The poems of William of Shoreham ... Re-edited from the unique manuscript in the British Museum by M. Konrath |
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 | The poems of William of Shoreham |  |
1
Sonderliche his man astonedIn his owene mende,
Wanne he note neuer wannes he comþe,
Ne wider he schel wende;
And more,
Þet al his lyf his here imengde
Wiþe sorwe and eke wiþe sore.
2
And wanne he deiþe, ne mey me witeWoder he comeþ to wisse;
Bote as a stock þer liþe þet body,
Wiþe-þoute alle manere blisse.
Wat þenkeste?
And hondred winter ȝef a leueþe,
Þat his lyf mid þe lengeste.
3
Onneþe creft eny þat stat,Ac some crefteþ þat halue;
And for siknesse lechecreft,
And for þe goute sealue
Me makeþe;
For wanne man drawiþ in-to oldeward,
Wel ofte his bones akeþ.
2
4
And be a man neuer so sprind,Ȝef he schel libbe to elde,
Be him wel siker, þer-to he schel,
And his deþes dette ȝelde;
To gile
Ȝet meni ȝong man weneþ longe leue,
And leueþ wel litle wyle.
5
Þos we beþ al awey-ward,Þat scholde her byleue;
And ȝet me seiþ ydemyd we beþe
In Adam and ine Eue
Te helle:
Waȝt hope his here of sauuement
Now time his for to telle.
6
Me seiþe þe riȝte woneȝyngIne heuene hyt his to manne;
Ac heuene his heiȝe, and we beþ heuy,
Howe scholde we þider þanne?
Bi leddre.
Howe mey þat be? wo dar þer-oppe steiȝe,
For douȝte of fotes bleddre?
7
Man, þy laddre nys nauȝt of wodeÞat may to heuene leste;
Ac on þer his, þat iakob iseiȝe
Þer he sleppe inne hys reste.
Now schewe þis:
Þis ilke laddre is charite,
Þe stales gode þeawis.
8
Her-on ihesus stawe vppe bi-fore,Al for to teche ous styȝe;
3
A-doun þat þou ne syȝe
By-weyled;
For yf þou nelt nauȝt climme þos,
Of heuene þou hest yfayled.
9
And þat man louye god and man,Ase charite hyt hoteþ;
Þat he so wel yþeawed be,
Þat alle men hit noteþe:
Wat þanne?
Ȝet senne-les ne may he nauȝt be,
Ac a deyþe, and he not wanne.
10
Of brokele kende his þat he deiþe,For hy ne moȝe nauȝt dury;
And aldey he to senne falleþ,
Her ne moȝe nauȝt pury
Of serewnessche.
Ȝet hope þou wel, man, for al þis,
Þat goȝde lyf wole þe wessche.
11
For deþe ne falt nauȝt into wanhope,For god him self for þe deide;
Þe þridde day he aros aȝeyn
Of þe þrouȝ þer men hine leyde,
Ine tokene
Þat, man, þi body arise schel
Of deiþe, nan more to blokne.
12
Þe bible seyþe þat mannys blodHys ryȝt þer saule giste;
4
Þer me wesscheþ by liste
Þe on-sounde:
To wesschen ous cryst schedde his blod
And water out of hys wonde.
13
Here-of spronge þe sacremensOf holy chyrche digne;
And his to segge sacrement
Of holy þynge signe.
For gode,
Hou myȝte fayrer signe be
Þane of þe water and blode?
14
Man, þorwe þat blod þi soule his bouȝtFram þe fendes powere;
And þorwe þat water iwessche þart
Of þyne sennes here.
Nou loke,
Ȝoure Cristendom his tokene þrof
Of criste þat we toke.
15
For, ȝef þou uangest þane cristendom,And for þan bi-lef[s]t clene,
Þou schelt be marked to þet stede
To wichen heuen his ymene;
To soþe,
Wanne þe bisschop bisschopeþ þe,
Tokene of marke he set to þe.
16
Ac cristendom hys sacrementOf so grete powere,
Þat hit þorwe wasscheþ þane man
Of senne alle manere;
And glorie
5
And schilt fram purgatorie.
17
And—for we beþ of nonn powerTo weryen ous fram schame—
Þer der no fend acombry ous,
Crist is mid ous to-same(s);
And neade:
Tokene þer-of his goddes bodi
At cherche ine forme of brede.
18
And ȝet,—for man his so brotelIne his owene kende—
Þaȝ he torni to senne aȝen
Þorwe fondyng of þe feende,
By chaunce
Þat he may come to stat a-ȝeyn
Þorwe bare repentaunce.
19
Her-of we habbeþ tokene gode,Wanne we fangeþ penaunce
For sennes þat we habbeþ idon̄,
To pynes allegaunce
Ine fere;
For þer we scholde hit vnder-go,
Bote we pinede hit here.
20
Þat man ne falle ine wanhopeA-last wiþ-oute bote,
Al þat he heþ iseneged her
Wiþ honden and wiþ foȝte,
Wyþ þoute,
Mouþe, nase, and earen, and wiþ siȝt,
Eliinge brengeþ hit to nouȝte.
6
21
Ȝet some heþe suche deuocioun,Þat hym þingþe he his al ydel
For to libbe commun lif,
Bote ȝef he hedde a brydel;
Wet þinge
Of harder stat god graunteþ,
Wel tokne þrowȝ his ordini[n]ge.
22
Ȝet, þaȝ man mowe nauȝt lecherieForbere to donne ine dede,
Ȝet ne schal he nauȝt be for-lore,
For god ȝefþe hym to rede
Spousynge;
Tokene þrof his þe wedding
At cherche, and biterewþing.
23
Cristendom, and bisschoppying,Penauns, and eke spousinge,
Godes body ine forme of bred,
Ordre, and Aneliinge,
Þes seuene
Heþ holicherche sacremens,
Þat beþ tokenen of heuene.
24
God wescht, and markeþ, and forȝefþ,And ioyneþ men an wyues,
And freuereþ þorwe his body man,
And grace sent, and lyues.
Ȝe, wanne?
Wanne we takeþ þe sacremens,
Þar we seþ hit þanne.
7
25
Þaȝ we ne mowe hyt nauȝt ise,Ne forþe ine bodie iurede,
We seþe hit wel ine oure fey,
And fredeþ hit at nede
Wel eȝaþe:
God þorwe miracles keþeþ hit
A lyue and eke a deþe.
26
And bote he þorwe hys sacremensOus þos bi-redde,
Ne scholde we of his grace wite
Wanne we hit toke and hedde
To wisse;
Þer-fore, he þat bi-lefeþ hit nauȝt
Riȝt wyt neþ of blisse.
27
Al hit beþ cherche sacremensÞet tokeneþ holi þynges,
As hali water, and haly bred,
Liȝt, and belryngynges
To leste;
And of alle oþer sacremens
Þes seuene beþ þe greste.
| The poems of William of Shoreham | |