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Cambridge Middle English Lyrics


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RELIGIOUS POEMS
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Prayers, Songs, and Orisons to or about God, Christ, and the Virgin
 1A. 
1. An Orison to the Trinity
 1C. 
[An Orison to the Trinity]
 2. 
2. How Sinners Crucify Christ Each Day
 3. 
3. An ABC Poem on the Passion
 4. 
4. A Prayer of the Words of Christ on the Cross
 5. 
5. The Psaltere of Ihesu
 6. 
6. A Prayer in Memory of the Passion
 7. 
7. The Wounds of Christ as Remedies Against the Seven Deadly Sins
 8. 
8. A Second Version MERCY
 9. 
9. Christ Appeals to Man by the Pains of the Passion
 10. 
10. A Salutacion of Our Lady
 11. 
11. Ave Maria
 12. 
12. Heyle, God ye schilde
 13. 
13. To His Mistress
 15. 
15. Translation of Cur Mundus Militat
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Precepts and Admonitory Pieces: Signs of Death
collapse section16-19. 
16–19. Warnings of Death
 16. 
[Whan thy hed quakes memento]
 17. 
Memento Homo
 18. 
[Whan thyn heed shaketh . memento]
 19. 
[Wenne þin eyen beit ihut. & þin heren beoit idut]
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Instructive Pieces: Religious, Moral, Ritual
 20. 
20. The vij vertwys Agyn the vij dedley Synys
 21. 
21. Augustinus de peccatis venialibus
 22. 
22. Decem remedia contra peccata venialia ut patebit inferus
 23. 
23. The Five Goostly Wyttys
 24. 
24. Lines on the Old Testament Worthies
 25. 
25. A Riming Exhortation
 26. 
26. Admonition Against Swearing
 27. 
27. Health of Body and Soul
 28. 
28. Penaunce is in Herte Reusing
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Parts of the Mass in English Rime
 29. 
29. Pater Noster
 30. 
30. Aue Maria
 31. 
31. Vii mortalia peccata
 32. 
32. In eleuacione eucaristie
 33. 
33. In manus tuas domine
 34. 
34. In nomine patris
 35. 
35. Per crucis hoc signum fugiet
 36. 
36. Mors tua, mors domini &c Vii cogitanda
 37. 
37. Vestio, cibo, poto, &c Vii opera miserecordie
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Reflective (Exegetical) Poems
 38. 
38. On the “Leaps” Which Christ Took
 39. 
39. On the Value of Prayer and Meditation
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SECULAR POEMS
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Love Songs and Complaints
 40. 
40. Alas, Alas, and Alas Why
 41. 
41. Alas What Planet Was I Born Vndir
 42. 
42. The Lover Wishes His Lady Recovery
 43. 
43. Lament
 44. 
44. Without Variance
 45. 
45. A Troubled Lover's Apostrophe to Death
 46. 
46. A Compleint vn to Dame Fortune Capitulo xxviii
 47. 
47. A Pure Balade of Love
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Satirical Pieces
 48. 
48. The Dyscryuyng of a Fayre Lady
 49. 
49. O Mosy Quince
 50. 
50. When Women Will Reform
 52. 
52. Punctuation Poem
 53. 
53. Alas, quid eligam ignoro
 54. 
54. The Poor Widow and the Rich Man
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Wise Sayings
 55. 
55. Exhortation to Study
 56. 
56. The Vanity of Worldly Lusts
 57. 
57. The Transitoriness of Worldly Prosperity
 58. 
58. Of the iiij Complexions
 59. 
59. Proverbs in Rimed Couplets
 60. 
60. Praise of Contentment with Little
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Riddles / Aenigmata
 61. 
61
 62. 
62
 63. 
63
 64. 
64
 65. 
65
 66. 
66
 67. 
67. And′ Y com[pleyne]
 68. 
68. For to Pente

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40. Alas, Alas, and Alas Why

[_]

Univ. Libr., Ff.1.6, fol. 137v, middle

Alas alas and alas why
hath fortune done so creweley
ffro me to take awey þe seyte
Of þat þat gewit my hert lyte
Of all þyng þat in erth yse
To me hyt was þe most blyse
Whan þat y was in presense
To wham my hert doth reuerense
And euer schal for well or woo
Or drede of frende or lyf all soo
Hit schal me neuer oþer a sterte
But ye to haue my hole hert
Saue whan I come to þe deth
That nedes oute mouste þe brethe
þat kepyth þe lyfe me with inne
And þan fro yow most I twyne
And tyll þe day hit me owre
Ryȝt feythfully I yow ensure
þat þer schal no erly þyng
On my part make departyng
Thus ame I sett. yn stable wyse
To lefe and dure in yowre seruyce
Wyt oute faynyng of my hert
Thow I fele neuer soo grete smert
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