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

A thowsand storiis kowde I mo reherse
Off olde poetis, touchynge this matere,
How that Cupide the hertis gan to perse
Off his seruauntis, settyng tham affere;
Lo, here the fin of the errour and the weere!
Lo, here of loue the guerdoun and greuaunce
That euyr with woo his seruauntis doth avaunce!

255

2

Wherfore I wil now pleynly my stile redresse,
Of on to speke at nede that will not faile:
Allas! for dool I can nor may expresse
Hir passand pris, and that is no mervaile.
O wynd of grace, now blowe in to my saile!
O auriat licour off Clyo, for to wryte
Mi penne enspire, of that I wold endyte!

3

Allas! unworthi I am both and unable,
To loffe suche on, all women surmountyng,
But she moost benygne be to me mercyable,
That is of pite the welle and eke the spryng:
Wherfore of hir, in laude and in preysyng,
So as I can, supported by hir grace,
Right thus I say, knelyng to-forn hir face,—

4

O sterne of sternys with thi stremys clere,
Sterne of the see, [on]-to shipmen lyght and gyde,
O lusty lemand, moost plesaunt to appere,
Whos bright bemys the clowdis may not hide,
O way of lyfe to hem þat goo or ride,
Haven aftyr tempest surrest as to ryve,
On me haue mercy for thi Ioyes fyve.

5

O rightest Iewyl, O rote of holynesse,
And lightsom lyne of pite [for] to pleyne,
Origynal gynnyng of grace and al goodnesse,

256

And clennest condite of vertu moost souerayne,
Modyr of mercy oure troubyl to restreyne,
Chambyr and closet clennest of chastyte,
And namyd herberwe all of þe deyte.

6

O closid gardeyn al void of weedes wicke,
Cristallyn welle of clennesse cler consigned,
Fructifying olyve of foilys faire and thicke,
And redolent cedyr most derworthly ydyned,
Remembyr of pecchouris that to þe ben assigned,
Or þe wycked fend his wrath up on us wreche,
Lantyrn of light, be þu oure lyfis leche.

7

Paradys of plesaunce, gladsom to all good,
Benygne braunchelet of the pigment tre,
Vinarye envermailyd, refrescher of oure food,
Lycour aȝens all langour that pallid may not be,
Blisful bawme blossum, boundyng in bounte,
This mantel of myserycord on oure myschef spred,
And or woo awak us, wrappe us undyr thi weed.

8

Redy rose, flouryng with-outyn spyne,
Founteyn of fulnesse, as beryl corrennt clere,
Some drope of thi graceful dew to us propyne,

257

Þu lyght withoutyn nebule, shynyng in thi spere,
Medicyne to myscheuous, pucelle withoute pere,
Flawme down to doolful lyght of thyn influence,
Remembryng thi seruaunt for thi magnificence.

9

Of alle cristen protectrix and tutele,
Retour of exilid put in proscrypcyoun,
To hem þat erryn, the path of her sequele;
To weri wandrid, the tente paviloun.
[Þe feynte to fresshe, and þe pawsacion,]
Unto directe, rest and remedye,
Feythfull unto all, þat in the affye.

10

To hem that rennyth þu art [itinerarie],
O blisful bravie, to knyghtis of thi werre,
To wery workmen þu art dyorne denarye,
Mede unto mareyneris þat haue sailed ferre;
Lauriat coroun, stremand as a sterre
To hem þat putte hem in palastyr for thi sake,
Cours of her conquest, þu white as ony lake!

11

Thow myrthe of martiris, swetter than cytolle,
Of confessouris richest donatyff,
Unto virginis the eterne aureolle,
Aforn all women hauying prerogatyff,
Maiden and modyr, both wedow and wyff
In all this world nys noon but þu allon,
Now sen þu may, be sugyr to my mone.

258

12

O trest turtyl, trowest of al trewe,
O curteys columbe, replet of all mekenesse,
O nyghtyngale, with thi notys newe,
O popinjay, plumed in clennesse,
O larke of loff, syngyng in swetnesse,
Phebus awaityng, till in thi brest he lyght,
Undyr thi wenge at domysday us dyght!

13

O ruby, rubifyed in the passyoun
All of thi sone, among haue us in mynde,
O stedfast dyamaunt of duracyoun,
That fewe feris þat tyme myghtiste thu fynde,
For noon to hym was founde half so kynde
O herdy herte, O louynge creature!
What was it but looff, þat made þe so to endure?

14

Semely safyr, dep lowp, and blew ewage,
Stable as the lowpe, ay ewage to pite,
This is to sayn, O frescheste of visage,
Thu louyst hem unchaungid þat serue the,
Or ȝif ony offence or writhyng in hem be,
Þu art ay redy up-on her woo for to rewe,
And hem reseyuyst, þan reemis of thyn ewe.

15

O goodly gladid, whan þat Gabriell
With joie the grette, þat may not be noumbrid,
Or halfe the joie who cowde wryte or telle,
When the Holy Goost to the was obumbrid,
Wher thorgh þat fendys were utterly encombrid?
O wemles mayden, enbelysshed with his byrthe,
That man and aungell þer-off had[den] myrthe?

259

16

Loo, here the blossum and bud of all oure glorye,
Off whech þat prophetys spak so long aforn;
Loo, here the same þat was in memorye
Of Ysaie, long or she was born;
Loo here, [of] Dauid the delicyous corn;
Loo, here the ground þat list to onbelde,
Becomyn man, [our] raunsoun for to ȝelde.

17

O glorious viole, O vitre inviolate!
O fery Tytan percyd with the lemys,
Whos vertuous bryghtnesse was in thi brest vibrate,
That all this world enbelisshed with his bemys!
Conseruatrix of kyngdamys and Remys;
O Isaye seed, O swete Sunamyte,
Mesure my mornynge, myn owne margarite!

18

O soueraynest, sowht out of syon,
O punycall pome agens all pestilence:
And auryat urne, in whom was bouk and boon
The agnelet, that fought for oure offence
Aȝens the serpent with so high defence
That like a lyoun in victory he was founde;
To hym commende us of mercy most habounde!

19

O precyous perle, with-outyn ony pere,
Cokyl with gold dew from aboue Ireyned,
Þu busshe unbrent, ferle[s] set affere,
Flawmyng in fernece, not with hete peyned,
Duryng dayse, with no wedyr steyned,
Flesch undefoulyd of gentyl Gedeon,
And fructifyyng fayrest, the ȝerd of Aaron.

260

20

The my[ȝ]ti arke, probatyk piscyne,
Lawghynge aurore and of pees olyve,
Columpne and base up-beryng from abyme,
Why ner I connyng the for to discrive?
Chesen for Iosep, whan he took to wyve,
Unknowyng hym, childyng be myrakyll,
And of our [manhode truwe] tabyrnakyll.