The poems of William of Shoreham ... Re-edited from the unique manuscript in the British Museum by M. Konrath |
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| I. |
| 1. |
| 2. |
| 3. |
| 4. | (4) [D]E penitencia. |
| 5. |
| 6. |
| 7. |
 | II. |
| III. |
| IV. |
| V. |
| VI. |
| VII. |
 | The poems of William of Shoreham |  |
(4) [D]E penitencia.
121
Wane man after hys crystendomHeþ auȝt ido wyþ wronge,
Penaunce hyt hys, a sacrement
Þat men scholde fonge,
And mote.
31
Þorȝ sorȝe, schryfte, and edbote.
122
Þy sorwe for þyne senne, man,Mot be ine gode wylle,
Þat hy ne be nauȝt ine wanhope,
Þat made Iudas to spylle;
Ac crye
Mercy to swete ihesu cryst,
Mid wyl to lete folye.
123
And ȝet þy wylle mot be so gret,And ine so gode faye,
Þat þou wenst þou noldest seneȝi eft,
Þer-fore þeȝ þou scholdest deye
Ine wytte;
For ȝef þou woldest for deaþ hyt do,
Þy sorȝe hys al to lyte.
124
Þeȝ sorȝe hele man a-nonOf velþ of sennes slyme,
Ȝet þanne were hyt nauȝt inouȝ
Þe for [t]e sorwy on tyme,
Ac euere,
Ase longe ase, man, þy lyf ylest,
Elles senne may keuere.
125
For so, man, senne greueþ in þe,And eke in alle þyne,
Ase wed schel growen ouer þe corn,
Wyþ-oute medicyne
Of sorȝe.
Nou her-on þenche, man, day and nyȝt,
An euen and a morwe.
32
126
Þench, þourȝ þy senne þou hest iloreÞy blys of heuene ryche,
And hest iwreþed þane kyng
Þat non hys yliche;
And here
Þou hest of-serued dygnelyche
Þe pyne of helle vere.
127
Draȝ into mende þet hydous siȝtOf deade men a bere,
Þat nadde neuer deade ibe,
Ȝef senne of adam nere;
Bye drytte,
Ȝet þou aȝtest habbe more hydour
Of þyne oȝene vn-ryȝte.
128
Myd sucher sorȝe schryfte, man,Wel stylle, and no þyng loude;
For repentaunce ondeþ þe hel,
And schreft hyt mot out-croude
Al clene:
For ȝef aȝt lefþ þat croude myȝt,
God so þou schelt ywenne.
129
Ne non ne may hym schryue aryȝt,Bote ȝef he hym by-þoȝte
Of sennes þat he heþ ydo,
And hys lyf al þorȝ-soȝte
To kenne;
33
Al one by seȝe of senne.
130
And vnderstand þat al iholMot be þy schryfte, broþer;
Naȝt þar-of a kantel to a prest,
And a kantel to an-oþer;
And þanne
Tele, ȝef þou myȝt by-þenche þe,
Wet, hou, and wer, And wanne.
131
And ȝef þou wylt, man, þorȝ þy schryftLat þy senne al a-drouȝe,
Ne wynd þou naut þy senne ine selke,
Ac telle out al þat rouȝe
Tys laȝe;
Ȝef þou wenst deie, and nast no prest,
Schryf þe to anoþer felawe.
132
Ac þat ne schalt þou neuere do,Bote þe wantrokye of lyue;
And ȝef þou comste to lyue aȝen,
Eft þrof þou most þe scryue
To preste,
Þat heþ power to assoyly þe,
Þorȝ power of þe greste.
133
Þaȝ man on tyme ihealde beTo schryue hym a ȝere,
To schryue hym wanne he seneȝed heþ,
Wel syker þyng hyt were,
And mete,
Wald ȝef he sodeynlyche deiþ,
And wald he hyt for-ȝete.
34
134
For wanne man sodeynleche deiþ,Hys þoȝt þe sorȝe troubleþ;
And senne ony-schryue wanne he uor-ȝet,
Hys senne þer-be doubleþ
To nusy;
For mytter senne þat he dede
Þe sleuþe hine wyle acusy.
135
Man, schryf þe, and wonde none schame,For-wy hyt hys to donne;
A lytel schame hys betere her,
Þane ouer-moche eft-sone
To crefte
By-uore god a domesday,
Amang al godes schefte.
136
For þaȝ man moȝe isauued beÞorȝ bare repentaunce,
Wanne he ne may to schryfte come,
Ȝef hym valleþ þat chaunce
So holde,
Ȝet ne may he nauȝt y-sauued be,
Be he hym schriue wolde.
137
Þer-fore þy schryfte, man, schel beWyþ-oute stoneynge,
Myd herte loȝ, and, ȝef þou myȝt,
Myd þyn eȝene wepynge;
In treuþe,
Þet þer be non ypocrysye,
Bote repentaunce and reuþe.
138
And ȝyf þat þou to schryfte comstIne þyse manere to fa[y]re,
35
Schal be wel de-bonayre
And loȝe;
He schel wystlyche þy senne hele,
Bet þane he wolde hys owe.
139
Ȝef he þe schel anoye aȝt,Hyt wyle of-þenche hym sore;
And oþer-wyl anoye he mot,
Wanne he scheweþ þe lore
Of helþe,
Ase mot þe leche ine uoule sores,
Wanne he royneþ þe felþe.
140
Þer-fore ȝe mote þolyen hytWyþ-oute alle manere tole,
And do þer-by ententyflyche,
Ȝyf ȝe wolleþ be hole
To liue;
And to a betere be leaue goþ,
Ȝef ȝoure prest can nauȝt schryue.
141
Te [þe] mo prestes þat þart ischryueMyd alle y-hole schryfte,
Þe clenner þert a-ȝens god,
And of þe more þryfte;
Nauȝt nyce,
Ȝef hyt ne be nauȝt to þy prest
Malice ne preiudice.
142
Wanne man hys repentaunt ischriue,He scholde don ed-bote;
And þe ferste hys, þat he by-fle
Chypeans, of sennes rote;
Ase quances,
36
Bi-ulekþ foule continaunce.
143
Edbote hys dede after god conseylOf gosslich medicine,
Wanne senne sor y-clensed hys,
To þolye a lytel pyne
Þet frete,
Þat he ne be þer-uore iwrete
In purgatoryes hete.
144
Þre maner peyne man a-fangeþFor hys senne nede;
Bene hys þat on, þat oþer fastyng,
Þe þrydde hys almesdede;
Ac woste,
Bene hys and edbote yset
For senne do ine goste.
145
For senne in fleschvestyng heþ þe flesch loþe;
Ac elmesdede senne bet
Of gost and flesche boþe;
For þencheþ
Þet almesdede senne quenkeþ,
Ase water þat fer a-quencheþ.
146
To byddyng contemplacionLongeþ rede and wryte,
To here predicacioun won,
Lore, and herte smyte,
And werche
37
To men ine holy cherche.
147
Knewelyng, trauayl, baruot go,Wolle-ward and wakynge,
Discipline and lyte mete,
Þes longeþ to vestynge;
And here,
Pelgrymage and beddyng hard,
Flesch fram lykynge te arere.
148
Ȝeue, and lene, and conseil,Cloþyng, herberȝ, and fede,
Vysyty syke and prysones,
And helpe pouere at nede,
Muknesse
For to uor-ȝeuene trespas,
Tak dedes of elmesse.
149
And seue ȝer þou scholdest, man,O dea[d]lyche senne pyny;
Þer-uore al þat þe prest þe hat
To done schalt þou nauȝt fyny,
Ac more,
For onneaþe hys þer eny prest
Þat peyne set so sore.
150
For hy habbeþ uisyk of men,Hy more sette þe lesse;
38
Of more forȝefnesse
Þane wreche;
For ȝyf þou to lyte peyne hest,
Purgatorye hyt schal eche.
151
And ȝet þer hys anoþer casÞat prestes ȝyuet so lyte
Penaunce: þaȝ me telle ham
Ryȝt moche of sennes wyte,
Ine mone,
Me mot ham legge lytel on,
Oþer hy nolde do none.
152
Beter hys þat hy a lyte doHer ine obedience,
And foluelle þat remenaunt
Ine purgatoryes tense
Eft-sone;
Nys nauȝt god to uor-lete a man
Þat eny-þing hys wyl bone.
153
Þe bydde ich, broþer, be nauȝt loþTo do penaunce here;
For ȝet þer hys here som reles,
So nys nauȝt ine þe uere
Areyned,
Ne þorȝ þe ryȝt-uolnesse of god
Nys no sen onipeynid.
154
Man, wane þou seneȝyst, þre þou dest,Þou wreþest god almyȝty,
To holy cherche on-bouxam þart,
Makest þy selue on-ryȝty:
Þos mote
39
Sorwe, schryfte, and edbote.
155
Man[y] takeþ þys sacrement,And geþ a-wey on-digne,
For he ne schryfþ nauȝt of þet þyng,
Bote of þe bare signe
To wynne.
Þe signe hys þat hys boute ydo,
Þat þynge hys grace bynne.
156
Two þynges her-wyþ-ynne beþ,For-ȝefþe, and repentynge;
Ac repentaunce hys signe also
Of sennys for-ȝeuyng:
Certayne,
For so may man repenti hym,
Þat þer uolȝeþ no peyne.
157
Þat was iked wel inne þe þefOpe caluaryes felde,
Þo he escusede ihesu cryst,
And hym gelty gan ȝelde
Mid sourwe;
He deide and come to paradys,
Na-bod he nauȝt fort a morwe.
| The poems of William of Shoreham | |