The canticles or Balades of Salomon phraselyke declared in Englysh Metres, by William Baldwin |
 | I. |
| II. |
 | III. |
| xxiiii. |
| xxv. |
| xxvi. |
| xxvii. |
| xxviii. |
| IIII. |
| V. |
The .v. Chapter.
|
| VI. |
| VII. |
| VIII. |
 |
The .v. Chapter.
The canticles or Balades of Salomon |  |
V. The .v. Chapter.
xxxv. Christe to his Spouse.
The Argument.
At his Spouses request, Christ cūmeth into his gardeyn: and gathereth his mirrhe with his spices, the vertuous dedes whiche through hym she bryngeth furth: and eareth his hunney combe with his hūney and drynketh his wyne with his mylke, that is, he accepteth well her good doctrine wherwith she nurissheth & comforteth the Younglynges. Whiche al he calleth his, because that for his sake she did them: and whan he hath so doen, he certifieth his Spouse therof, syngyng.
My syster dere, I am cum at thy request:
I haue cropt my myrrhe, and odourykyng spice,
Good wurkes whiche fayth hath gendred in thy brest.
My wurde, my truth, my promise I haue eat:
I stande therto, and wyll perfourme the rest
That graunted is in swete so fyne a meat.
Whiche in mennes heartes through preachyng, depe is sounk:
Myxt with my mylke, weak doctrine for my youth,
Powrde out by thee, I haue both seen and drounk.
xxxvi. Christe to his Spouse.
[The Argument]
Christe seyng his Spouses fruites of most holsum doctrine, to be excellent good, calleth his fyrst Churche, the whiche now are his frendes, vnto his banket: willyng them not only to eat and drynke his churches mylk and wyne, that is the doctrine of holy scripture, but also to be drunke, that is to haue all carnall iudgement cleane ouercum with the perfect knowlege of his wurde, syngyng to them.
My Spouses mylke and wine:
My wurde whiche to the brynke
Is full of foode diuine,
Both meat and drynke.
Drynke, drinke tyll ye be drounk:
Drynke tyll my holly goste
In you be throughly sunke,
Drinke and be drunke.
xxxvii. The Spouse to the Younglynges.
The Argument.
The
Spouse hyndred with the heauy burden of the flesh,
falleth oft: becummeth negligent in her ministerie, and
slepeth as touchyng the flesh: but in her hart and spirit watcheth
continually, alwayes attentiue and hearkenyng whan
God wyl moue and wake her vp, to doe any thyng.
Doe slepe in sinne, obey my worldly wyll:
But yet my harte, and sprite doe wake and watche,
To serue the Lorde, his lawes for to fulfyll
With harte and mynde.
Beholde the voyce of Christe whome moste I loue,
I hear in flesh, wheron he knocketh styll,
From earth commaundyng me to cum aboue,
True rest to fynde.
xxxviii. Christe to his perfect Spouse.
The Argument.
Whan Christe (accordyng to the confession of his welbeloued Spouse) hath styerred and waked her vp by the secret wurkyng of his grace, from the sluggysh rest whiche she had in her disobedient and vnruly flesh, he cummeth hym selfe vnto her, with his head God the father hye head of all, full of the dewe of his grace, truth and mercie: hauyng hys heary lockes full of the nyght droppes of tribulacion, persecucion, and affliccion. (For all that receyue Christe with the dewe of his fathers truth and mercye, must also receyue the troubleous nyghtdroppes of his heares.) And now desirous that she should so receyue hym, syngeth.
Receyue my truthe, that I shal to thee shew:
Open to me my darlyng, my Doue,
For loe my head, my head is full of dewe,
Of truth, grace, and mercie.
My truth is full of tribulacion:
Fear thou not yet, for fayth shall thee grounde
And make thee strong in persecucion,
Through truth, grace, and mercie.
xxxix. The Spouse to her Beloued.
The Argument.
The Spouse (whose flesh is not ful mortified, and obedient to the spirit) is troubled sore with this request of her Beloued. She is in the bed of quietnes already, and hath as she thynketh, put of the vesture of olde Adam, with trust in her owne righteousnes, and hath washed her feete from the soule affecciōs, lustes, and desiers of worldly thynges. Thus thynkyng (but she is deceyued) she reasoneth with her Beloued, syngyng.
I haue put of, I count them all as vayne,
And rest in peace: o Lorde howe shal I than,
Attyre my selfe, and put it on agayne?
Are washt away, as thou thyself moste good,
Commaundedst me: why shall I then defyle
My feete agayne, in vile and fylthy mud?
xl. The Spouse to the Younglynges.
The Argument.
The
Churche beholdeth Christ, and would gladly receyue
hym, for her soule deliteth in his dewy head, but her flesh
can not away with the nyghtdroppyng heares, which caused
her as though she had ben perfect, to reason with Christ, and
to thynke that he woulde haue her put on her coate agayne,
whan as in dede he woulde haue her cum naked to put on the
coat whiche he wyll geue her. Thus is the poore churche deceyued
through frayltie of the flesh: whiche he consyderyng
and seyng the dore shut, that is the spirite so hyndred in carnal
iudgement, that she can not receyue hym, thrusteth in his
hande, that is his power, grace, and helpe, through the hole
In to my hole of fleshly sence:
Whereby myne inwarde partes outryght
Dyd swel and ryse, through influence
Of grace.
To open that he mought cum in
Whome I doe loue, by whome my sence
Of fleshly wit was made so thin.
By grace.
But that my handes (fast shut before)
Dyd drop with Mirrhe, good wurkes did passe
My fyngers from styll more and more
By grace.
To let hym in that knocked fast
My carnal sence I thrust abacke:
But Christe before was goen and past,
Helas.
My soule to search hym waxed meke:
My soule long hyd, his voyce dyd make
From flesh to flee, his helpe to seke
Apace.
I called hym, he answered not:
Awhyle he left me to my mynde,
Because at fyrst I opened not.
Helas.
False Prelates whiche the truth confounde,
That sought for Christe poore me dyd catche,
And stroke therfore, and dyd me wounde
Helas.
Suche rites as truthles men deuise:
By force dyd take my cloke and all,
Because I dyd theyr wurkes dispise,
Helas.
Ye faythfull preachers of the wurd,
Whiche preache Gods truthes, and folow them,
That stryke with his two edged swurd
By grace:
Christe my Beloued that dwelles aboue,
Ye shew hym how sore I in mynde
Am sycke, and languish whole for loue
Of grace.
xli. The Younglynges to the Spouse.
The Argument.
The Younglynges beyng charged of the Churche that yf they fynde her Beloued, they shew hym how she is louesicke, because they know hym not (as in dede none can excepte the faythfull haue taught them) enquyer what he is, singing.
Beloued of God aboue,
Of women bryght, O fayrest to syght,
What maner one is thy Loue?
What maner one is. &c.
Of God beloued also:
What one is he, So loued of thee,
Of whome thou doest charge vs so?
Of whome thou doest, &c.
xlii. The Spouse to the Younglynges.
The argument.
The Church at the Younglynges request, describeth her beloued in .iii. songes, syngyng.
Is suche an one as hath in hym no spot.
Is whyte in diuinitie, Red in humanitie,
Chosen among a thousand.
Is golde, of nature perfect, pure and bryght.
My Loue ye shall vnderstand,
Is whyte in diuinitie, Red in humanitie,
Chosen among a thousand.
Crow blacke to suche as wyll them not allow.
My Loue ye shal vnderstand,
Is whyte in diuinitie, Red in humanitie,
Chosen among a thousand.
xliii. The Churche to the Younglinges.
The Argument.
Whan the Churche hath shewed the eleccion of Christe (for he is the chyef and onely elect sonne of his father) and his two natures, diuinitie and humanitie: she procedeth on in the descripcion of the rest of his partes, syngyng.
Are lyke the Doues, vpon the water brooke,
Whiche washt with mylke of truth, rest where they wull,
Replete with sprite and power echewhere to looke.
Are lyke earthbeds, of spices fine and pure:
Good bokes in whiche his truth doeth dayly grow
For preachers suche as put the same in vre.
Are lillies whyte, where puritie is had:
From whome the myrrhe of scripture doeth distil,
Preseruyng good, but bytter to the bad.
Knowen by the wurkes, are very rynges of gold:
With Hiacincthes set as full as can be thought,
His goodly wurkes whiche dayly we beholde.
Are constant, firme, lyke to the Eliphantes tooth,
Beset with saphirs, clernes shynyng styl,
In all his wurkes both doen and that he doeth.
His enmies doune, his faythful vp to holde:
Are pyllers strong, of marble stone most harde,
That buylded be on bases made of golde.
In whiche through fayth, all faythful doe hym see,
Wheron doeth grow the hye swete Cedre tree.
Wherby we take his peace and righteousnes,
Is swete, swete, swete: my Loue in euery lym,
So perfect is, as no toung can expresse.
xliiii. The Spouse to the Younglynges.
The argument.
Whan the Churche hath particulerly descrybed Christe as well as she coulde, at last astonished with beholdyng the depth of his wunderful mercies, and hyndered through infirmitie to vtter suche thinges as she gladly would, she breketh out into wunderyng: and desyrous to styr vp al other to desyer hym, concluded muche in few wurdes, syngyng.
At full what one he is?
My wit and learnyng is to low
To shew that shape of his.
Because ye me requyrde:
His excellence in euery lym,
Ought wholly be desyerde.
My Frende also is he:
Ye daughters of Ierusalem,
Suche is my Loue to me.
|
The .v. Chapter.
The canticles or Balades of Salomon | |