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

5. A Prisoner's Prayer.

[_]

Liber de Antiquis Legibus, Guildhall.

Eyns ne soy ke pleynte fu
ore pleyn dangusse tressu
trop ai mal & contreyre
Sanz decerte en prisun sui
car maydez trespuis ihesu
duz deus & deboneyre
Ar ne kuthe ich sorghe non,
nu ich mot manen min mon;
karful wel sore ich syche,
Geltles ihc tholye muchele schame—
help, god, for thin swete name,
kyng of heuene-riche!
Ihesu crist veirs deu ueirs hom
prenge vus de mei pite
Ietez mei de la prisun
vie sui atort gete
11

Io e mi autre compaignun
deus enset la uerite
tut pur autri mesprisun
sumes a hunte liuere
Iesu crist, sod god sod man,
louerd, thu rew vpon me!
of prisun thar ich in am
bring me vt and makye fre.
Ich and mine feren sume—
god wot ich ne lyghe noct—
for othre habbet mis-nome,
ben in thys prisun ibroct.
Sire deus
ky as mortels
es de pardun ueine
sucurez
deliuerez
nus de ceste peine
Pardonez
& assoylez
icele gentil sire
Si te plest
par ki forfet
nus suffrun tel martire
Al-micti,
that wel lictli
of bale is hale and bote,
Heuene king,
of this woning
vt vs bringe mote.
Foryhef hem
the wykke men,
12

god, yhef it is thi wille,
for wos gelt
we bed ipelt
in thos prisun hille.
Fous est ke se afie
en ceste morteu uie
ke tant nus contralie
et v nad fors boydie
Ore eft hoem en leesse
& ore est en tristesce
ore le garist ore blesce
fortune ke le guie
Ne hope non to his liue,
her ne mai he biliue;
heghe thegh he stighe,
ded him felled to grunde.
Nu had man wele and blisce
rathe he shal thar-of misse;
worldes wele mid ywisse
ne lasted buten on stunde.
Virgne & mere au souerein
ke nus ieta de la mayn
al maufe ki par euayn
nus ont trestuz en sun heim
a grant dolur peine
Requerez icel seignur
ke il par sa grant dulcur
nus get de ceste dolur
v nus sumus nuyt et Ior
& doint ioye certeyne
Maiden that bare the heuen king,
bisech thin sone, that swete thing,
13

that he habbe of hus rewsing
and bring hus of this woning
for his Muchele milse.
He bring hus vt of this wo
and hus tache werchen swo
in thos liue, go wu s'it go,
that we moten ey and o
habben the eche blisce.
previous section English Lyrics of the XIIIth Century
next section