Classic Poem

Lat no man booste of conning nor vertu,
Of tresour, richesse, nor of sapience,
Of worldly support, for all cometh of Jesu:
Counsail, comfort, discrecioun and prudence,
Provisioun, forsight, and providence,
Like as the Lord of grace list dispoose;
Som man hath wisdom, som man hath elloquence —
All stant on chaung, like a midsomer roose.

Wholsom in smelling be the soote floures,
Full delitable, outward, to the sight;
The thorn is sharp, curyd with fresh coloures;
All is nat gold that outward sheweth bright;
A stokfish boon in dirknesse yeveth a light,
Twen fair and foul, as God list dispoose,
A difference atwix day and night —
All stant on chaung like a midsomer roose.

All worldly thing braideth upon time:
The sonne chaungeth, so doth the pale moone;
The Aureat Noumbre, in calenderes set for Prime;
Fortune is double, doth favour for no boone,
And who that hath with that queen to doone
Contrariously she will his chaunce dispoose,
Who sitteth highest, moost like to falle soone —
All stant on chaung like a midsomer roose.

Wher is now David, the moost worthy king,
Of Juda and Israel moost famous and notable?
And wher is Salomon, moost soverein of conning,
Richest of bilding, of tresour incomparable?
Face of Absolon moost fair, moost amiable?
Rekne up echon, of trouthe make no gloose,
Rekne up Jonathas, of frenship immutable —
All stant on chaung like a midsomer roose.

Wher is Tullius with his sugred tonge?
Or Crisistomus with his goldene mouth?
The aureat ditees that be red and songe
Of Homerus in Grece, both north and south?
The tragedies, divers and uncouth,
Of moral Senek, the mysteries to uncloose?
By many example this mateer is full couth —
All stant on chaung like a midsomer roose.

Put in a som all marcial policye,
Compleet in Afric and boundes of Cartage,
The Theban legioun, example of chevalrye,
At Rodamus River was expert ther corage,
Ten thousand knightes, born of high parage,
Ther martyrdom, rad in metre and proose,
Ther goldene crownes, maad in the hevenly stage,
Fresher than lilies or ony somer roose.

The remembraunce of every famous knight,
Ground considered, is bilt on rightwisnesse:
Race out ech quarel that is not bilt on right;
Withoute trouthe, what vaileth high noblesse?
Lawrer of martyrs, founded on hoolynesse —
Whit was maad red, their triumphes to discloose:
The whit lillye was ther chaast clennesse,
Ther bloody suffraunce was no somer roose.

It was the Roose of the bloody feeld,
Roose of Jericho that grew in Beedlem,
The five rooses portrayed in the sheeld,
Splayed in the baneer at Jerusalem:
The sonne was clips, and dirk in every rem,
Whan Christ Jesu five welles list uncloose
Toward Paradis, called the rede strem —
Of whos five woundes prent in your hert a roose.