 | A paraphrase on the Seven Penitential Psalms |  |
[Here me, Lord, I calle and crye]
Domine! exaudi oracionem mea[m]: et clamor meus ad te veniat.
Here me, Lord, I calle and crye:Thou art my comfort in wele and wo.
Accepte my prayère gracyouslye;
I trustĕ fully thou wylt do so.
Zyf thou fayle me I knowe no mo:
In dyspeyr thannĕ levyst thou me.
I am but lost, ȝyf I forgo
‘Ne reminiscaris, Domine!’
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Non avertas faciem tuam a me: in quacumque die tribulor, inclina ad me aurem tuam.
Fro me turne noȝt awey thi face,Thowȝ I to thé be often unkynde.
Ful selde thowȝ I deserve thi grace,
Whan thou art wroth, of mercy have mynde.
Zyf I seke grace, lete me it fynde;
And goodly thyn erys bowe to me.
Fro synne may no thyng me unbynde,
But ‘Ne reminiscaris, Domine!’
In quacumque die invocavero te: velociter exaudi me.
Every day to synne I falle,And selde do ryght and oftĕ wrong:
Zyf I be sory, and to thé calle,
Lete noȝt thi mercy tarye to longe.
Sprede thi grace on me amonge,
Whan I have synned in ony degré.
For trust to thé, this is my songe,
‘Ne reminiscaris, Domine!’
Quia defecerunt, sicut fumus, dies mei: et ossa mea, sicut cremium, aruerunt.
My dayes begynne to fayle and fade;Thei wanyssche as smoke, whan it is hye:
My bonys were stronge, and myghtyly made;
But now thei clynge, and waxe all drye.
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My day is sett, I schal noȝt fle.
I take me fully to thi mercy:
‘Ne reminiscaris, Domine!’
Percussus sum ut fenum, et aruit cor meum: quia oblitus sum comedere panem meum.
I am smetyn down, and begynne to welwe,As heyȝ that lythe aȝens the sunne:
I have no myght my mete to swelwe;
For dry myn herte to gydere is runne.
My deth with inne me is begunne;
I falle as doth the leef on tre:
My soule I hope to blysse be wunne,
With ‘Ne reminiscaris, Domine!’
A voce gemitus mei: adhesit os meum carni mee.
For sorwe my lyppĕs cleve to gyder;My mouth[ĕ] hath no myght to speke:
I may noȝt meve me hyder ne thyder;
Myn herte for wo begynneth to breke.
For stark, my lemys I may not streke.
Mercyfull Lord! rewĕ on me!
And wickyd werkys whan thou schalt wreke,
‘Ne reminiscaris, Domine!’
Similis factus sum pelicano solitudinis: factus sum sicut nicticorax in domicilio.
To dreedful deth I am dyȝt,As a pelycan in wyldyrnesse;
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I am withdrawyn fro all goodnesse.
Thou helyst my woundys more and lesse;
With thyn herte blood thou wasschyst me:
As oftyn I kan fynde wytnesse,
At ‘Ne reminiscaris, Domine!’
Vigilavi: et factus tum sicut passer solitarius in tecto.
I dar noȝt slepe, but ever more wake,As a sparwe that is alone.
The feend is busy my soule to take;
And frendys have I fewe or none.
Whan wordely trust awey is gone,
All hope and helpe it is in thé:
To thi mercý I make my mone;
‘Ne reminiscaris, Domine!’
Tota die exprobrabant michi inimici mei: et, qui laudabant me, adversum me jurabant.
Myn enmyes often me reprevyn,And bakbyte me with outen enchésoun:
Now may no man othir levyn,
For wylfulnesse is holde resoun;
All day we se in trust is tresoun,
And preysing prevyd sotylté.
False othys ben now noȝt gesoun:
‘Ne reminiscaris, Domine!’
Quia cinerem tanquam panem manducabam: et potum meum cum fletu miscebam.
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My drynk is watyr that I wepe;
Whan I thynke I schal be deed,
Be turnyd to asschys, and lye ful depe.
My deth evermore in mynde I kepe;
I wote noȝt whanne myn ende schal be:
In to my grave er evere I crepe,
‘Ne reminiscaris, Domine!’
A facie ire indignationis tue: quia elevans allisisti me.
Sythen thou woldyst my soule avaunce,And make me eyr of hevene blysse;
I am worthy the more penaunce,
As often as I do amysse.
Fro thi wratthe who schal me wysse,
Whan sorwe and synne schul vengyd be?
All myn hope schal lyin in thysse,
‘Ne reminiscaris, Domine!’
Dies mei, sicut umbra, declinaverunt: et ego sicut fenum arui.
My dayes as schadewe waxe drye and derke,On me no lyght of grace may schyne;
Deth on me hath set his merke:
As gres in medewe I drye and dwyne.
My synnes I drede thei schul be myne,
And more schal I noȝt bere with me;
But ȝyf I make the bettre my fyne,
Wyth ‘Ne reminiscaris, Domine!’
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Tu autem, Domine, ineternum permanes: et memoriale tuum in generacione[m] et generacione[m].
There lastyth no thyng but thou alone;For here may I noȝt longe abyde.
Whan my soule in peyne schal grone,
What schal avayle me all my pryde?
Lust and lykyng I sette be syde;
And sette evermore my mynde in thé.
I prey thé, that thou wylt noȝt hyde
‘Ne reminiscaris, Domine!’
Tu exurgens, Domine, misereberis Syon: quia tempus miserendi ejus, quia venit tempus.
Have mercy of Syon, Davydes towr,That signyfyeth the ordre of knyȝt;
They schulde be holy cherchys socóur,
And màyntĕne the feyth with al here myȝt.
Late nevere knyȝthod, aȝen the ryght,
Be lost with tresoun and sotylté.
For we preye, bothe day and nyȝt,
‘Ne reminiscaris, Domine!’
Quoniam placuerunt servis tuis lapides ejus: et terre ejus miserebuntur.
Every knyȝt is callyd a stonOf Syon, for holy cherchis defens;
And goddys servauntys, everylkon,
Thei schulde plese, with gret reverens.
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And mercy on erthe schulde be so fre,
That preyerys schulde turne all vyolens
To ‘Ne reminiscaris, Domine!’
Et timebunt gentes nomen tuum, Domine! et omnes reges terre gloriam tuam.
All peple in erthe thi name schal drede,And kyngĕs to thi blysse schul bende.
Of thi grace a kyng hath nede:
Mercyfull Lord, be thou his frende!
For thou only mayst save, or schende,
Bothe hye and lowe of iche degré.
Lete hym nevere forfete, thruȝ the fende,
Aȝens ‘Ne reminiscaris, Domine!’
Quia edificavit Dominus Syon: et videbitur in gloria sua.
Syon a merour is, to say,That God hath bygged and sett ful hye:
There sytt oure kyng, be trewĕ fay,
That schal herétykes alle distrye.
He máyntĕnyth oure cherchĕ gracyouslye,
And kepyth it, (as ȝe may se),
That preyith for hym ful hertylye,
‘Ne reminiscaris, Domine!’
Respexit in oracionem humilium: et non sprevit precém eorum.
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And leve cruelté and coveytise,
Holy cherche to encrese and eke,
And worschyp God in his servyse;
Thanne will noȝt God prayerys dispyse,
For kyng and for the comounté,
Whan we syngen, in devoutĕ wyse,
‘Ne reminiscaris, Domine!’
Scribantur hec in generacione altera: et populus, qui creabitur, laudabit Dominum.
Mekenes of kynges in bokys is wretyn,As of David and Ezechye;
For othere aftyr hem schulde wetyn,
How thei schulde lyvĕ vertouslye,
And thanke here God, that sytt on hye,
That formyth and stabelyth kyngĕs see,
To kynges that trustyn stedfastlye
To ‘Ne reminiscaris, Domine!’
Quia prospexit de excelso sancto suo: Dominus de celo in terram aspexit.
God beholdyth bothe more and lesse,Fro hevene there he sytteth in trone,
How térauntys in erthe his peple oppresse,
That han non helpe but hym alone.
As thei dore, they make here mone,
To hym that all oure Juge schal be:
For alle here freendys ben i gone,
Saaf ‘Ne reminiscaris, Domine!’
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Ut audiret gemitus compeditorum: et solveret filios interemptorum.
God heryth his peple weyle and wepe,That lyeth in feterys boundĕ sore:
In stokkys, and in prysons depe,
Thei curse the tyme that thei were bore.
Here faderys were släyn hem before;
And they be faste, and mowe noȝt fle:
Helpe ne frenschypp have thei no more,
But ‘Ne reminiscaris, Domine!’
Ut annuncient in Syon nomen Domini: et laudem ejus in Iherusalem.
Thi name is knowyn of kyng and knyȝt,In the mount of Syon, that thou ches.
Thou art preysid, bothe day and nyȝt,
In Ierusalem the cyté of pes.
Presthod of preysing schal noȝt ces:
For thou hast made thi peple fre.
Thy mercy hath made a ful reles,
With ‘Ne reminiscaris, Domine!’
In conveniendo populos in unum; et reges, ut serviant Domino.
Preestys, parfyȝt in here lyvyng,Schulde teche the peple the ryȝt way;
And tellyn knyȝtes, comounnerys, and kyng,
How thei schulde servĕ God, to pay;
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To pes, [and] love, and charyté;
And for the peple synge, and say,
‘Ne reminiscaris, Domine!’
Respondit ei in via virtutis sue: paucitatem dierum meorum nuncia michi.
The weye to vertew I wolde fayne lere,In bodily lyif whil I have space:
For my tyme is lytel here;
My dayes be waxen wonder scace;
And whider I schal, or to what place,
It lythe in Goddys pryvyté.
But evere I hope to fynde sum grace,
Wyth ‘Ne reminiscaris, Domine!’
Ne revoces me in dimidio dierum meorum: in generacione[m] et generationem, anni tui.
Calle me noȝt sodeynly ageyn,Whan half my dayĕs ben i past;
Ne dampne me noȝt to endles peyn,
But ȝyve me lyif that evere schal last.
Thi ȝerys ben endles, and may noȝt wast;
But I am goyng, and hens muste fle:
Myn hope and trust fully I caste,
In ‘Ne reminiscaris, Domine!’
Inicio tu, Domine, terram fundasti: et opera manuum tuarum sunt celi.
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Down to the lowest element;
The sterrys, and the planetys seven,
That mevyn abowtyn the firmament:
Thanne madyst thou man, with ăvý sĕment,
In erthe thi servaunt for to be.
Lete hym nevere therfore be schent:
‘Ne reminiscaris, Domine!’
Ipsi peribunt; tu autem permanes: et omnes sicut vestimentum veterascent.
Whan alle the planetys, that turnyn abowte,At the day of dome schul cese and reste;
Alle erthely thynges schul were owte;
Castellys and towrys schul bende and breste:
Thanne thou schalt laste, for thou art beste!
Begynnyng thou art, and ende schalt be!
Late me thanne be no straungĕ geste,
To ‘Ne reminiscaris Domine!’
Et sicut oportorium mutabis eos, et mutabuntur: tu autem idem ipse es, et anni tui non deficient.
Mann[ĕ]s flesh shall bee [d]ystryed,As clothys doth were with wedyr and wynde;
And after ryse and [be] gloryfyed,
In holy scripture as we fynde:
But thou art unmutable be kynd!
There is no changyng foundyn in thé!
Whan thou dost body and soule unbynde,
‘Ne reminiscaris Domine!’
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Filii servorum tuorum habitabunt: et semen eorum in seculum dirigetur.
Thi servauntys and thi chylderyn, in fere,Schul be delyveryd fro peynes of helle:
To thé thei schul be leve and dere,
Evere more in endles joye to dwelle.
There is no tunge that blysse may telle,
Nor hertĕ thynke, nor eyȝĕ se;
That God to synfull men will selle,
For ‘Ne reminiscaris, Domine!’
| A paraphrase on the Seven Penitential Psalms | |