4.

Blow, Northern Wind

[CHOT a burde in boure bryht,
That fully semly is on syht,

Menskful maiden of myht;

Feir ant fre to fonde;
In al this wurhliche won
A burde of blod ant of bon,

Never yete y nuste non

Lussomore in londe.

Blou northerne wynd!

Send thou me my suetyng!

C 1300

Blou northerne wynd! blou, blou, blou!

With lokkes lefliche ant longe,

With frount ant face feir to fonge,

With murthes monie mote heo monge,
That brid so breme in boure.

3. cloude] clod. wunne weole] wealth of joy.
wyht] wight. fleme] banished.

I will forgo.
4. Ichot] I know. burde] maiden.

y wole forgon]

menskful] worshipful.

feir] fair.

multitude.

on earth.

brid] bird.

suetyng] sweetheart. lefliche] lovely. fonge]

take between hands. murthes] mirths, joys. mote heo monge]

may she mingle.

breme] full of life.

With lossom eye grete ant gode,
With browen blysfol under hode,
He that reste him on the Rode,
That leflych lyf honoure.
Blou northerne wynd, etc.

Hire lure lumes liht

Ase a launterne a nyht,
Hire bleo blykyeth so bryht,

So feyr heo is ant fyn.

A suetly swyre heo hath to holde,
With armes shuldre ase mon wolde,

Ant fingres feyre forte folde,
God wolde hue were myn!
Blou northerne wynd, etc.

5.

For hire love in slep y slake,
For hire love al nyht ich wake,
For hire love mournynge y make
More then eny mon.

Blou northerne wynd!

Send thou me my suetyng!

Blou northerne wynd! blou, blou, blou!

This World's Joy

C. 1300

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.

Nou hit is, and nou hit nys,

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.

5. this leves] these leaves. sike] sigh. ner nere] as though it had never been.

albydene] altogether. her duelle] here dwell.

except thah] though. faleweth] fadeth. y not whider] I know not whither.

6.

A Hymn to the Virgin

OF on that is so fayr and bright

Velut maris stella,

Brighter than the day is light,

Parens et puella :

Ic crie to the, thou see to me,

Levedy, preye thi Sone for me,
Tam pia,

That ic mote come to thee

Maria.

Al this world was for-lore
Eva peccatrice,

Tyl our Lord was y-bore

De te genetrice.

With ave it went away

Thuster nyth and comz the day
Salutis ;

The welle springeth ut of the,

Virtutis.

Levedy, flour of alle thing,

Rosa sine spina,

Thu bere Jhesu, hevene king,

Gratia divina:

Of alle thu ber'st the pris,

Levedy, quene of paradys

Electa:

Mayde milde, moder es

C. 1300

Effecta.

on] one.

levedy] lady.

thuster] dark.

pris] prize.

7.

Of a rose, a lovely rose,
Of a rose is al myn song.

LESTENYT, lordynges, both elde and 3ynge,

How this rose began to sprynge;

Swych a rose to myn lykynge

In al this word ne knowe I non.

The Aungil came fro hevene tour,
To grete Marye with gret honour,
And seyde sche xuld bere the flour
That xulde breke the fyndes bond.

The flour sprong in heye Bedlem,
That is bothe bryht and schen:
The rose is Mary hevene qwyn,

Out of here bosum the blosme sprong.
The ferste braunche is ful of myht,
That sprang on Cyrstemesse nyht,
The sterre schon over Bedlem bryht
That is bothe brod and long.

The secunde braunche sprong to helle,
The fendys power doun to felle:
Therein myht non sowle dwelle;

Blyssid be the time the rose sprong!

The thredde braunche is good and swote,
It sprang to hevene crop and rote,
Therein to dwellyn and ben our bote;

Every day it schewit in prystes hond.

lestenyt] listen. word] world. bevene qwyn] heaven's queen.

ނ

C. 1350

xuld] should. schen] beautiful. bote] salvation.