Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition
Anglo-Irish poems of the Middle Ages: The Kildare Poems (Author: [unknown])
Poem 1
The Land of Cokaygne
{MS fol 3r}
- 1] Fur in see bi west Spayngne
Is a lond ihote Cokaygne.
Ther nis lond vnder heuen riche
Of wel, of godnis hit iliche.
5] Thogh Paradis be miri and bright,
Cokaygn is of fairir sight.
What is ther in Paradis
Bot grasse and flure and grene ris?
Thogh ther be joi and gret dute,
10] Ther nis met bote frute;
Ther nis halle, bure no benche,
Bot watir man is thursto quenche.
Beth ther no men bot two,
Hely and Enok also;
15] Elinglich mai he go,
Whar ther wonith men no mo.
- In Cokaigne is met and drink,
With-vte care, how and swink.
The met is trie, the drink is clere,
20] To none, russin and sopper.
I sigge for-soth, boute were,
Ther nis lond on erthe is pere,
Vnder heuen nis lond iwisse,
Of so mochil joi and blisse.
{MS fol 3v}
25] Ther is mani swete sighte,
Al is dai, nis ther no nighte.
Ther nis baret nother strif,
Nis ther no deth ac euer lif.
Ther nis lac of met no cloth,
30] Ther nis man no womman wroth.
Ther nis serpent, wolf no fox,
Hors no capil, kowe no ox,
Ther nis schepe, no swine, no gote
Ne non horwgh, la, God it wote.
35] Nother harace nother stode.
The lond is ful of other gode:
Nis ther flei, fle no lowse
In cloth, in toune, bed no house
Ther nis dunnir, slete no hawle,
40] No non vile worme no snawile,
No non storm, rein no winde.
Ther nis man no womman blinde.
Ok al is game, joi and gle.
Wel is him that ther mai be!
45] Ther beth riuers gret and fine
Of oile, melk, honi and wine.
Watir seruith ther to no thing,
Bot to sight and to waiissing.
Ther is maner frute,
50] Al is solas and dedute. {MS fol 4r}
- Ther is a wel fair abbei
Of white monkes and of grei.
Ther beth bowris and halles.
Al of pasteiis beth the walles,
55] Of fleis, of fisse and rich met,
The likfullist that man mai et.
Fluren cakes beth the schingles alle
Of cherche, cloister, boure and halle,
The pinnes beth fat podinges,
60] Rich met to princez and kinges.
Man mai ther-of et inogh
Al with right and noght with wogh.
Al is commune to yung and old,
To stoute and sterne, mek and bold.
65] Ther is a cloister fair and light,
Brod and lang of sembli sight.
The pilers of that cloister alle
Beth iturned of cristale.
With har bas and capitale
70] Of grene Jaspe and rede corale.
In the praer is a tre,
Swithe likful forto se.
The rote is gingeuir and galingale,
The siouns beth al sedwale,
75] Trie maces beth the flure,
The rind canel of swet odur,
{MS fol 4v}
The frute gilofre of gode smakke.
Of cucubes ther nis no lakke.
Ther beth rosis of rede ble,
80] And lilie likful forto se.
Thai faloweth neuer dai no night,
This aght be a swet sight!
Ther beth foure willis in the abbei
Of triacle and halwei,
85] Of baum and ek piement.
Euer ernend to right rent
Of thai stremis al the molde,
Stonis preciuse and golde.
Ther is saphir and vniune,
90] Carbuncle and astiune,
Smaragde, lugre and prassiune,
Beril, onix, topasiune,
Ametist and crisolite,
Calcedun and epetite.
- 95] Ther beth briddes mani and fale:
Throstil, thruisse and nightingale,
Chalandre and wodwale,
And other briddes with-out tale,
That stinteth neuer bi har might
{MS fol 5r}
100] Miri to sing, dai and night.
Yite I do yow mo to witte:
The gees irostid on the spitte
Fleez to that abbai, God hit wot,
And gredith: ‘Gees al hote, al hote!’
105] Hi bringeth garlek gret plente,
The best idight that man mai se.
The leuerokes that beth cuth,
Lightith adun to man is muth
Idight in stu ful swithe wel,
110] Pudrid with gilofre and canel.
Nis no spech of no drink,
Ak take inogh with-vte swink.
Whan the monkes geeth to Masse,
Al the fenestres that beth of glasse
115] Turneth in-to cristal bright,
To yiue monkes more light.
Whan the Masses beth iseiid,
And the bokes up ileiid,
The cristal turnith in-to glasse,
120] In state that hit rather wasse.
The yung monkes euch dai
Aftir met goth to plai.
Nis ther hauk no fule so swifte
Bettir fleing bi the lifte
125] Than the monkes heigh of mode,
{MS fol 5v}
With har sleuis and har hode.
Whan the abbot seeth ham flee,
That he holt for moch glee.
Ak natheles al ther amang,
130] He biddeth ham light to euesang.
The monkes lightith noght adun
Ak furre fleeth in o randun.
Whan the abbot him iseeth
That is monkes fram him fleeth,
135] He taketh maidin of the route
And turnith vp hir white toute,
And betith the taburs with is hond
To make is monkes light to lond.
Whan is monkes that iseeth,
140] To the maid dun hi fleeth
And geth the wench al abute,
And thakketh al hir white toute.
And sith aftir her swinke
Wendith meklich hom to drink,
145] And geth to har collacione,
A wel fair processione.
- An-other abbei is ther-bi,
For-soth a gret fair nunnerie,
{MS fol 6r}
Vp a riuer of swet milke,
150] Whar is plente gret of silk.
Whan the somer is dai is hote,
The yung nunnes takith a bote
And doth ham forth in that riuer,
Both with oris and with stere.
155] Whan hi beth fur fram the abbei,
Hi makith ham nakid forto plai,
And lepith dune in-to the brimme
And doth ham sleilich forto swimme.
The yung monketh that hi seeth,
160] Hi doth ham vp and forth hi fleeth
And commith to the nunnes anon,
And euch monke him taketh on
And snellich berith forth har prei
To the mochil grei abbei,
165] And techith the nunnes an oreisun
With iambleue vp and dun.
The monke that wol be stalun gode
And kan set a-right is hode,
He schal hab, with-oute danger,
170] Twelve wiues euche yere,
Al throgh right and noght throgh grace,
For-to do him-silf solace.
{MS fol 6v}
And thilke monke that slepith best,
And doth is likham al to rest,
175] Of him is hoppe, Got hit wote,
To be sone Uadir Abbot.
- Whose wl com that lond to,
Ful grete penaunce he mot do:
Seue yere in swine is dritte
180] He mote wade, wol ye iwitte,
Al anon vp to the chynne,
So he schal the lond winne.
Lordings gode and hend,
Mot ye neuer of world wend,
185] Fort ye stond to yure cheance
And fulfille that penance,
That ye mote that lond i-se
And neuer more turne a-ye.
Prey we God so mote hit be,
190] Amen, pur seint charite. Finit.