POETRY BEFORE CHAUCER

CUCKOO SONG

(c. 1226)

SUMER is icumen in,

Lhude sing cuccu!

Groweth sed, and bloweth med,
And springth the wude nu-
Sing cuccu!

Awe bleteth after lomb

Lhouth after calve cu;

Bulluc sterteth, bucke verteth,

Murie sing cucu!

Cuccu, cuccu, well singes thu, cuccu:

Ne swike thu naver nu;

Sing cuccu, nu, sing cuccu,

Sing cuccu, sing cuccu, nu!

ANONYMOUS.

lhude=loud.

ALISON

(c. 1300)

BYTUENE Mershe ant Averil

When spray biginneth to spring,
The lutel foul hath hire wyl

On hyre lud to synge :

awe ewe.

sed, med seed, mead. nu now. lhouth-loweth. cu cow. sterteth-frisketh. verteth-goeth to the woods. muriemerrily. swike=cease. on hyre lud in her own tongue.

libbe

Ich libbe in love-longinge

For semlokest of alle thynge,
He may me blisse bringe,
Icham in hire bandoun.
An hendy hap ichabbe y-hent,
Ichot from hevene it is me sent,

From alle wymmen my love is lent
Ant lyht on Alisoun.

On heu hire her is fayr ynoh,

Hire browe broune, hire eye blake;
With lossom chere he on me loh;

With middel smal ant wel y-make;

Bote he me wolle to hire take
For to buen hire owen make,
Long to lyven ichulle forsake
And feye fallen adoun.

An hendy hap, etc.

Nihtes when I wende and wake,
For-thi myn wonges waxeth won;
Levedi, al for thine sake

Longinge is y-lent me on.

In world his non so wyter mon
That al hire bountè telle con ;
Hire swyre is whittore then the swon,
And feyrest may in toune.

An hendy hap, etc.

Icham for wowyng al for-wake,
Wery so water in wore ;
Lest any reve me my make
Ichabbe y-yerned yore.

live. semlokest=seemliest. he=she. icham=I am. bandoun = bondage. hendy gracious. ichabbe I have. y-hent seized. ichot I wot. on heu hire her in colour her hair. lossom=lovesome. loh laughed. bote he unless she. make=mate. feye=dying. wende =turned. wonges-cheeks. won pale. levedi lady. is y-lent me on has come upon me. so wyter mon=so wise a man. swyre= neck. may=maid. so water in wore as water in a weir. reve=rob. y-yerned yore=been long in fear.

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WYNTER Wakeneth al my care,

Nou this leves waxeth bare ;

Ofte I sike ant mourne sare

When hit cometh in my thoht

Of this worldes joie, hou hit goth al to noht.

Al so hit ner nere, ywys ;

That moni mon seith, soth hit ys:

Al goth bote Godes wille:

Alle we shule deye, thah us like ylle.

Al that gren me graueth grene
Nou hit faleweth albydene :
Jesu, help that hit be sene

Ant shild us from helle !

For y not whider y shal, ne hou longe her duelle.

ANONYMOUS.

tholien endure. geynest under gore=fairest under frock. roun= song. this these. sike sigh. nys is not. al so hit ner nere=as though it never were. bote-but. thah though. graueth=groweth. faleweth albydene-faileth altogether. y not whider y shal=I know not whither I shall go. her duelle here dwell.

PRAISE OF WOMEN

ys.

No thyng ys to man so dere
As wommanys love in gode manère.
A gode womman is mannys blys,
There her love right and stedfast
There ys no solas under hevene
Of alle that a man may nevene
That shulde a man so moche glew
As a gode womman that loveth true.
Ne derer is none in Goddis hurde

Than a chaste womman with lovely worde.

ROBERT MANNYNG OF BRUNNE.

WILLIAM LANGLAND

PIERS PLOWMAN (1362)

A THOUSAND of men tho . thrungen togyderes ; Cried upward to cryst. and to his clene moder, To haue grace to go with hem. treuthe to seke.

Ac there was wyghte non so wys. the wey thider couthe, But blustreden forth as bestes. ouer bankes and hilles, Til late was and longe. that thei a lede mette, Apparailled as a paynym. in pylgrymes wyse. He bare a burdoun ybounde. with a brode liste, In a withewyndes wise.ywounden aboute. A bolle and a bagge. he bare by his syde ; An hundreth of ampulles. on his hatt seten, Signes of synay. and shelles of galice;

And many a cruche on his cloke. and keyes of Rome,

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nevene name. glew=gladden. hurde=flock. tho then. couthe knew. blustreden = strayed. lede = man. paynym Saracen. burdoun=staff. withewyndes wise bindweed-fashion. ampulles phials. synay=Sinai. galice=Galicia. cruche=cross.

PIERS PLOWMAN

And the vernicle bifore. for men shulde knowe,
And se bi his signes. whom he soughte hadde.

This folke frayned hym firste. fro whennes he come ?
"Fram synay," he seyde." and fram owre lordes sepulcre
In bethleem and in babiloyne. I haue ben in bothe,
In ermonye, in Alisaundre. in many other places.
Ye may se bi my signes. that sitten on myn hatte,
That I haue walked ful wyde . in wete and in drye,
And soughte gode seyntes. for my soules helth."

"Knowestow oughte a corseint. that men calle treuthe ? Coudestow aughte wissen us the weye. where that wy dwelleth ? "Nay, so me god helpe!". seide the gome thanne, "I seygh neuere palmere. with pike ne with scrippe Axen after hym er. til now in this place."

"Peter!" quod a plowman. and put forth his hed,
"I knowe hym as kyndely. as clerke doth his bokes;
Conscience and kynde witte. kenned me to his place,
And deden me suren hym sikerly. to serue hym for euere,
Bothe to sowe and to sette. the while I swynke myghte.
I haue ben his folwar. al this fifty wyntre;
Bothe ysowen his sede. and sued his bestes,
With-inne and with-outen. wayted his profyt.
I dyke and I delue. I do that treuthe hoteth;
Some tyme I sowe. and some tyme I thresche,

In tailoures crafte and tynkares crafte. what treuthe can deuyse,
I weue and I wynde. and do what treuthe hoteth.

For thoughe I seye it my-self. I serue hym to paye;

Ich haue myn huire of hym well. and otherwhiles more;

He is the prestest payer. that pore men knoweth ;

He ne with-halt non hewe his hyre. that he ne hath it at euen.
He is as low as a lombe. and loueliche of speche,

And yif ye wilneth to wite. where that he dwelleth,

I shall wisse yow witterly. the weye to his place."

5

"Ye, leue pieres," quod this pilgrymes. and profered hym huire vernicle cloth with the face of Christ upon it. frayned ermonye Armenia. corseint (corps saint): a saint.

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= man. seygh saw.

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asked.

wissen teach. made.

er before. deden

wy = man. gome suren hym promise him. sikerly surely. swynke toil. sued = driven. wayted looked after. hoteth biddeth. non hewe = no servant. low dear.

leve

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gentle. wilneth

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prestest readiest. wish. witerly = clearly.