Classic Poem

A thowsand storiis kowde I m[o] reherse
Off olde poets touchyng this matere:
How that Cupide the hertis gan to perse
Off his seruauntis, settyng tham affere:
‘Lo here [the fin of] th'errour and the weere,
Lo here of loue the guerdoun and greuaunce
That euyr with woo his seruaunts doth avaunce.’

Wherfore I wil now pleynly my stile redresse,
Of on to speke, at nede that will not faile.
Allas. for dool I [ne] can nor may expresse
Hir passand pris, and that is no mervaile.
O wynd of grace, now blowe into my saile,
O auriat lycour of Clyo, for to wryte
Mi penne enspire of that I wold endyte.

Allas, vnworthi I am and [al] unable
To lo[u]e suche on, all women surmountyng
[To be benigne to me and] mercyable,
That is of pite the welle and the spryng.
Wherefore of hir, in laude and in preysyng,
So as I can, supported by hir grace,
Right thus I say, knelyng toforn hir face:

O sterne of sternys with thi stremys clere,
Sterne of the see, to shipman lyght and gyde,
O lusty leem[yng], most plesaunt to appere,
Whos bright bemys the clowdis may not hide,
O way of lyfe to hem þat goo or ride,
Haven aftyr tempest surrest [up] to ryve,
On me haue mercy for thi ioyes fyve.

O rightest rewl, O rote of holynesse,
And lightsom lyne of pite [for] to pleyne,
Origynal gynnyng of grace and al goodnesse,
And clennest condite of vertu souerayne,
Modyr of mercy, oure troubyl to restreyne,
Chambyr and closet clennest of chastyte.
And namyd herberwe of þe deyte,

O closid gardeyn, al void of weedes wicke,
Cristallyn welle, of clennesse cler consigned,
Fructif olyve, of foilys faire and thicke,
And redolent cedyr, most derworthly ydynged,
Remembyr of pecchouris [unto thee] assigned,
Or þe wyckid fend his wrath upon us wreche,
Lantyrn of light, be þu oure lyfis leche.

Paradys of plesaunce, gladsom to all good,
Benygne braunchelet of the pigment-tre,
Vinarye envermailyd, refrescher of oure food,
Lycour agens langour that pallid may not be,
Blisful bawm-blossum, b[y]dyng in bounte,
Thi mantel of [mercy] on oure myschef spred,
Or woo awak us, wrappe us undyr thi weed.

Red[e] rose, flouryng withowtyn spyne,
Fonteyn of fulnesse, as beryl corrent clere,
Some drope of thi graceful dewe to us propyne;
thu light without nebule, shynyng in thi spere,
Medicyne to myscheu[e]s, pucelle withoute pere,
Flawme down to doolful, lyght of thyn influence.
Remembryng thi servant for thi magnificence.

Of alle Cristen protectrix and tutele,
Retour of exilid, put in proscrypcyoun,
To hem þat erryn, the path of her sequele,
To wery wandrid, the tente, pavil[i]oun,
[The feynte to fresshe, and the pawsacioun,]
Vnto deiecte rest and remedye,
Feythfull unto all þat in the affye.

To hem that rennyth þu art itinerarie,
O blisful bravie to knyghtis of thi werre,
To wery workmen þu art dyorne denarye,
Mede to mareyners þat haue sailed ferre,
Lauriat corown, stremand as a sterre
To hem þat put hem in pal[e]styr for thi sake,
Cours of her conquest, þu, white as ony lake.

Thow myrthe of martyrs, swetter than cytolle,
Of confessouris richest donatyff,
Unto virginis th'eterne aureolle,
Aforne all women hauyng prerogatyff,
Maiden and modyr, both wedow and wyff,
In all this world nys noon but þu allone,
Now s[i]n þu may, be su[cou]r to my mone.

O tresti turtyl, trowest of all trewe,
O curteys columbe, replet of all mekenesse,
O nyghtyngale with thi notys newe,
O popynjay, plumed in clennesse,
O larke of lo[u]e, syngynge in swetnesse,
Phebus awaitynge, till in thi brest he lyght,
Undyr thi w[i]nge at domysday vs dyght.

O ruby rubifyed in the passyoun
All of thi sone, among haue vs in mynde,
O stedfast dyamaunt of duracyoun,
That fewe feris þat tyme myght þu fynde,
For noon to hym was founde half so kynde.
O h[a]rdy herte, O louynge creature,
What was it but lo[u]e þat made þe so t'endure?

Semely safyr, dep lowp, and blew ewage
(Stable as the lowpe, ay ewage to pite),
This is to sayn, O frescheste of visage,
Thu louyst hem unchaungid þat serue the,
Or gif offence or writhyng in hem be
thu art ay redy upon her woo to rewe,
And hem resyuyst [with b]eemis of thyn ewe.

O goodly gladid, when þat Gabriell
With joie the grette þat may not be noumbrid,
Of halfe the joie, who cowde wryte or telle,
When the Holy Goost to the was obvmbrid
Wherthorgh þat fends were utterly encombrid?
O wemles mayden, enbelysshed with his byrthe,
That man and aungell þeroff had[den] myrthe.

Loo here the blossum and bud of all oure glorye
Off whech þat prophets spak so long aforn.
Loo here the same þat was in memorye
Of Ysaie [so] long or she was born.
Loo here [of] Dauid the delicyows corn,
Lo here the ground that list [him] to onbelde,
Becomyn[g] man, [our] raunsoun for to gelde.

O glorious viole, O vitre inviolate,
O[f] f[i]ry Tytan percyd with the lemys,
Whos vertuous bryghtnesse was in thi brest vibrate
That all this world enbelisshed with his [b]emys,
Conseruatrix of kyngdamys and remys,
O Isaye[s] seed, O swete Sunamyte,
Mesure my mo[u]rnynge, myn owne margarite.

O soueraynest, sowht out of Syon,
O punycall pome agens all pestilence,
And auryat vrne, in whom was book and bo[u]n
The agnelet that fought for oure offence
Agens the serpent with so high defence
That like a lyoun in victory he was founde,
To him commende vs, of mercy moost habounde.

O precyous [perle] withoutyn ony pere,
Cockyl with gold dew from aboue ireyned,
thu busshe vnbrent, ferle[s] set affere,
Flawmyng in feruence, not with hete peyned,
Duryng days[y]e with no weder steyned,
Fles[e] vndefoulyd of gentyl Gedeon,
[the fructefyng yerde, þowe, of Aron,]

The my[g]ti arke, probatyk piscyne,
Lawghynge Auror[a], and of pees olyve,
Columpne and base up-beryng from abyme,
Why ner[e] I connyng the forto discrive?
Chesen for Iosep[h], whan he took to wyve,
Unknowyng hym, chyldyng be mirakyll,
And of our ma[nly] figure tabyrnakyll.