The Minor Poems of John Lydgate :: :: University of Virginia Library

The world so wyd, the hair so remevable,
The cely man so litel of stature,
The greve and the ground of clothyng so mutable,
The fyr so hoot and sotil of nature,
The watir nevir in oon, what creature
Maad of thes foure that been thus flettyng,
Miht of resoun perseueren by any cure,
Or stedfast been heer in his livyng.

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2

Man hath of erthe slowthe and hevynesse,
Flux and refflux by watir made unstable,
Kyndly of hayr he hath also swiftnesse,
By fyr maad hasty, wood, and nat tretable;
To erthe ageyn by processe corumpable,
Seelde or nevir in o point abydyng,
Now glad, now hevy, now froward, now tretable,
How shuld he than be stedfast of lyvyng?

3

Off erthe he hath ioyntes, flessh, and boonys,
And of watir ful manyfold humours,
Hayr in his arters disposyd for the noonys,
Fir in his herte, by record of auctours;
Complexionat of sondryfold colours,
Now briht as Phebus, now reyn, and now shynyng,
Now silver dewh, now fressh with April flours,
How shuld man than be stedfast of lyvyng?

4

With Ver he hath drynesse and moisture,
Attwen bothe bamaner attemperaunce,
In which tweyne deliteth hym nature,
Yiff coold nat put hym in distemperaunce;
Thus meynt with dreed is mannys gouernaunce,
Ay in invncerteyn, by record of writyng,
Now wood, now sobre, now prudent in daliaunce,
How shuld man than be stedfast in livyng?

5

Man hath with somyr drynesse and heete,
In ther bookys as auctours lyst expresse,
Whan Phebus entrith in the Ariete,
Digest humours vpward doon hem dresse,
Poorys opnyng, that sesoun of swetnesse!
With exalaciouns and mystis descendyng,
Titan to erly whan he his cours doth dresse,
Of his briht shynyng no stedfast abyding.

6

Autumpne to Ver foundyn is contrary,
Galien seith in al ther qualitees,
Disposyng man that sesoun doth so vary,

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To many vnkouth straunge infirmytees,
Of canyculer dayes takyng the propirtees,
By revolucioun of manyfold chaungyng,
In spiritual state temperal comowneeres,
How shuld he than be stedfast of livyng?

7

Man hath with wyntir in this present lyff,
By disposicioun cold and humydite,
Which sesoun is to flewme nutritiff,
Spoleth tre and herbe of al ther fressh bewte;
The dayes-eye drepith, leesith hir liberte,
Poores constreyned no roseer out shewyng,
Fresshnesse of corages that sesoun makith ffle,
How shuld man than be stedfast of livyng?

8

Fyr resoluethe erthe by watry,
And watry thynges fyr turneth into hayr,
Makith hard thyng neisshe and also naturally,
Neisshe thyng hard by his sodeyn repair;
Thowith hard yis that shoon as cristal fayr,
Which element hath in man ful greet werkyng,
Feith, hope, and charite shal outraye al dispayr,
Thouh alle men be nat stedfast of lyvyng,

9

Ayer of nature yevith inspiracioun,
To mannys herte thyng moost temperatiff,
Off kyndly heete gevyth respiracioun,
Sotil, rare, and a gret mytigatiff,
To tempre the spiritis by vertu vegetatiff;
And sith that hayr in man is thus meevyng,
By manyfoold sawt he troublyd in his liff,
How shuld man than be stedfast in livyng?

10

Watir somwhile is congelyd to cristall,
Coold and moist, as of his nature,
Now ebbith, fflowith, which, in especiall,
Miht of the moone doth hir cours recure;
And sith that element, by record of Scripture,

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Was oon of foure compact in our makyng,
I wold enqueer what maneer creature
Maad of thes foure were stedfast of living?

11

The sangueyn man of blood hath hardynesse,
Wrouht to be lovyng, large of his dispence,
The fflewmatyk slowh, oppressyd with dolnesse,
Whit of visage, rude of elloquence;
And sith ther is in man suche difference
Of complexiouns dyversly werkyng,
Answer heerto concludyng in sentence,
How that he myhte be stable of his livyng.

12

The coleryk man sotil and deceyuable,
Slendir, leene, and citryn of colour,
Wroth sodeynly, wood and nat tretable.
Ay ful of yre, of malys, and rancour,
Drye and adust and a gret wastour,
And disposyd to many sondry thyng,
With pompe and boost hasty to do rigour,
Been such men stable heer in ther livyng?

13

Malencolik of his complexioun,
Dispoosid of kynde for to be fraudelent,
Malicious, froward, and by decepcioun,
Which thynges peysed by good avisement,
Forgyng discordes double of his entent;
I dar conclude as to my feelyng,
By confirmacioun as in sentement,
Fewe men be stable heer in ther livyng.

14

Satourn disposith to malencolye,
Iubiter reiseth men to hih noblesse,
And sturdy Mars to striff, werre, and envye,
Phebus to wysdam and to hih prowesse,
Mercurius to chaung and doubilnesse,
The moone mutable, now glad, and now drepyng,
And gery Venus, ful of newfangilnesse,
Makith man vnstable heer in this livyng.

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15

The world vnsuyr, fortune transmutable,
Trust on lordship a feynt sekirnesse;
Ech sesoun varieth frenship oft vnstable,
Now glad, now hevy, now helthe, now syknesse;
An ebbe of pouert next floodys of richesse,
Al staunt on chaung, now los and now wynnyng;
Tempest on se, and wyndes sturdynesse
Make men vnstable and feerful of livyng.

16

Titan somwhile fresshly doth appeere,
Than comyth a storm and doth his liht difface,
The soyl in somyr with floures glad of cheere,
Wyntris rasour doth al away arrace;
Al erthly thyng sodeynly doth pace,
Which may haue heer no siker abydyng,
Eek alle estatys fals ffortune doth manace;
How shuld man than be stedfast of lyvyng?

17

Considre and see the transmutacioun,
How the sesoun of greene lusty age,
Force of iuventus, hardy as lioun,
Tyme of manhood, wisdam, sad corage,
And how decrepitus turneth to dotage,
Al cast in ballaunce, be war, forget nothyng,
And thu shalt fynde this lyff a pilgrymage,
In which ther is no stedfast abydyng.

18

Man! left vp thyn eye to the heuene,
And pray the Lord, which is eternal,
That sitt so ferre above the sterrys sevene,
In his paleys moost imperyal,
To graunt the grace heer in this liff mortal,
Contricioun, shrifft, hoosyl at thy partyng,
And, or thu passe, remyssioun fynal,
Toward that lyf wher ioye is ay lastyng!

Explicit Iohan Lydgate.