The Minor Poems of John Lydgate :: :: University of Virginia Library

Haile blissed lady, the moder of Crist Iesu!
Of pees and concorde, haile, fresshest on-lyve!
Haile, hyest Cedre, surmountyng in vertu!
Haile! who hath konnyng thy beaute to discryve?
For there was neuer none so fayre onlyve.
Haile, bussh vnbrent, portula signata!
Haile, glorious mayde, with whom no fiend maye strive,
Haile, flos campi, O ave Iesse virgula!

2

Haile, holsom cypres, growyng in Syon!
Haile, fons signatus, most clere in cristallyne!
Haile, gold in Trone of prudent Salamon
Gostly closed, most hevenly in devyne!
Haile, to-fore whose brest alle grace dide shyne,
From phebus paleys, bilded supra sidera;
Haile, hevenly gardyn, welle in divyne,
Haile, flos campi, o Ave Iesse virgula!

3

Haile, chast lady of virginite!
Of the Holigost, haile, richest habitacle,
Aforne provided by the holy Trynite,
To be his triewe chosen tabernacle.

300

Of al vertues, myrrour and spectacle,
Brightest Aurora, cedrus exaltata,
To-fore whos face al peple by myracle
Syng of hole hert, “O Aue Iesse virgula!”

4

Of [I]esse boone, haile, holsomest piscyne!
With gostly vertues clerer than cristall
Whiche wasshed away all venym serpentyne
Brought into paradice, whan Adam had a fall.
But for thy vertues, and thy merites virginall,
We may the calle, turtur superata,
Sterre of the see, of hevene fenestrall,
Haile, flos campi, O Ave Iesse virgula!

5

Haile, fressh[e] Rose, planted in Iericho!
Swettest viola, that neuer shal fade,
Gloria Ierusalem, of Bedlem light also,
In perile palme, with fruyte of lyf I-lade;
Victorious laurus, ful of braunchis glade,
With vncouth mysteries, aforn prefigurata,
Thy merciful mantel lete cloth al in the shade,
With haile flos campi, O Ave Iesse virgula!

6

Haile, chosyn ysope of the valeys lowe!
Triewe example of humilite,
Aforne figured above the Reyne bowe,
Agenst the Indulgence of Iniquite,
Emerawdis grene, of perfite chastite,
Of merciful myrre, arbor inflammata,
Pray to thi sone, on vs he have pite,
With, haile, flos campi, O Ave Iesse virgula!

7

Haile, of Aurora the gladde Iasp[y]s skye!
Oure gostly day-sterre, oure lanterne, oure light;
Whiche broughtest kalendis, prophetis specifye,
Of Phebus vprist, after the derk[e] nyght,

301

Whan the Holygost in thy brest light,
Bilded of xij. stones, ciuitas murata,
Whiche in the Apocalyps be remembrid aright,
Haile flos campi, O Ave Iesse virgula!

8

Heyl, vertuous Iaspe, moost stedfast, & our feith
Tenchace away al Incantaciouns;
Celestial saphir, the lapidarye seith,
Cheef remedye geyn al temptaciouns;
The grene smaragd geyn fals Illusyouns,
Of this thre stoonys, heyl, conquadrata!
Fettyng of the alle our protecciouns,
In wourldly pereell, with Aue Iesse virgula.

9

Heyl, brennyng charbouncle, fervent of charyte!
Heyl, Calcedonye, & topas of clennesse!
Heyl, Crysolyte of pees and vnite!
Purpurat Ametyst, conseruyng sobyrnesse;
Moost pacient Berylle, alle Enemyes to represse,
Tu sic dicta viola & inuiolata
Heyl, strengest Achat geyn feendys sturdynesse!
Heyl, flos campi, with Aue Iesse virgula!

10

Heyl, sterre of Iacob, glorie of Israell!
Eva transformyd, the lettrys wel out sought,
Into thy Closet whan that Gabryell
With this wourd Ave hath the tydynges brought.
For meeknesse oonly, God this myracle hath wrought,
To-fore whoos face, mens mea iam prostrata,
Devoutly knelyng seith, with herte and thought,
Heyl, flos campi, with Aue Iesse virgula!

302

11

Heyl, gloryous queen! whoom the Apostyl Iohn
In his avisioun sawh, clothyd in a sonne,
With xije sterrys, and many a precious stoon,
Voydyng the dirknesse of alle skyes dunne,
In tokne, thow hast the victorye wonne
Of vices alle, in celis sublimata,
For whoom we synge, of herte as we best kunne,
Heyl Flos campi, with Aue Iesse virgula!

12

The twelve sterrys be twelve prerogatyves,
Which thow haddyst in thy virginite,
To-fore alle othir maydenys and Eek wyves;
The first callyd feith, hope, and charyte,
Namyd virtutes theologice,
With which thow were diuinitus dotata,
For which we seyn devoutely on our knee
Heyl flos campi, with Aue Iesse virgula!

13

In the foure vertues callyd Cardinal,
Force ageyn vices, and hih prudence,
And attemperaunce set in especial
In thy persone by souereyn excellence;
Pyte, compassioun, benignyte, clemence,
To-forn alle women plus preuilegiata,
To whoom knelyng with humble reuerence
We seyn of herte, O Aue Iesse virgula!

14

Vndir thy feet ther was a large moone,
Nat discresyng but alwey ful of lyght,
That was ful tokne, erly, late, and soone,
The gracious beemys of thy gracious syght

303

Shewe on-to synners, evir Ilich bryght,
With-oute eclips, tu virgo sacratissima!
For which we seyn, as we ar bound of ryght,
Heyl, Flos campi, with Aue Iesse virgula!

15

M. in Maria was first tokne of mercy,
A. of Aue, whan first our Ioye gan,
R. was redresse of Adam-is greet Fooly,
I. was Iesu, that overcam Sathan,
A. was Altissimus, whan bothe God and man
Took our manhood of the, pijssima,
Seying to the, of herte as we best can,
Heyl, flos campi, with Aue Iesse virgula!

16

M. in Maria, betokenyth Eek meknesse,
A. next in Ordre, tokne of attemperaunce,
R. remedye, our surffectys to redresse,
I. betoknyth Iesus, helpe for al our grevaunce,
A. is Amor, moost souereyn of pleasaunce,
Al set in Oon tu sola puerpera,
This name shall nevir out of our remembraunce,
Callyd fflos campi, O Aue Iesse virgula.

17

M. is also signe of thy magnitude,
Of plentevous mercyes, set in the alloone,
A. is Eek tokne of the greet altitude
Wheer thow sittyst with Salamon in his throne,
R. reformacioun of al our pitous moone,
I. for Iesu, Tu nostra aduocata,
A. efft for Ave in syknesse whan we groone,
Thy name shall helpe O aue Iesse virgula.

304

18

Maria, that art tryacle and medycine,
Salve for our soorys and our hurtys alle,
Moost habundaunt of grace which is devyne,
Off our trespacys to sugre the bittir galle
In Sathanys snarys, whan we stoumble or falle,
Tu Rosa tu lilium salus nominata,
Socoure thy seruauntys whan we to the calle,
O flos campi! O aue Iesse virgula!

19

Be with vs present, shewe thy fair face,
Help, Michael! weye with vs in the ballaunce,
Whan we shal deye, and Sathan doth manace,
Al our proteccioun stant in thy gouernaunce;
That dreedful day to save vs froo myschaunce,
Thow hevenly ffenestrall, sole radiata,
Releve alle thoo, by mercyful purviaunce,
That seyn of herte, O Aue Iesse virgula!

Explicit quod Lydgate.