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

Loo my freendes here beginneþe þe translacyoune out of Latyne in-to Englisshe of Gloriosa dicta sunt de te, &c. translated by Lidegate daun John þe Munk of Bury at þins[t]aunce of þe Busschop of Excestre in wyse of Balade. beholdeþe and redeþe I prey yowe.

316

1

On hooly hilles wheeche peoþe of gret Renoun
Reysed on heght frome þe valeys lowe
I saughe þe grounde and þe foundacion
Of a Citye aboue þe Reynebowe.
Þe name is called, lyche as I can knowe,
Þe dwelling place of þe deyitee,
Vppon þe wallis, wryten al by rowe,
Gloryous thingis beon songe and sayde of þee.

2

Þis was þe songe which Dauid with his harpe
Sang vpon þe mountes of Syon,
With nootes sweete and warbles touched sharpe
Fer frome þe floodes of felle Babylon.
Þis cytee bylt with many a prescious stoone,
Stoones of vertue, moost ryche vpon to see,
And his refreyde resouned euer in oon,
Gloryous thinges beon song and sayde of þee.

3

Of alle cytees, who þat serche neghe or ferre,
In what regyounes þat men ryde or goo,
Þou art þy-self þe bright loode-sterre,
Mankyndes lyff, to guye in wele and woo;
Nazareth, but not Iherico,
Þe prophetes gaf to þye natyvyte,
To make vs sure ageynst our mortal foo
Howe gloryous thinges beon songe and sayde of þee.

4

Auctours whylome gaf a prys to Troye
Laude and honnour and comendacyoun
In Remembraunce of þeyre olde Ioye
Þat whylome was wel vsed in þat tovne,

317

And eeke of Roome for domynacyoun,
Cytees þat tyme of mooste souereyntee;
But al þeyre booste may nowe be layde adowne,
So gloryous thinges beo sayde and song of þee.

5

Þou art þe cyte mooste kouþe in euery cooste,
Of God þe Fader chosen by myracle
For þy clennesse vnto þe Hooly Gooste
To beon alloone chevest habytacle,
Whos meeknesse made þer was noon obstacle
To cause him light frome his souereyne see
And descende in-to þy tabernacle,
Howe gloryous thinges beon seyde and songe of þee!

6

Auctoures also maken mencyoun,
As þey in bookes wel reherce konne,
Þowe were by meryte and by deuocion
Þe table of golde offred to þe sonne,
Which fisshers foonde and with þeyre nettes wonne
And hit presented vn-to þe deytee
Of Phebus, which, with noo skyes donne
Eclippseþe neuer, for he sprang oute of þee.

7

Iepte whylome, as maked is memorye,
Made of his doughter an oblacyoun
Vndescretly, for his gret victorye,—
Saynt Austyn wryt, for lacking of resoun;
But Ioachim of pleyne entencyoun
And hooly Anne þy pure virginytee
Offred vn-to God of oon affeccyoun;
Howe gloryous thinges beon sayde and songe of þee.

8

Þou art þe temple and þe chosen toure
Moost stedfastly founded on clennesse,

318

Where Cryst Ihesu, oure blessed saueour,
Chees for tabyde for þyne hoolynesse;
What called him dovne but þy gret meeknesse
Tenclyne his godheed to þyne humylytee
I am to Rude, O lady! for texpresse
Howe gloryous thinges beon song and sayde of þee.

9

Þer was a Cyte precelling alle tovnes
Whos gret beaute no masoun might amende,
Called þe Cyte of strong Chaumpyouns,
Whos chaaste walles Sapyence list ascende,
Whos worthynesse no clerk cane comprehende;
Reclynatorye of þe Trinytee,
Reffuge of synners, whanne þat þey offende,
Howe gloryous thinges beon songe and sayde of þee!

10

Þy blessed cytee was hyeghly glorefyed,
Ecclesiastes cane þe sooþe telle,
And of þe lord moost Inly sanctefyed,
In which him-self list abyde and dwelle,
Owte of þe which, besydes a sacred welle,
To saue mankynde of lyf þer sprang a tree,
Whos hoolsome fruyt alle fruytes doþe excelle
So gloryous thinges beon seyde and songe of þee.

11

In þat cytee þe lord chose for to rest,
Recorde I taake of prudent Ysaye,
Sought it out and foonde it was þe best
And þe prophete cleped Sophonye,
In his forsight list wel specefye,
“Þis is,” quod he, “þe gloryous fayre cytee
Whome al þe warld of right shal magnefye,”
So gloryous thinges beon songe and sayde of þee.

319

12

Ezechiel expressed with his mouþe
Þat he saughe a Cyte moost hevenly,
Whiche was drawyng miche into þe southe,
With-Inne þe which, he telleþe ful goostly,
Þat þe lover is serched comunly,
Þe lord of lordes þat haþe heghe seuereyntee,
And in his wryting he meneþe truly
Þe gloryous thinges sayde and songe of þee.

13

Þowe were þe sterre of þe morowe gray,
Passing alle oþer as in comparysoun,
Þe fulle moone brighter þane þe day,
Whylome called in þy concepcyoun;
And cleerest sonne in þyn assumpcyoun,
Alle derk skyes makyng for to flee,
And brightest arke by conuersacion,
So gloryous thinges beon sayde and songe of þee.

14

A thousand sheeldes, þe byble bereþe witnesse,
Kyng Dauid hade honging in his tour,
Of golde and perlle, fret with gret Rychesse,
Made and devysed with dilygent labour,
And sooþefastly, O goodely fresshe flour,
Fayrest of fayre which sprang out of Iesse,
A thousand vertues hast loken in þy boure,
So gloryous thinges beon sayde and song of þee.

15

O braunche of Iuda! kyn to Israel!
Of hoolynesse verray Incomparable,
Lyk to Sarra daughter of Raguell,
Whiche in hir tyme off herte was so stable

320

Þat neuer man was to hir acceptable,
Til þaungel made Thobye hir to se;
But þy clennesse chaaste and Inmutable
To God was offred, as Prophetis sing of þee.

16

And amonges wymmen, to rekken hem alle,
Þou were moost parfyt and hooly of þy lyff,
Suche haboundaunce of grace is to þee falle
To beon alloone mayde, moder and wyff,
Right soletarye and contemplatyff,
Lyche hooly Iudith, to saven hir citee,
Madest Olypherne for to leese his lyff,
Þe feonde outraying, þus prophetes wryte of þee.

17

For þou hast oppressed dovne his heed
With al his dreedful venyme serpentyne,
Putte mankynde oute of mortal dreed,
Whane God his gold dewe made doune enclyne,
Þe dewe of grace, in þy brest to shyne,
Oute of oure thraldome to get vs lyberte;
Nowe let þy mercy oure synnes vndermyne,
Sith gloryous thinges bee seyde and songe of þee.

18

Of goostely helthe chevest restoratyff,
Of sinful men þe consolacion,
In fygure called þe helsome tre of lyff
And sacred temple of Kyng Salamon;
Þe Busshe vnbrende of pure affeccion,
Þe halowed Ark contening thinges three,
Þe Ourne and manna, þe yerde eeke of Aron,
Howe gloryous thinges beon songe and seyde of þee.

19

Þy goostely brightnesse may souffre noon eclipse,
But shyne ay bright, and neuer wexen olde,

321

Þou art þe Cytee which in þappocolips
Whylome Saint Iohan saughe pauyed al with golde
Whos gret beaute may not beo sayde ne tolde,
Superlatyf bove oþer of degree,
Called þe qweene of þat hevenly holde,
How gloryous thinges beon song and sayde of þee.

20

Þou art in fygure þe mansyoun royal
Þat I of spake, remembred by Saint Iohan,
On chastytee founded was þe wal,
Arered on heght with many a precyous stoone;
Twelve þer were, to rekon hem oon by oon,
Þe precyous Iasper of virginyte
Set in þe grounde first of euerych oon,

Iaspe of virginite.

Howe gloryous thinges beon sayde and songe of þee.

21

And aldernexst, I haue it weel in mynde,
Þe werk tenbelisshe of þy conscyence,
Þer was eeke sette þe goodely saphyre ynde,

Saphire of trouþe.

Tavoyde þe fraude of feondes vyolence,
And vnkynde heetes of ffeuerous pestylence
Þou canst asswage, of grace and of pytee,
With oure demerytes þy mercy lat dispence,
Sith gloryous thinges beon songe and seyde of þee.

22

O calceydoyne closed in clennesse!

Calsydonie of clennesse.

Which of nature power haste and might
To ouercome, as clerkis cane expresse,
Causis contrarye gouyn ageynst right,
Wher-for O lady haue here to a sight,—
Þou chosen charboncle of parfyte charytee!
Shewe to vs synners of grace þy clere light,
Sith gloryous thinges beo sayde and songe of þee.

322

23

O Emeraude grene stoone Incomperable!

Emeraude for sight.

Which of vertu awmentist þe rychesse,
Whos glade stremes beon moste comfortable
To mysty eghen derked with blyndnesse,
Refresshing folk feynted with werynesse,
In þeyre vyage whanne þey wery be;
Nowe towardes heven oure pilgrymage dresse
Where gloryous thinges beon songe and sayde of þee.

24

O cleerest crystual þat first such grace haste wonne

Beryle and cristal for light.

Þat þe hooly goost in to þy brest alight,
Right as þe beryle resceyueþe of þe sonne
Fyre of his nature, in euery mannes sight,
Þe parfyte beemys so persaunt were and bright
Of God provyded by his eternytee,
Þis wreched worlde to gladen and to light
Howe gloryous thinges beon songe and sayde of þee.

25

O perytot! þe which as clerkes seyþe,

Peritot magnefied of god.

Þe lord list mooste for to magnefye,
In whome thre dayes rested al oure feyth
Whan Cryst Iesu list for mankynde dye,
And in his grave meekly for to lye,
Which tyme oure feyth craumpisshed in yche degree,
Saue þou vpright stoode and list not plye
Howe gloryous thinges beon songe and sayde of þee!

26

Lyche a Iacynct vayding al drerynesse,

Jacyncte stabul.

Stabul abyding his resureccion,
Knowing allone thorugh þyne holynesse
Þat of Iuda þe mighty strong lyoun

323

Should ryse ageyne for oure saluacion,
Affter ascende to his hevenly see,
Al þis þou knewe, by cleer inspeccion,
Howe gloryous thinges beon songe and sayde of þee!

27

O Amatyst! with þy pourple huwe,

Amatyst amiable.

By influence of þyne heghe goodnesse
Causest in hertis þat beon sadde and truwe,
To founde him-self on parfyt stabilnesse
O stoone of vertu causing sobirnesse
With outen chaunge or mutabilytee;
Ruwe of pytee vpon oure wrecchednesse
Sith gloryous thinges beon songe and sayde of þee.

28

Of patryarkes þonnour and þe glorye,
And of prophetes þe chief foundacion,
To þappostilles laude to þeyre victorye,
And to þe martirs þe laureal renoun,
Of confessours þe consolacioun,
And to virgynes myrrour of Chastite
To þy servants sheelde and proteccion,
Howe gloryous thinges beon songe and sayde of þee.

29

O blessed lady! qweene of þe heghe heven,
Whome clerkes calle þemperyse of helle
Sitting ful fer above þe sterres seven,
And qweenes alle in honnour doist excelle,
Be þou oure socour, our vyces to expelle,
Þat called art of God þe cheef cytee,
Whane we passe hens, by mercy make vs dwelle
Where gloryous thinges be sayde and song of þee.