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

Alle goostly songis & ympnes that be songe,
Of Oold and newe remembrid in scripture,
Hevenly symball or bellis that be ronge,
To preyse the lord, by musyk or mesure,
Fynal intent of euery creature
Shulde resounne to Goddys hih preysyng,
For which, O lord! whil that my lyff may dure,
Eternally thy mercies I shal syng.

2

Dauid with his harpe sang solempnely
This hooly Salme in his estat Roial,—
Misericordias domini,
His herte, his boody, mynde, thouht and al
Erect to godward in especial,
With goostly love moost fervently brennyng,
With this refreyt, verray celestial,
Eternally thy Mercies I shal syng.

3

And whan he shuld fihte with Golye,
Pryde was slayn, the palme gat meeknesse;

Figure of Iesu, prophetys speceffye,
Whan he slouh Sathan with his gret humblesse.
The slynge, the stoonys, v. woundys did expresse,
Off the iij nayles, the spere deep persyng:
Which to remembre, Iesu our hertys dresse,
That we thy Mercies eternally may syng.

4

Than was his song, the sawter tellith thus,
In signe of victory, the stoory who can reede,
Benedictus dominus meus.
Conquest of Dauid famous in length & breede!
Ther is no tryumphe in knyhtood nor manheede,
Marcial sheltrouns, nor baners brood splayeng;
Which thyng remembryng, lord, I am bounde in deede,
Eternally thy Mercies for to syng.

5

Ther be Canticulis of Conquest and victorye
That be songe at feestis marcial,
And ther be songis of palmys transitorye,
With corious meetrys that be poetical;
Laureat tryvmphes, proud and Imperial,
With boosty blowe in charys cleer shynyng,
Al this left off, with voys memoryal,
Eternally thy Mercies I shal syng.

6

Virgile sang the Conquest of Enee,
Dites Grec, of Hercules and Iason,
Frigius Dares sang in ther Cite
Prowesse of Ector, the Troian champioun:
Lucan of Iulius made gret boost and sown,
Slayn by the Senat, thempyre vsurpyng;
Set al asyde, make no comparisoun,
Eternally thy mercies I shal syng.

7

Off Alisaundre clerkys synge and reede,
Afftir his Conquest slayn in Babilon;

Men synge of Cresus, kyng of Perce and Meede,
Of Hanybal and the gret Scipioun,
Of Adrastus and Agamenoun;
Alle set a-bak, and fully remembryng
Of hym that made our redempcioun,
Eternally his Mercies I shal syng.

8

Gret boost is maad,—but as for me no fors,—
Bildyng of Ylioun in many stoory told;
Getyng of Troye by the brasen hors;
Of bolys, serpentys, that kept the flees of gold;
Of Belleferon, that was so proud and bold,
And cam to nouht, ther storyes rehersyng;
But of Iesu, as I am bounde and hold,
Eternally his Mercies I shal syng.

9

At funeral feestys men synge tragedies
With wooful ditees of lamentacioun;
In thorpys smale be songe Comedies
With many vnkouth transmutacioun;
Ech man folwyng oppynyoun,
Somme in reioisshyng, somme in compleynyng;
But for moost sovereyn consolacioun
Eternally thy mercies I shal syng.

10

The Musis nyne sang the weddyng song
Of Mercurye And Philologye.
Thebes the Cite was reysed and maad strong
By touch of harpe and sugryd melodye,
As Oold Stace saide in his Poetrye;
But what so evir they wroot in ther feynyng,
Our lord Iesu to preise and magneffye
Eternally his Mercies I shal syng.

11

Circes whiloom, the gret enchaunteresse,
With song and drynk made folkys bestial,

And Syrenes with warblys of swetnesse,
And with ther sugryd tvnys Musical,
Blente ther resouns and ther memorial;
Made hem vnwarly fal in a slombryng,
But for to preise hym that is Immortal
Eternaly his Mercies I shal syng.

12

Many Canticles in hooly writ be founde,
Write and entitled for sovereyn remembraunce,—
Children of Israel that were in thraldam bounde
Vndir Pharaoo by many gret grevaunce,
By myracle accomplisshid ther penaunce,
With drye feet the rede see passyng
They sang Cantemus, but now for my plesaunce
Eternally thy Mercies I shal syng.

13

In Iudicum, the woman Delbora
Sang a Canticle, Genesis tellith soo,
Thankyng the lord by-cause Sisara
Distroyed was, that did so gret woo,—
To Goddys peple he was a mortal foo,—
Qui sponte optulistis, was of hir song gynnyng,
Takyng exaumple, wher evir I ride or goo,
Eternally thy Mercies I shal syng.

14

The firste Canticle remembryd in Regum
Was maad by Anna, moodir of Samuel,
Which began thus, Exultauit cor meum,
Ageyns hire whan Hely was so fel;
Hyr preyer herd, hooly writt can tel
In what wise she maad hir offryng.
Thynkyng on Iacob and on Israel
Eternally thy Mercies I shal syng.

15

Duke Moises, Israel tenlumyne,
Audite celi he sang, as it was riht;
Fluat ut ros, or reyn spred his doctryne,
And as deuh dropys verray silvir briht
Fallith on the greyn on morwenys aftir nyht,
He tauhte his peeple at his departyng
To love ther lord, with boody, hert, and myht,
Eternally his Mercies for to syng.

16

Amyd the ffires the Innocentys thre
Ananye, Misael, and with hem Azarye
Sang the Canticle Benedicite;
No flawme of fyr men myht in hem aspye.
Ilich fressh with heuenly Armonye
Sang lyk Angelys, the fyr nat hem harmyng;
Now al the heuene with sugryd melodye
Eternally thy Mercies they do syng.

17

Off Betulia the peeple was maad fayn
By cause they wer delyueryd out of dreed,
Whan the Tyraunt Olofern was slayn
By prudent Iudith, flowryng in womanheed;
Canticles songe for hir Conquest in deed,
Thankynges youe, for hir discret werkyng:
But hym to preyse that for vs list & blede,
Eternally his Mercies I shal syng.

18

Isaias, for conclusioun,
To save the peeple from adversite
Of ful meeke herte, by contemplacioun,
Sang Confitebor tibi domine;
And Iudith eft, by gret hvmylite,
Gan Cantate, the peeple confortynge

Geyn ther Enmyes furyous cruelte;
But I thy mercies eternally shal synge.

19

Dauid remembrith of a Pellican
Figure of Crist which in seyntuarye
Offryd his blood for the lyf of man;
To whom the Iewes of malys were contrarye;
And he was callyd passer solitarye,
Moost paciently his passioun suffryng.
On hym remembryng, God graunt that I nat varye,
Eternally his Mercies for to syng.

20

The noble kyng, callyd Ezechie,
Sang Ego dixi, restoryd fro syknesse;
Benedictus made Zacharie,
And Symeon with ful devout swetnesse
Sang Nunc Dimittis, with ful devout gladnesse
Withinne the temple at Cristes presentyng.
And now with Iesu this Symeon, in sothnesse,
Eternally his Mercies he doth syng.

21

Abacuk, that brouht the potage
To Danyel lyeng in prisoun,
Off hool herte and deuout corage
Domine Audiui was his Orisoun,
In exitu Israel, canticle of gret renoun,
Sang Israel, Iordan his cours tornyng.
Now blised Iesu, lyk our affeccioun
Graunt we thy Mercies eternally may syng.

22

Vpon a mounteyn beside Nazareth,
Fro Dauid-is lyne, cheef braunche of Iesse,
Sang Magnificat meetyng Elizabeth,
With goostly gladnesse, blyssed mot she be!
Cheef examplayre of virginite,
Socour to man, our damages refourmyng.

Marie, be mene of trouthe and of pite
That we his Mercies eternally may syng.

23

Patriarkys and prophetis alle,
Apostlys, Martirs, bisshopis, confessoures,
To save the peeple to the, Iesu, they calle.
Wives, widwis, maidnys with ther floures
Synge Osanna in the heuenly cristal toures,
Wher evir is ioye and brihtnesse ay lastyng.
Now graunt vs, Iesu, out of al mortal shoures
That we thy Mercies eternally may syng.

24

Moost gracious song to syng in every Reem
Ecce quam bonum, whan brethren been al oon,
Synge to-gidre Lauda Ierusaleem,
Preyse of hool herte Deum tuum Syon;
With thre Ierarchyes and angelis euerychon
Syng Sanctus Sanctus, there hedis enclynyng,
In feith, hoope and Charite, stable as a stoon,
Eternally thy mercyes they do syng.

Explicit quod Lidgate.