Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition

Anglo-Irish poems of the Middle Ages: The Kildare Poems (Author: [unknown])

Poem 5

Sarmun

1. 1] The grace of Godde and Holi Chirche
   Throgh uertu of the Trinite,
   Yif ous grace soch workes to wirche,
   That helplich to ure sowles be.
2. 5] Thes wordes that Ich speke nou laste—
   In Latin hit is iwritte in boke—
   Wel mow de drede and be agast,
   The dede beth so lolich to loke.
3. 9] Ther-for he seiith: 'A, man, hab munde
   That of this lif ther commith ende!
   Of erthe and axen is ure kunde,
   And in-to duste we schullith wende.'
4. 13] So seith Seint Bernard in his boke,
   And techith vs ofte and lome
   To be hend, if we wold loke—
   Wel file hit is that of us come.
5. 17] Man, loke thin ein and thi nosse,
   Thi mouth, thin eris al aboute!
   Fram thi girdel to thi hosse,
   Hit is wel vile that commith vte.
6. 21] Man, of thi schuldres and of thi side
   Thou mighte hunti luse and flee.
   Of such a park I ne hold no pride.
   The dere nis naughte that thou mighte sle.
7. 25] If thou ert prute, man, of thi fleisse
   Othir of thi velle that is with-oute,
   Thi fleisse nis naghte bot worm is meisse.
   Of such a thing whi ert thou prute?
{MS fol 16v}
8. 29] Wormis of thi fleisse schul spring,
   Thi felle with-oute nis bot a sakke,
   Ipudrid ful with drit and ding
   That stinketh lolich and is blakke.
9. 33] Sire, whar-of is the gentil man
   Of eni other than of this?
   Him-silf mei se, if gode he can,
   For he sal find that so hit is.
10. 37] That hit be soth and noght les,
    Thou loke thi neghbor, whare and how?
    Thou loke in is biriles,
    He was prute, as ert thou.
11. 41] Whate prude saltou se thar
    Bot stench and wormis i-crop in dritte?
    Of such a sight we aght be-ware,
    And in vre hert hit hab i-writte.
12. 45] Silk no sendale nit the none,
    No bise no no meniuer,
    Ther nis no thing a-boute the bone
    To yeme that was ihudded here.
13. 49] The wikid wede that was abute
    The wormis that hit habbith al for-soght.
    Alas, whar-of is man so prute,
    Whan al is pride sal turne to noght?
14. 53] If man is prute of world is welle
    Ihc hold a fole that he be.
    Hit commith, hit goth, hit nis bot dwelle,
    Bot dritte, gile and wanite.
{MS fol 17r}
15. 57] Lo! That catel nis bote gile,
    Trewlich ye mov isee.
    He nel be felaw bot a while,
    Thou salt him leue, other he sal the.
16. 61] Hit is mi rede, whil thou him hast,
    Thou spen it wel that helplich be
    For god. Bot thou nelt at the last,
    Other men sulle aftir the.
17. 65] Nouthe other mister men ther beth,
    Throgh couetise hi beth iblend
    That wer leuer wend to the deth
    Than spene the gode that God ham send.
18. 69] Thogh man hit hab, hit nis noght his,
    Hit nis ilend him bot alone
    Fort to libbe is lit, i-wisse,
    And help the nedful that nath non.
19. 73] Nou mani wrecche be-commith thralle,
    Hi nul noght spene, bot yime in store.
    Be-com hi beth the deuil is thralle,
    Night and dai hi libbith in sore.
20. 77] For night and dai is al har thoght
    How hi hit mow hab and winne,
    Fast to hold and spene right noghte,
    And ledith euer har lif in pinne.
21. 81] The wrechis wringit the mok so fast,
    Up ham silf hi nul noght spened.
    Yit hi sul dei at the last
    And to the deuil hi sul wend.
{MS fol 17v}
22. 85] Sith such a wringer goth to helle
    For litil gode that nis noght his,
    Whate mai Ich bi the riche man telle,
    That ledith al is lif in blisse?
23. 89] Hit is as ethe forto bring
    A camel in-to the neld is ei
    As a rich man to bring
    In-to the blisse that is an hei.
24. 93] Theigh man be rich of lond and lede
    And holdeth festis ofte and lome,
    Hit nis no doute he sal be dede,
    To yeld recning at the Dome.
25. 97] Ye, sulle we yive a-cuntis
    Of al that we habbith ibe here,
    Ye, of a verthing, soth iwisse,
    Of al thi time fram yer to yere.
26. 101] And bot thou hit hab ispend aright
    The gode that God the hath ilend,
    Of Jesus Criste thou lesist the sight,
    To helle pine thou worthe isend.
27. 105] Of helle pine we aght be-ware
    And euer more hit hab in thoght,
    Ac non nel be other i-ware,
    For ham silf be in ibroght.
28. 109] Theigh freris prech of heuen and helle,
    Of ioi and pine to mani man,
    Al that him thenchit bot dwelle,
    As men tellith of Wlonchargan.
{MS fol 18r}
29. 113] Ak yite that ilk dai sal be
    Ther nis non that nold him hide,
    So sore we sul drede to se
    The wondis of Iesus Crist is side.
30. 117] His hondes, is fete sul ren of blode,
    Thou woldist fle, thou ne might noght than.
    The sper, the nailes and the rode
    Sal crie: ‘Tak wrech of sinful man!’
31. 121] The erthe, the watir than sal sprede
    Route and driue al for-wode;
    'Nov Iesus Crist, we sul the wrekke
    Of sinful man that sadde thi blode!'
32. 125] Bothe fire and wind lude sal crie:
    'Louerd, nov let us go to,
    For Ich wl blow, the fire sal berne
    Vp sinful man that hath misdo!'
33. 129] Heuen and erthe sal crie and grede,
    And helle sal berne, thou salt ise,
    O! sinful man, wo worth thi rede,
    Whan al this wrech sal be for the!
34. 133] Hit is so grisful forto loke
    And forto hir the bittir dome,
    Angles sul quake, so seith the boke,
    And that thou hirist of and lome.
35. 137] Sei, sinful man, whi neltou leue
    That al thing sal com to hepe?
    Wel aght thi hert throgh-ute cleue,
    Thin eiine blodi teris wepe.
{MS fol 18v}
36. 141] Hit is to late, whan thou ert thare,
    To crie: ‘Jesu, thin ore!’
    While thou ert here, be wel iware,
    Vn-do thin hert and liue is lore.
37. 145] Vn-do thin hert that is iloke
    With couetise and prvde ther-an,
    And thench thos wordis her ispoke.
    Foryite ham noght, ac thench apan.
38. 149] And bot thou nelt thench her-apan
    Fort vnderfong gode lore,
    I-wis, for-soth as thou ert man,
    Thou salt hit rew bitter and sore.
39. 153] Man is lif nis bot a schade,
    Nov he is and nov he nis.
    Loke how he mei be glade,
    Thogh al this world might be his.
40. 157] Wold he thench, the vnseli man,
    In-to this world what he broghte?
    A stinkind felle ilappid ther-an,
    Wel litel bettir than right noght.
41. 161] What is the gode that he sal hab,
    Oute of this world whan he sal go?
    A wikid wede—whi sold I gab?—
    For he ne broght with him no mo.
42. 165] Right as he com, he sal wend,
    In wo and pine and pouerte.
    Takith gode hede, man, to yur end,
    For as I sigge, so hit sal be.
{MS fol 19r}
43. 169] I note whar-of is man so prute
    Of erthe, axin, fel and bone,
    For be the soule enis oute,
    A uiler caraing nis ther non.
44. 173] Mani man thenchit on is thoght
    He nel noght leue his eir al bare.
    His eir sal fail and ber right noghte,
    And wast the gode wel wide-whare.
45. 177] Ich warne the for i-sold hit sal—
    At that thou wan here with pine—
    A brothin eir sal wast it al,
    And be al otheris that was thine.
46. 181] Nouth sith that the world nis noght
    And catel nis bot vanite,
    Haue God in ur thoght,
    And of the catel be we fre.
47. 185] Anourith God and Holy Chirch,
    And helpith thai that habith nede;
    So God is wil we sul wirch,
    The ioi of heuen hab to mede.
48. 189] What is the ioi that man sal hab,
    If his life he spenith wel?
    Soth to sigge, and noght to gab,
    Ther nis no tunge that hit mai tel.
49. 193] If I sal tel al that I can,
    In Holi Boke as we can rede,
    Hit is a ioi that fallit to man,
    Of hel pine he ne dar drede.
{MS fol 19v}
50. 197] The man that mai to heuen com
    The swete solas forto se,
    Seue sithis brightir than the sun
    In heuen sal man is soule be.
51. 201] His bodi sal ther be al-so
    So fair and strang, ye mou wel leue,
    Iuil is euer fur him fro,
    Ther nis no thing that him sal greue.
52. 205] To met no drink ther nis no nede,
    No for no hungir he ne sal kar.
    The sighte of God him sal fede.
    Hit is wel miri to woni thar.
53. 209] Ther beth woningis mani and fale,
    Gode and betir, tak god hede.
    The last word bint the tale;
    Wo best mai do, best is his mede.
54. 213] Heuen is heigh, bothe lange and wide,
    Mani angles ther beth an,
    Bothe ioi and blis in euch side.
    Ther-in sal woni gode Cristin man.
55. 217] The lest ioi that ther is in:
    A man sal know is owin frend,
    Is wif, is fader, and al is kin.
    Of al this ioi ther nis non end.
{MS fol 20r}
56. 221] We sal se Oure Leuedi brighte,
    So fulle of loue, ioi and blisse,
    That of hir neb sal spring the lighte
    In-to oure hert, that ioi iwisse.
57. 225] The sighte of the Trinite
    The mest ioi that mai be-falle,
    Bothe God and Man in mageste,
    The heigh king aboue vs alle.
58. 229] The sight of Him is ure vode,
    The sight of Him is ure virst,
    Al ure iois beth ful gode,
    The sight of him is alir best.
59. 233] Be-seche we Him mek of mode,
    That soke the milke of Maid is brest,
    That boght us with is der blode,
    Yiue us the ioi that euer sal lest.
60. 237] Alle that beth icommin here
    Fort to hire this sarmun,
    Loke that ye nab no were,
    For seue yer ye habbith to pardoun.