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

Poem 6

Fifteen Signs before Judgment

{MS fol 20r}

    1. 1] The grace of Jesu fulle of mighte,
      Throgh prier of Ure swete Leuedi,
      Mote a-mang vs nuthe alighte,
      And euer vs yem and saui.
    2. 5] Man and woman, thou aghtist take gome,
      This world is ending how hit ssal be,
      The wondres that sal com be-for the Dome,
      That yung and old hit sal ise.
    3. 9] The fiftene tokingis Ichul you telle,
      As us techith Ysaie.
      The Holi Gost him taght ful welle,
      And he hit prechid for profecie.
    4. {MS fol 20v}
    5. 13] Hit is iwrit in Holi Boke,
      As clerkis hit mow se and rede,
      That no thing no man mai loke
      That is so grisful forto drede.
    6. 17] Thar nis aliue so siful man—
      If he ther-of wold tak kepe,
      And he wold thench apan—
      That nold wel sore in hert wepe.
    7. 21] Godmen, takith non gome
      Of tokninges that commith bi-for,
      The children with-in the moder wome
      Wel sore sul dute and drede ther-for.
    8. 25] With-in the moder wom hi sul grede
      Vp Jesu Criste euer to crie:
      'Louerde Crist thou red vs rede
      And of vs thou hab mercie!'
    9. 29] 'We wold, Louerd, that we ner
      In world icom forto bene,
      And vnbeyet of ure fader wer,
      That al thing nou sal suffri tene.'
    10. 33] The first tokning sal be thusse,
      Al for soth we sul hit see,
      And that other sal be wors,
      For soth ye mou wel liue me.
    11. 37] The sterris that thou sest so bright,
      In heuen aboue that sit so fast,
      For man is sin sal yiue no light,
      Ac sal adun to erthe be cast.
    12. 41] As fair and bright as thou seest ham,
      Hi worth becom as blak as cole
      And be of hiwe durke and wan,
      For man is sin hi sul thole.
    13. {MS fol 21r}
    14. 45] Ther nis aliue so stidfast man
      That ther-of ne sal agrise,
      Him to hide he ne can
      No whoder to fle, in none wise,
    15. 49] Bot as bestis that wer wode,
      A-ye othir to erne her and thare
      Forthi hi ne sul can no gode,
      See no lond hi ne sal spare.
    16. 53] Than the dede up sal arise
      Up har biriles forto sitte,
      Of thilk dai hi sul agrise,
      And lok as bestis that cun no witte.
    17. 57] The thrid dai than amorow,
      Grisful hit sal be to loke,
      Of moch weping and of sorow,
      As we fint in Holi Boke.
    18. 61] The sone that schinith so bright
      Thilk dai thou salt ise,
      Wel grene and wan sal be is light,
      And that for dred so hit sal be.
    19. 65] Abute the time of middai
      He worth as blak as the cole.
      We mov sigge ‘wailawai!’
      Moch is the pine that we sul thole.
    20. 69] The ferth dai that silf son
      Worth as rede as hit wer fire,
      For ferd of dome—that he sold come
      Bi-for Jesus the heigh Sire.
    21. 73] The fifte tokning that sal be-fal,
      That allirkin maner beste
      Wel fore hi sul quak with-al,
      Wil that ilk dai sal lest.
    22. 77] Towar heuen be-hold sul hi,
      With har mund and with har thoght,
      Of Jesu Crist merci to cri,
      Thogh that hi ne mou spek right noght.
    23. 81] Alas, Louerd, wat sul we tak,
      We that abbith sin i-wroght?
      Night and dai we aght sore quake,
      Whan we it sold thench in ure thoght.
    24. 85] The sixte dai ne lef Ich noght
      Wan thes montis and thes hille
      Al for soth hit wurth ibroght
      Thes depe dalis forto fille.
    25. 89] Ther nis castel no ture none,
      That euer was no be salle,
      Imakid was of lime and ston,
      That ne sal adun to falle;
    26. 93] No no tre in erth so fast,
      Mid al har rotis so fast ipight,
      That ne sal adun to berst,
      Thilk silue dai, er hit be night.
    27. 97] The sefthe dai hit sal grow a-ye,
      Har crop adun, har rote an hei.
      Such wondris we sul ise,
      For God is wreth that sit an hei.
    28. 101] The tren sul blede—a wonder thing—
      The thing that bodi no flesse nath non,
      For dred of the heuen King,
      Vnkundlich thing ded sal don.
    29. 105] Than sal dei bothe pouer and rich,
      Ne sal than ther with-stond no thing.
      Al we sul ben ilich,
      Bothe knight and barun, erl and king.
    30. {MS fol 21v}
    31. 109] Ne sal ther help castel no ture,
      Palfrei, chasur no no stede,
      No for al is moch honur,
      That he ne worth wel sone dede.
    32. 113] The eight dai so is dotus,
      And that ful wel thou salt se.
      Ful of tene and angus
      Al this dai so sal be.
    33. 117] Al the see sel draw ifere
      As a walle to stond up-right,
      And al thos wateris that beth here
      Sal cri merci up God almight.
    34. 121] The fissis that beth ther-in iwroght
      The see so hard sal ham to-drive,
      That he wol wene in her thoght
      That God of heuen nis noght aliue.
    35. 125] Than the see sal draw a-ye
      Into the stid ther hit was,
      And euch uerisse watir than sal be
      Becom to is owin plas.
    36. 129] The ninthe tokin sal be thus:
      The wonderis that worth thilk dai
      Ouer al that other sal deuers.
      Wate hit is Ich yow tel mai.
    37. 133] The holi man tellith, Seint Austin,
      That the skeis so sal spec than,
      Wan al thing so sal hab fine,
      In steuen as hit wer man.
    38. 137] Hi sul grede lude with-al
      In nois of man up God to cri,
      As heuen and erthe sold to-fal:
      ‘God and man, nouth merci!’
    39. 141] 'Louerd, merci of might!
      Nouth is al ur time ispend,
      For sinful man is ein sight,
      Ne let us neuer ben ischend.'
    40. 145] Ther nis no seint in heuen abow
      In al God is ferred
      That ther-of ne sal amoue,
      And of thilk tokin be aferd.
    41. 149] Thus vs tellith Seint Ieronime,
      And Seint Gregori al-so,
      That than sal quake Seraphin
      And Cherubin that beth angles two.
    42. 153] Ther nis in heuen angil, iwis,
      That to other sal hab spech,
      So sore hi worth adrad, iwis,
      Of Jesus Crist is gremful wreche.
    43. 157] Al the fendis that beth in hel
      With grete din hi wol com than,
      Har mone thou salt hire ful wel,
      Hou hi sul cri to God and man.
    44. 161] O, man and womman, thou take hede,
      Hou the fentis sul men har mone!
      Wel aghtist the fair to lede,
      Wile thou art in this wreche wone.
    45. 165] Vp Jesus Crist hi sul cri
      With such a steuen of pine and wo:
      'Louerd, yif vs ur herbergi,
      A-ye to helle let us neuer go!'
    46. 169] The ellefthe dai fure windis sul rise,
      And the rainbow than sal fal,
      That al the fentis sal of agris
      And be ifesed into helle.
    47. 173] For wolny, nulni, hi sul fle,
      And that in-to the pine of helle,
      Maugrei ham ther hi mot be,
      With duble pine therin to dwel.
    48. 177] The tuelfte dai the fure elemens sul cri
      Al in one heigh steuene:
      'Merci, Jesus, fiz Mari,
      As thou ert God and King of heuene!'