Classic Poem

Mighty Flora, goddes of fresshe floures,
Which cloþed haþ þe soyl in lusty grene,
Made buddes springe with hir swote showres
By influence of þe sonne so shene,
To do plesaunce of [hir] entent ful clene
Vnto þ'estates which þat now sitt here,
Haþ Ver dovn sent, hir owen doughter dere,

Making þe vertue þat dured in þe roote
(Called of clerks þe vertue vegytable)
For to tra[n]scend, most holsom, and most swoote,
Into the crop, þis saysoun so greable.
þe bawmy lykour is so comendable
þat it reioyeþ with þe fressh moysture
Man, beest, and foul and every creature — —

Which haþ repressed, swaged, and bore dovne
þe grevous constreint of þe frostes hore,
And caused fouls, for ioy of þis saysoune
To chees þeir makes þan by Natures lore
With al gladnes þeir courage to restore,
Sitting on bowes fresshly now to synge,
Ver for to salue at hir hom comynge:

Ful pleinly mening in þeir ermonye
Wynter is goone which did hem gret peyne,
And with þeir swoote, sugre[d] melodye,
Thanking Nature, þeir goddes souereyne,
That þey now have no mater to compleyne,
Hem for to proygne every morwenyng
With lusty gladnes at Phebus vprysinge:

And to declare þe hye magnifysence
How Ver inbringeþ al felicytee,
After wynters mighty vyolence
Avoyding storms of al adversytee;
For she haþ brought al prosperitee
To al þ'estates of þis regyoun
At hir comyng tofor your hye renoun.

To mighty prynces, þe palm of þeir victorie
And til knighthode now she doþ presente
Noblesse in armes, lawd, honnour and glorie,
Pees to þe people in al hir best entente,
With grace and mercy fully to consente
þat provydence of hye discressioun
Avoyd descorde and al devysyoun.

Wynter shal pas of hevynes and trouble,
Flowres shal spring of perfit charite,
In hertes þer shal be no mening double,
Budds shal [blosme] of trouþ and vnytee,
Pleinly for to exyle duplicytee,
Lords to regne in þeire noble puissance,
þe people obey with feythful obeyssaunce.

Of al estats þer shal be oon ymage,
And princes first shal ocupye þe hede,
And prudent iuges to correct outrage
Shal trespassours constreynen vnder drede,
þat innosentes in þeir lowlyhede
As truwe comvnes may be þeir socour,
Truwly contune in þeir faithful labour:

And by the grace of Oure Lord Ihesu
þat Holly Chirch may have parseuerance,
Be faythful found in alle hir [vertu].
Mayre, provost, shirreff, ech in his substaunce,
And aldremen, which haue þe governaunce
Over þe people, by vertu may avayle
þat non oppression be don to þe pourayle.

þus as þe people, of prudent pollycye,
Pryncis of þe righte shal governe,
þe Chirche prey, þe Iuges iustefye,
And Knighthod manly, and prudently discerne
Til light of trouþ so cleerly þe lanterne
þat rightwysnesse thorogh þis regyoune
Repress derkness of al extorcyoune.

þes be þe tyþings which þat Ver haþ brought,
Troubles exyling of wynters rude derknesse;
Wherfor reioye in hert[e], will and thought,
Somer shall folow to yow of al gladnesse;
And siþen she is ministre of lustynesse,
Let hir be welcom to yow at hir comyng,
Siþ she to yow haþ brought so glad tyþinge.

þe noble Princesse, of most magnifisence,
Qween of al ioy, of gladde suffisaunce,
May is now come to your Hye Excellence,
Presenting yowe prosperous pleasaunce,
Of al welfare most fulsom haboundance,
As she þat haþe vnder hir demayne
Of floures fressh, most holsom and souraine.

L'envoye to alle þ'estates present

þis Princesse haþ, by favour of Nature,
Repared agein þat wynter haþ so fade;
And [smale] foulis lustely recvvre
þeir lusty notes and þeir [ermonye] glade,
And vnder braunches, vnder plesant shade
Reioyssing þer with many swote odoures.
And Zepherus with many fresshe [sh]oures

T[a]pyted fayre with motleys whyte and rede
Al hilles, pleyns and lusty bankes grene
And made hir bawm to flete in every mede
[Whan] firy Tytan shews h[i]s tresses sheene.
And vppon busshes and hawthornes kene
þe nightingale with plesant ermonye
Cold wynter stormes now she doþ defye.

On Parnaso þe lusty Muses nyne,
Citherra with hir sone nowe dwellis,
þis sayson singe and þeir notes twyne
Of poetrye besyd þe cristal wellis;
Calyope þe dytes of hem tellis,
And Orpheus with h[i]s stringes sharpe
Syngeþ a roundell with his temperd herpe.

Wherfor to al estates here present,
þis plesant tyme most of lustynesse,
May is now com tofor yow of entent
To bring yow al to ioye and fresshnesse,
Prosparitee, welfare and al gladnesse:
And al þat may Your Hyeness qweme and plese
In any part, or doon your hertes ese.