University of Virginia Library

Search this document 
English Lyrics of the XIIIth Century


collapse section 
[section]
 1. 
1. Sunset on Calvary.
 2. 
2. Penitence for Wasted Life.
 3. 
3. ‘On God Ureisun of Ure Lefdi.’
 4. 
[4. Stabat iuxta Christi Crucem.]
 5. 
5. A Prisoner's Prayer.
 6. 
6. ‘Sumer Is Icumen In.’
 7. 
7. Now Comes the Blast of Winter.
 8. 
8. I Walk with Sorrow.
 9. 
9. Love's Madness.
 10A. 
10. Death's Wither-Clench. [A.]
 10B. 
[10. Death's Wither-Clench. B.]
 11A. 
11. Three Sorrowful Tidings. [A.]
 11B. 
[11. Three Sorrowful Tidings. B.]
 12A. 
12. Three Sorrowful Things. [A.]
 12B. 
[12. Three Sorrowful Things. B.]
 13. 
13. Memorare Novissima Tua.
 14. 
14. A Warning to Sir Eode.
 15. 
15. A Prayer to the Redeemer.
 16. 
16. Mater Salutaris.
 17A. 
17. Of One That Is So Fair and Bright. [A.]
 17B. 
[17. Of One That Is So Fair and Bright. B.]
 18. 
18. A Prayer of the Five Joys.
 19. 
19. The Lily with Five Leaves.
 20. 
20. Shroud and Grave.
 21A. 
21. Tell Me, Wight in the Broom. [A.]
 21B. 
[21. Tell Me, Wight in the Broom. B.]
 22. 
22. Gaude Virgo Mater Christi.
 23. 
23. The Ten Commandments.
 24. 
24. A Light Is Come to the World.
 25. 
25. The Bargain of Judas.
 26. 
26. The Journey of the Three Kings.
 27. 
27. Look on Me with Thy Sweet Eyes.
 28a. 
28a. Doomsday.
 28b. 
28b. Doomsday.
 29. 
29. The Latemest Day. [A.]
 29. 
[29. The Latemest Day. B.]
 30. 
30. When the Turf is Thy Tower.
 31. 
31. I Sing of One That is Matchless.
 32A. 
32. A Prayer of Penitence to Our Lady. [A.]
 32B. 
[32. A Prayer of Penitence to Our Lady. [B.]
 32C. 
[32. A Prayer of Penitence to Our Lady. [C.]
 33. 
33. Aspice Mitissime Conditor.
 34. 
34. Man's Leman on the Rood.
 35A. 
35. My Leman on the Rood. I. [A.]
 35B. 
[35. My Leman on the Rood. I. B.]
 36. 
36. My Leman on the Rood. II.
 37. 
37. My Leman on the Rood. III.
 38. 
38. Over the Bier of the Worldling.
 39. 
39. Will and Wit.
 40. 
40. Weal Is a Cursed Thing.
 41. 
41. The Five Blisses.
 42. 
42. An Antiphon of St. Thomas of Canterbury.
 43. 
43. Friar Thomas de Hales' Love Ron.
 44. 
44. Gabriel's Greeting to Our Lady.
 45. 
45. Jesus Sorrows for His Mother.
 46A. 
46. This World's Bliss Will Not Last. [A.]
 46B. 
[46. This World's Bliss Will Not Last. B.]
 47. 
47. Our Lady Sorrows for Her Son.
 48. 
48. ‘Vbi Sount Qui Ante Nos Fuerount.’
 49A. 
49. Dialogue between Our Lady and Jesus on the Cross. [A.]
 49B. 
[49. Dialogue between Our Lady and Jesus. B.]
 50. 
50. ‘Swete Ihesu King of Blisse.’
 51. 
51. ‘Le Regret de Maximian.’
 52. 
52. The Thrush and the Nightingale.
 53. 
53. What Love Is Like.
 54. 
54. A Springtide Song of the Redemption.
 55. 
55. A Prayer to the Mother of Mildness.
 56A. 
56. The Mind of the Passion. [A.]
 56B. 
[56. The Mind of the Passion. B.]
 57. 
57. Be Free with What Christ Sends.
 58. 
58. World's Bliss Have Good Day.
 59. 
59. A Hymn to the Heavenly Father.
 60. 
60. A Song to the Queen of Heaven.
 61. 
61. Mother Mild, Flower of All.
 62. 
62. Now Springs the Spray.
 63. 
63. A Spring Song of Love to Jesus.
 64. 
64. A Song of Sorrow for the Passion.
 65. 
65. An Orison of Penitence to Our Lady.
 66. 
66. I Will Become a Friar.
 67. 
67. A Bidding Prayer.
 68. 
68. Our Lady Help Us at Our Ending.
 69. 
69. In Sign of Love to Man.
 70A. 
70. Decem Precepta. [A.]
 70B. 
70. Decem Precepta. B.]
 71. 
71. Proprietates Mortis.
 72. 
72. A Song of Lewes.
 73. 
73. From Earth to Earth.
 74. 
74. On the Follies of Fashion.
 88. 
[88. A Prayer of Penitence to God Almighty. B.]

collapse section Collapse All | Expand All expand section
previous section English Lyrics of the XIIIth Century
next section
17

[10. Death's Wither-Clench. B.]

[_]

B. MS. Laud Miscell. 471.

Man may longe liwes wenen,
ac offte hym legeþt se wrench;
fair weder went offte into rene,
and ferlik turneþ he his blench.
þer-fore, man, þu þe bi-þench,—
al sal falewi þi grene.
weila-wei! nis king ne quene
þat ne sal drinken of deþes drench.
Man, er þu falle of þi bench,
þi senne a-quench.
Nis non se stronge ne starc ne kene
þat may agein deaþes wiþer-clench;
iwng ne old, brigst ne sene,
ac al he riueþ on o streng.
fox and ferlic is his wrench,
ne mai him noman to-yenes.
Welauei! weping ne bene,
ne listes ne leches drench.
Man, let lust and senne stench,
wel do, wel þench!
Do bi salemones rede,
man, þanne sal þu wel do.
do so he þe techeþ and sede
þat þin ending þe bringet to,
ne sal þu neuere mis-do.
[OMITTED]
Weilauei! swich weneth lede
long lif and blisce under-so.
deþ him ledes on his sóó
do him for-do
18

Man, wi niltu þe bi-cnowen?
man, wi niltu þe bi-see?
of felþe þu art comen,
wermes fode þu salt be.
þu ne hauest her blisce daies þre,
ac al þi ioie is turned on wouge.
weilawei! deþ þe sal dun þr[[OMITTED]
hwanne þu wenest agein [[OMITTED]] stie,
on sorghe sal þi ioie [OMITTED]
on wop þi gle.
Hwer so wele þe bi-suik[et],
man, i-wis he beþ þi fo.
ie [OMITTED] werld þe bi-sliket,
þat his [OMITTED] for to do þe wo.
þerfore let lust ouer go,
man, and eft hit þe liket.
weilauei! wroþe he him wiket,
þanne in o stunde oþer tuo
a winnet him a þusend pine oþer mo.
ne do þu so!
previous section English Lyrics of the XIIIth Century
next section