Classic Poem

In the monethe of Maye when mirthes been fele
And the seson of somere when softe been the wedres,
As I went to the wode my weirdes to dreghe,
Into the shawes myself a shotte me to gete
At an hert or an hinde, happen as it mighte;
And as Drighten the day drove from the heven,
As I abode on a bank by a brime side,
There the grise was grene, growen with flowres—
The primrose, the pervinke, and piliole the riche—
The dewe upon daiseys donkede full faire,
Burgons and blossoms and braunches full swete,
And the mery mistes full mildely gan falle;
The cukkowe, the cowshote, kene were they bothen,
And the throstils full throly threpen in the bankes;
And eche fowl in that frith fainere than other
That the derke was done and the day lightenede.
Hertes and hindes on hilles they gouen,
The fox and the fulmart they flede to the erthe;
The hare hurkles by hawes and harde thider drives
And ferkes faste to hir fourme and fetils hir to sit.
As I stood in that stede on stalking I thoughte:
Bothe my body and my bowe I buskede with leves,
And turnede towardes a tree and tariede there a while;
And as I lokede to a launde a littil me beside
I segh an hert with an hed, an high for the nones;
All unburneshed was the beme, full borely the midle,
With eche feetur as thy fote, forfrayed in the greves,
With auntlers on eithere side egheliche longe.
The ryalls full richely raughten from the middes,
With surryals full sernely upon sides twaine;
And he assommet and sett of six and of five,
And therto borely and brode and of body grete,
And a coloppe for a king, cache him who mighte.
But there sewed him a sowr that served him full yerne,
That woke and warned him when the wind failede,
That none so slegh in his slepe with sleghte sholde him dere,
And went the wayes him before when any wothe tide.
My lyame then full lightly let I down falle,
And to the bole of a birche my berselett I cowchede.
I waited wisly the winde by wagging of the leves,
Stalkede full stilly no stikkes to breke,
And crepite to a crabtree and coverede me ther-under.
Then I bende up my bowe and bownede me to shote,
Tighte up my tilere and taisede at the hert.
But the sowr that him sewed set up the nese,
And waitede wittily aboute and windede full yerne.
Then I moste stande as I stood and stirre no foot ferrere,
For had I minted or movede or made any sines
All my laik hade been lost that I hade longe waitede;
But gnattes gretely me grevede and gnewen min eyne:
And he stotaide and stalked and starede full brode;
But at the laste he louted down and laughte till his mete,
And I hallede to the hokes and the hert smote.