 | A paraphrase on the Seven Penitential Psalms |  |
[Mercy, Lord, I calle and crye]
MISERERE mei, Deus! secundum magnam misericordiam tuam.
Mercy, Lord, I calle and crye:Thi mercy is redy in every place.
Thowȝ I have lyved ful synfullye,
I putte me fully in thi grace.
There is no synne, before thi face,
So grete as mercy and pyté.
To synfull man thou were nevere scace
Of ‘Ne reminiscaris, Domine!’
Et, secundum multitudinem miseracionum tuarum, dele iniquitatem meam.
To me thi mercy multiplye,And lesĕ noȝt that thou hast bowȝt.
Putte awey, Lord! gracyouslye,
My wicked werkys that I have wrowȝt.
Thowȝ I thi mercy déserve nowȝt,
Zyt it is thi propirté,
To sparĕ hem that mekely sowȝt,
‘Ne reminiscaris, Domine!’
Amplius lava me ab iniquitate mea: et a peccato meo munda me.
22
Fro synne that grevyth me ful ille;
That there leve no prevy sore,
Ne circumstaunce that longyth ther tylle.
Make me clene fro woord and wylle,
And kepe me, for thyn honesté.
Therfore I présente thé this bylle,
‘Ne reminiscaris, Domine!’
Quoniam iniquitatem meam ego cognosco: et peccatum meum contra me est semper.
I am aknowe my synfull lyif,That I have led fro tendyr age:
But ȝyf thi mercy to me were ryif,
To peyne schulde be my pilgrymage.
Myn owen dedys, that ben outrage,
Before thi syȝt accusyn me:
But to thi mercy I do homage.
‘Ne reminiscaris, Domine!’
Tibi soli peccavi, et malum coram te feci: ut justificeris in sermonibus tuis, et vincas cum judicaris.
I have synnéd to thé alone,And forfetyd ofte before thi syȝt:
Zyf I will leve my synnes ilkone,
Grace and mercy thou hast behyȝt.
Schewe, Lord! how they do unryȝt,
That seyn thou wylt noȝt rewe on me,
Whanne I crye, bothe day and nyȝt,
‘Ne reminiscaris, Domine!’
23
Ecce enim! in iniquitatibus conceptus sum: et in peccatis concepit me mater mea.
Of my modyr I was conceyvedIn synne, and so was every chylde,
(After that Adam was dysceyved,)
Sauf Cryist alone and Marie mylde.
The feend ther to hath maad ful wylde
My flesch, my soule with innĕ me;
But ȝyf I kunne the bettyr bylde,
‘Ne reminiscaris, Domine!’
Ecce enim! veritatem dilexisti: incerta et occulta sapiencie tue manifestasti michi.
Zyf I my synne will noȝt excuse,But telle it trewly as it is;
I truste thou wilt noȝt me refuse,
Thowȝ I do oftĕ tyme amys.
Thannĕ thi wysdam will me wis,
To knowe so weel thi pryvyté,
That I schal noȝt fayle of thys,
‘Ne reminiscaris, Domine!’
Asperges me, Domine, ysopo et mundabor: lavabis me, et super nivem dealbabor.
Sprenkle me, Lord! with watyr of terys,That myn herte be pourgyd clene.
Wysse me fro my wyldĕ gerys,
And wassche my synne awey be dene:
24
Is whyȝt and bryȝt, so schal I be;
Thanne schal the werkyng be ful sene
Of ‘Ne reminiscaris, Domine!’
Auditui meo dabis gaudium et leticiam: et exultabunt ossa humiliata.
My synnĕ ȝyf I noȝt defende,But aske mercý with sorwefull chere,
And my lyif mekĕly amende,
God will my bonĕ gladly here.
He will noȝt lese that is bouȝt dere
Wyth bytter deth up on a tre,
As longe as we wyll lowely here
Seye ‘Ne reminiscaris, Domine!’
Averte faciem tuam a peccatis meis: et omnes iniquitates meas dele.
My wicked werkys thou putte awey,And fro my synnĕs turne thi face,
Sorwe and syȝhyng is my pley,
Wher evere I be in ony place.
I am noȝt worthy to have thi grace,
And ryȝtwysnesse I may noȝt fle:
But, myghtfull Lord! be noȝt scace
Of ‘Ne reminiscaris, Domine!’
Cor mundum crea in me, Deus! et spiritum rectum innova in visceribus meis.
25
My spirit was to thé untrewe.
Clense me, Lord! therfore with inne;
A ryghtful spiryte in me renewe,
That I may evere synne esschewe.
And ȝyf I forfete, of frealté,
To thi mercy I will pursewe,
Wyth ‘Ne reminiscaris, Domine!’
Ne proicias me a facie tua: et spiritum sanctum tuum ne auferas a me.
Fro thi face castĕ thou me nouȝt,Thowȝ I be úntrewe and unkynde.
Zyf I trespàce in dede or thouȝt,
Lete noȝt thi mercy be behynde.
Of my frealnesse, gode Lord, have mynde.
Thyne holy spirite take noȝt fro me;
And ȝyf thou do, how schal I fynde
‘Ne reminiscaris, Domine?’
Redde michi leticiam salutaris tui: et spiritu principali confirma me.
Fadyr, that art of myghtĕs most!Graunte me gladnésse of soulys hele.
Conferme me with the holy gost;
And lete me nevere with feendys dele.
Forsake me noȝt in wo ne in wele;
For evere I have nede to thé:
And ȝyf thou do, I will apele
To ‘Ne reminiscaris, Domine!’
26
Docebo iniquos vias tuas: et impii ad te convertentur.
The weyis that ben to God in hye,Ful gladly I schal telle and teche,
Wher evere I be in cumpanye;
Of tho only schal be my speche.
To turnĕ synfull men fro wreche,
Ensaumple they may take of me:
For I cowde nevere fynde othyr leche,
But ‘Ne reminiscaris, Domine!’
Libera me de sanguinibus, Deus, Deus salutis mee! et exultabit lingua mea justiciam tuam.
I may noȝt overcome the feende;His malyce I kan noȝt fully felle:
He steryth my flesch, me to schende;
It waxith sturdy and rebelle.
Of helthe and hele thou art the welle!
Fro fleschly lust thou delyvere me;
That ryȝtfully my tunge may telle,
‘Ne reminiscaris, Domine!’
Domine, labia mea aperies: et os meum annunciabit laudem tuam.
My mouth schal preyse thé day and nyȝt,My lyppes to thé schull opyn wyde;
Thé to serve myn herte is lyȝt;
Evere more with thé I wyll abyde,
27
But lowely aske mercy of thé.
I crye to thé in ilke a tyde,
‘Ne reminiscaris, Domine!’
Quoniam, si voluisses sacrificium, dedissem utique: holocaustis non delectaberis.
Of beeste that is unresonable,Thou desyrest no sacryfyse.
That mannys lyvyng be covenable,
And redy un to thi servyse,—
That is all thi coveytise,—
That I love God as he doth me.
I may no bettyr offrýng devyse,
Than ‘Ne reminiscaris, Domine!’
Sacrificium Deo, spiritus contribulatus: cor contritum et humiliatum, Deus, non despicies.
Zyf thou wilt offere, to God of hevene,A spyrit of gret repentaunce;
Thowȝ thou be gylty of synnĕs sevene,
A sorwefull herte is Goddys plesaunce.
Syn thou wylt noȝt thi self avaunce,
God wyll noȝt dispysen thé;
Whil thou wylt make good ordynaunce
Of ‘Ne reminiscaris, Domine!’
Benigne fac, Domine, in bona voluntate tua, Syon: ut edificentur muri Iherusalem.
28
Graunte me thi wyll to bygge ageyn.
Thi goodnesse was nevere ȝyt denyed:
There hath no man matère to pleyn.
Thi bounté passyth, as alle men seyn,
All that was or evere schal be;
And ellys my speche were all in veyn,
Of ‘Ne reminiscaris, Domine!’
Nunc acceptabis sacrificium justicie, oblaciones et holocausta: tunc imponent super altare tuum vitulos.
Offryng and schedyng of beestys bloodWere made in awterys, in figure
Of Cryist, that deyid up on the rood,
To raunsoun synfull creäture.
Whan I do ony forfeture,
A contrite heart I offere to thé:
Accepte this, Lord, for ryȝt rekure,
‘Ne reminiscaris, Domine!’
| A paraphrase on the Seven Penitential Psalms | |