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

Lo my lordes and ladyes here Begynnen þe fyfftene Ioyes of oure lady cleped þe xv. Ooes translated out of Frenshe into Englisshe by daun John the Monke of Bury at þinstance of þe worshipfull Pryncesse Isabelle nowe Countasse of Warr' lady Despenser.

1

Blessed lady, O Pryncesse of mercy!
Moder ecallyd of grace and of pyte,
Welle of goodnesse, þat sprang most souerainly,
Clere as cristalle in þy virgynite,
Whiche for þy meryte of humylite
Bare Criste Ihesu, oure lorde most souuereyne,
Nyen monthis betwene þy sydes twayne,

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2

Owt of þy brestes, sofft as any silke,
With chere and looke benigne and debonnaire,
Thow gave hym souken of þy swote mylke
Vnto þy pappes whan hym lyst repayre;
Þowe chosen of God, fayreste of all fayre!
Pray to thy sune, every houre and space
Vpon me haue mercy and gyve me grace,

3

That I may com to his miserycorde
By confessyon and trewe repentaunce,—
And thow woldest to my request acorde—
Here for my synnes that I may do penannce,
And eke my sowle with helthe so avaunce
That I may with humble and trewe entente,
Or I passe hennys, Resceyue the sacremente.

4

My Ioye, my blisse, my lorde, my saveoure!
With fayth entere here, in forme of bred,
Whanne I shal parte thowe be my protectour,
Withoute whos helpe in sothe I can no red;
And grant also, or that I here be ded,
Þat I may knele, O þowe hevenly qwene!
To-for thyne ymage tymes tolde fifftene.

Primum gaudium.

5

O qwene of heven, of helle eke Emparesse!
Alle creatures in goodnesse surmonting,—
For þilke Ioye þowe haddeste of gladnesse
When that Gabriell brought þee þe tythinge
That the lord and þe moste souerein kynge
Sente þe Holy Goste, for to alyght in the,
To take of mekenesse oure humanytee,

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6

Pray to thy sune of mercy and pite
For me tavoyde all þat schoulde hym displaise,
And with his grace so to enspyre me
And doune descende to sette myn herte in ese,
That I by grace gostely may him pleesse
From day to day, and where as I offende,
Soone to repente and my lyff eke amende.

Aue Maria.

Secundum gaudium.

7

And, blessed lady borne in Nazarythe!
For thylke Ioye þow haddest, and pleasaunce,
Whan thoue metteste with Sainte Elisabethe,
Þyne hooly Cousyne, moste humble of countenaunce,—
And sheo agaynwarde with deuoute obayssaunce,
Lowely beholding vppon thyn holy face,
And in her armes þee lowly did embrace

8

Withe the spryte ffulfilled of prophecye,
Thoroughe grace of God þat was vpon her falle;
At youre meting þus shee gan to crye,
“Blessed be þowe among thes wymmen alle!
And alle folkes shulde þee blessed calle,
Blessed be þe frvte of þe that schall be borne,
Of whome þe prophetis so long spake to-forne;”

9

For þilke Ioye, O mayden most entyre!
Be my socoure in al meschiefe and drede,
And þat þowe liste me gracyously to here
In all distresse, O welle of goodlyhede;
For all my truste is in þy wommanhede,
And in thy mercy where as that I wende,
And euer schal be vn-to my lyves ende.

Aue Maria.

263

Tercium gaudium.

10

O sterre of hevene! O maryner[i]s gyde!
Hem to releeve in all þyre troble and payne,
For þilke Ioye þer hadist vn eche syde
Whan thoue feltest atwixe þi flankes tvene
Þy blessed sune, þe lord moste souuereyne,
To þy plesaunce moeven too and froo,
Be my deffence in al myscheef and woo.

11

And blessed lady of mooste Excellence
In eury-thing þat shoulde thy seruante greeue
Helpe to thy sonne þat I do none offence,
But him to serue, stere myn herte and meve,
And in all myscheffe þat thowe me releve,—
For to þy grace, as to mooste cheeff socoure,
For helpe I fle in all worldely laboure.

Aue Maria.

Quartum Gaudium.

12

Moste good, moste holy, and fayreste on to see!
For þilke Ioye thoue haddeste in thyne hert
Whane Cryste was born in Bedlem þe citee,
Þowe socoure me in all my peynis smert,
And pray thy sune, of mercy to aduert
To-forne his birthe and blessed passyon
When I shall dye, to my Redempcyoun.

Aue Maria.

Quintum gaudium.

13

Gracyeuse princesse! of mercy most habounde,
For þilke ioye of ful gret Excelence,
Thou haddeste þanne, whane þe shepherdes fonde
Þe ster in bedlem, and came to þy presence,
Pray to thy sonne for his magnyfysence,
That he of mercy be my protecion
Agaynst eche troble of trybulacyon.

Aue Maria.

264

Sextum Gaudium.

14

Benygne lady, moest kyndely lodesterre!
For þilke Ioye þowe hadeste in sylence,
Whane three kynges cam to the frome so ferre,
And meekly offred with digne reuerence
Vnto thy sune golde, myrre, and franke-ensence,
Pray to þat lord of mercy mooste entere,
Gracyously taccepte my preyere.

Aue Marye.

Septimum Gaudium.

15

And holy pryncesse of thyne heghe goodnesse,
For þilke hye Ioye and consolacyon
Thowe haddeste þanne whanne with all meknesse
To Symyon þowe madest oblacyone,
And of thy sune a presentacyone,
And Symyon with humble chere and face
Withe bothe hys armes hym lowly did enbrace;

16

Beseche that Lord my prayer to resceyue,
And my requeste that he note Refuse,
My meke complayntes of grace to conceyve;
And where my giltes and trespasses me accuse
Þy medyacyone moste me þer excusse
And sithe thoue arte of mercy sours and welle,
Help þat his mercy may his Ryght precelle.

Aue Maria.

Octauum Gaudium.

17

O lyght and lanterne of synfull þat been blynde!
Þeyre souerayne supporte in trybulacyne,
In Ihereusalem þy sune leffte byhynde,
Whane thoue and Ioseph went out of þe towne;
For þylke gladdest Restitucyone
Þou haddest þanne, when þowe came agayne
And in the temple haste þy sonne eseyne,

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18

Preserue me that I be not loste thoroughe synne
But thoroughe þy mercy þat I may be fonde,
Lat þy pitee neuer fro me twynne,
And that thy grace to mewarde euer Rebounde,
Suffre none enemy þy seruant to confounde,
But in al myscheef þat shoulde me dyscoumfort,
Vn-to thy helpe þat I may ay Resorte.

aue Maria.

19

Of þe Holy Gooste, O þowe chossine tabarnacle!
At the weddyng of him Archideclyne,

Nonum Gaudium.

For þilke Ioye þowe haddeste by myracle,
Whan þe water was tornyd in-to wynne
Þere by þy sune, O blessed lady myne!
Praye him for me, O pryncesse moost notable!
Or he me deme, for to bee mercyable.

Aue Maria.

20

Fayreste of fayre moost gracieuse and benigne!
Whos goodnesse no clarke cane descryve,

Decimum Gaudium.

For that myracle and þat gloryous signe
Whanne Criste fyve thousand fedde with loves fyve,
For þilke Ioye, þowe socoure me nowe belyve,
And graunte I may, O þowe hewenly Roose!
My fyve wittes to þy plesaunce dispoose.

Aue Maria.

21

And gloryose Pryncesse, for þat hegh pytee
Þoue whylome haddest, and grette compassyoun,

Vndecimum Gaudium.

Whanne þat þy sonne thoroughe Iowys cruwelte
Hade for oure sake dethe, pyne, and passyone
Wppon þe crosse, for oure Redempcyone;
Thoroughe thy prayer my soule þoue gouerne,
Me to delyuer frome dethe which is eterne.

Aue Maria.

266

Duodecimum Gaudium.

22

And for that Ioye alle Ioyes dothe precelle,
Whyche þoue haddeste, pryncesse of moste renoun!
Vppon that daye playnly for to telle
Of his vpe-Ryste and Rysereccyone,
As he that was of Iuda þe lyone,
O gloryeuse ladye! pray hym in humble wyse
From synfull lyff by grace I may aryse.

Aue Maria.

Terciumdecium Gaudium.

23

O hevenly qwene! of mercy condescende
For þilke Ioye to here myne orysoun,
Þowe haddeste þat day, whanne he did ascende
Vp to that high hevenly mansyoun;
Pray hym for grace and supportacioun,
Affter his tracys þat I my lyffe may lede
To his plesaunce, atweene hope, love, and drede.

Aue Marya.

24

And of pryncesses, O þow moste gracyous!
& most accepted in þe lordes sight
For þylke Ioye in Erthe moste famous
Þow haddeste þat day, whan þe Holy Gooste alight
Downe from abowe, þe sterre clere and bryght;
For þylke grace þat day dede on the shyne,
With lyght of verteue myne herte þowe enlumyne.

Aue Marya.

Quintumdecimum Gaudium.

25

Of alle blessed O þowe blessedeste!—
Þere may be made no comparysoun—

267

For þylke Ioye, of Ioyes souueryneste,
Whyche þowe haddeste in þy hevenly mansyon
Vppon the day of þyne assumpcyoun,
Whan God above gan for þe to provyde,
As qvene of heven, to sitte on his ryght syde

26

With a corone of hevenly stonys cler,
Gemmes of werteue, of parfit hoolynesse,
Of Rychesse and beawte moost [e]ntiere,
For þey transcended alle oþer in noblesse;
For, þylke Ioye, O hevenly emperesse!
Pray to thy sonne with hert contemplatyff
That whan þat I schall parte oute of þys lyff

27

I may in herte haue feythe and ful creance
And mekely make my confessyoune,
And of my synnes haue deue repentaunce,
With contryte herte do satisfacyoune,
And to passe hennes with ful Remyssyoun
O blessed lady! thoroughe grace of þy prayere
To gette a place above þe sterres clere.

28

On alle my frendis haue pite & mercy,
On myne alyaunce and on my kynrede,
And vppon alle þat love þee feythfully,
Remember of grace, O welle of womanhede!
And graunte me grace with thought, worde, and dede,
The for to serve vnto my lyvys Ende,
And my soole to saue whan I schale hens wende.

Amen.