme, with mighte þe same.
14
Feste be þi hand in ilka land,
And vphouen be þi righthand.
Rightwisenes, and dome als-swa,
Forgraiþinge ofe þi sete ere þa.
15
Milthe and sothnes sal forgan
Þi face. seli folke þate mirthinge kan.
16
Lauerd, in lighte of þi likame
Sal þai ga; and in þi name
Glade sal þai alle þe dai,
And in þi rightwisenes be vphouen ai.
17
For blisse ofe þar might ertou biforne,
And in þi welequeme vphouen bes oure horne.
18
For ofe lauerd es oure vptakinge,
And ofe hali Irael oure kinge.
19
Þan spake þou in dreme to þa
Þine halyhes, and saidest swa:
“.I. sete helpe vnto mightand,
And vphoue chosen ofe mi folke in land.
20
.I. fand mi hine þat es, Dauyd,
And mi hali oyle .i. smered him with.
21
For mi hand sal helpe him beste,
And mine arme ite sal him feste.
22
Noghte freme in him sal þe faa,
Ne wicke son set to dere him swa.
23
And .i. sal slide fra his face his illewiland,
And torne sal .i. in fleme him hatand.
24
And mi sothnes and mi merci with him al;
And in mi name his horne be vphouen sal.
25
And set his hand .i. sal in see,
And in stremes his righthand to be.
26
He called me: ‘mi fadre þou erte,
Mi god, and keper of mi querte’.
27
And .i. firstgeten sal set him reghte,
Forbi kinges of erthe on heghte.
28
In ai sal .i. yheme to him mi merci
And mi witeworde trewe to him for-þi.
29
And .i. sal set in werld ofe werld sede his,
And his trone als daies ofe heuen, in blis.
30
And ife sones ofe him forlete mi lagh
And in mi domes noghte haues gaue with agh;
31
Ife mi rightwisenes wemmed haue þai
And mi bodes noghte yhemed ai:
32
.I. sal seke in yherde wickenes of þa,
And in swepinges þar sinnes swa;
33
Bot mi merci noght sprede fra him sal .i.,
Ne dere in mi sothnes, for-þi;
34
Ne wemme mi witeworde, and þat forthga
Ofe mi lippes, vnspedy noght make þa.
35
Anes swore .i. in mi haligh—ife .i. liegh Dauyd?—:
His sede in ai sal wone me with,
36
And his setel als sonne in mi sighte,
And als mone þat schines brighte
Fulmade in euer newe,
And wittenes in heuen trewe”.
37
Þou awaipute and þou forsegh,
Forbare þi criste þat es slegh.
38
Þou towarp witeworde of þi hine es,
Þou wemmed in erthe his halines.
39
Þou fordide his haies mare and lesse,
Þou sete his festninge ferdenesse.
40
Bireued him alle forthgaand þe wai,
He es made vpbraiding til his neghburghs ai.
41
Þou vphoue righthand ofe him thringand,
Þou fayned alle his illewilleande.
42
Þou towarp help of swerde his,
And noght helpand him in fight þou is.
43
Þou fordede him fra klensinge klene,
And his sete in lande þou gnade bidene.
44
Þou lessed daies ofe his time ware,
Þou toyhet him with schenschip þare.
45
Towhen, lauerd, turnes tou in ende at laste?
Als fire sal bren þi wreth faste?
46
Min whilke mine aghte; for sothlike nou
Wher mennes sones vnnaitelike set þou?
47
Wha es man þate liues, dede sal noghte se?
Fra hand ofe helle his saule take sal he?
48
Whare, lauerd, þine alde mercies ere þa,
Als to Dauyd in þi sothnes sware þou swa?
49
Mined be, lauerd, ofe vpbraidinges of þi hine,
Ofe fele genge .i. witheld in bosume mine;
50
Þat þe vpbraided þi faas, lauerd ofe blis,
Þat vpbraided of manginge of þi criste is.
51
Blissed in ai lauerd of mighte:
Swa be, swa be, dai and nighte.
