Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition

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

Poem 7

Fall and Passion

1. 1] The grace of God ful of might
   That is a king and euer was,
   Mote amang vs alight
   And yiue vs alle is swet grace,
2. 5] Me to spek and you to lere
   That hit be worsip, lord, to the;
   Me to teche and you to bere
   That helplich to ure sowles be,
3. 9] That Ich mote with moch worthing
   Throgh is might so hit fulfille,
   To yov schow is vp-rising,
   If hit be His swet wille.
4. 13] Al that God suffrid of pine,
   Hit nas noght for is owen gilt,
   Ok hit was, man, for sin thine
   That wer—for sin—in helle ipilt.
5. 17] Tho Lucifer steigh in pride—
   That was angel in heuen so bright—
   Vte of heuen he gan glide,
   And in-to helle sone he lighte.
6. 21] And with him mani an mo,
   That no tunge ne might telle,
   With him fille adune al-so
   In-to the derk pit of helle.
7. 25] Seue daies and seue night,
   As ye seeth that fallith snowe,
   Vte of heuen he alight
   And in-to helle wer ithrow.
8. 29] For the prude of Lucifer
   The tethe angle fille in-to helle,
   And al that to him boxum were.
   Euer in pine hi mot dwelle.
9. 33] Har stides for to ful-fille
   That wer i-falle for prude and hore,
   God makid Adam to is wille
   To fille har stides that wer ilor.
10. 37] Skil, resoun, and ek might
    He yef Adam in his mode,
    To be stidfast with al right,
    And leue harme and do gode.
11. 41] God yaf him a gret maistri
    Of al that was in watir and londe,
    Of Paradis al the balye,
    Whan Him likid to is honde,
12. 45] Foules, bestis and the frute—
    Saf o tre He him forbede—
    Of Paradis the grete dute,
    And yit he sinied throgh iuil red.
13. 49] To him the Devil en-vie
    That he in is stid schold be broghte.
    A serpent he com throgh felonie,
    And makid Eue chonge hir thoght.
14. 53] Whi com he rather to Eue
    Than he com to Adam?
    Ichul you telle, sires, be-leue;
    For womman is lef euer to man.
{MS fol 30r}
15. 57] Womman mai turne man is wille
    Whar yho wol pilt hir to,
    That is the resun and skille
    That the Devil com hir first to.
16. 61] 'Ette', he seid, 'Of this appil,
    If that thou wolt witti be.
    The worth as witti of might and wille
    As God him-silf in Trinite.'
17. 65] Hi nad bot that appil i-yette
    That the sin nas i-do.
    Glad was the Devil, wol ye iwit,
    For the sorow that he sold to.
18. 69] Of Paradis hi wer ute pilt,
    With trauail har liuelode to winne,
    And vte flemid for har gilt,
    And neuer efte Paradis to com inne.
19. 73] In the vale of Eboir
    His liuelod he most swink sore,
    With sorow and care and dreri won
    He liued niyen hundred yer and more.
20. 77] Aftir is lif that he had here,
    Nedis he most wend to helle
    For the trepas that he did here.
    There he most bide and dwelle.
21. 81] God makid mankin more,
    Ok to helle the deuil ham broght,
    And euer ham traiid throgh is lore.
    Non fram him scapid noght.
22. 85] God is prophetis to ham send,
    And seid hov he sold be sauid,
    As bi Moyses that am wend
    A-ye the propheci yit i-sinid.
23. 89] God wist wel bi thilk say
    That bi no man that was ycor,
    Whan bi prophetis no bi lai
    That communelich hi ne wer forlor.
24. 93] Holi Bokis fort fulfil
    God is angle anon forth send,
    As bi angle Gabriel
    That to the Maid was iwend.
25. 97] Flees He tok of Maid Mari,
    God and man is kund to-gadir,
    And that was a gret maistri
    That the doghtir ber the fader.
26. 101] Maid bere heuen King
    That is al ure creatoure.
    Maid ber the swet thing,
    Ther-for sso ne les noght hir flure.
27. 105] God Him yed an erth here
    thritti winter and somdel mo,
    As Holi Writ vs gan lere,
    He suffrid bothe pine and wo.
28. 109] Man ayens God so gilt
    To heuen non sowle ne mighte,
    Fort God is Sone in rode was pilt
    And wan vs heuen light.
{MS fol 30v}
29. 113] Judas ne cuthe is Lord noght hold,
    His owen disciple yit he was.
    For thritti peniis he him sold.
    Ynom and ibund He was.
30. 117] He was ibobid and i-smitte,
    And hi spette in is face.
    Hi bete him rede, if He cuthe witte,
    Woch of ham al hit was.
31. 121] He was ibund to a tre
    And ibet with scurges kene,
    That al the blode vt gan fle.
    Ouer al is bodi hit was sene.
32. 125] Sith hi nom Him as a thef
    And lad Him be-for Pilate,
    For He nas noght to ham lef,
    Hi had to Him grete hate.
33. 129] Pilat bed ham do har best,
    A-ye the law be he nold,
    For no gilt bi Him he nist
    War-for deth suffri He ssold.
34. 133] Hi nailed Him in hond and fete,
    As ye mow al i-se.
    For the appil that Adam ete
    Deth He tholid opon the tre.
35. 137] The wikkid men nol leue noght
    That He wer fullich ded so,
    Fort that with a sper hi ad Him soght,
    And clef is swet hert atwo.
36. 141] Ther was in the lond a knight
    That het Josep of Arimathier,
    That louid Jesus wel aright
    And thoght is wel to honuri.
37. 145] He wend to Pilat swithe snel,
    And be-soght him mercy,
    If hit wer is wil
    The bodi grant biri.
38. 149] Tho Pilat had igrant is bone,
    Glad y-nogh he was.
    He nem that swet bodi adoun,
    And biriid hit in a fair plas.
39. 153] His moder stode Him be-side,
    And Seit Ion ek al-so,
    Bittir teris vte gan glide,
    Hir thoght hir hert wol atwo.
40. 157] Hit nas no wonder thogh yo wep
    For hir swet child, al
    With nailes He was ismit dep,
    With sper hi delet Him in two.
41. 161] Al hir joi was ago
    Tho yo Him sei dei in rode,
    For to wep yhe nad no mo
    Bot foure bitre teris of blode.
{MS fol 31r}
42. 165] Who spekith of deil a-ye that del,
    Neuer such nas ther none,
    As whan that hi him be-held,
    As yho makid and Seint Jon.
43. 169] Sith hi seid at one mouthe
    That He wold destru temple and chirche,
    And that He was wel couthe
    That al falsnis schold wirche.
44. 173] And vp Pilat hi cried apan,
    Euchon at one vois
    That hi schold hold Barabam
    And do Jesus on the crois.
45. 177] In this maner He was ipinsed
    As His swet wil hit was,
    And deth for mankyn suffred.
    The thrid dai vp He ros.
46. 181] After that He light into helle,
    Ther al the sowles wer iwisse,
    Al his frendis He broght vt al
    Into joi and heuen blis.
47. 185] Whan in helle was Seint Jon,
    Patriarkes and other mo,
    Hit isene ther scapid non;
    Profetis that God louid also,
48. 189] Al in helle were i-fast;
    Fort Jesus Crist throgh is mighte
    Of the pit vte He ham cast,
    And broght ham heuen lyght.
49. 193] Throgh is deth He ouer-cam,
    As He is manhed siwed,
    —As profetis prechid in His name—
    So that He deth suffrid.
50. 197] Tho He rose fram deth to liue,
    As tellith Daui the king,
    Is godhed He gan to kithe;
    Holi Boke tellith is up-rising.
51. 201] Jesus was siker inogh
    That seid: ‘Erlich Ic wol right me’,
    And answard with-vt wogh,
    ‘After that, deth ouercom be’.
52. 205] The thrid dai He ros to liue,
    Is lore riuedlich He send,
    His deciplis He makid blithe.
    Ther-after in the world ham send
53. 209] Of His lore forto preche—
    Hou hi, lord, ssold siu the—
    And the sinful folk to tech
    Hou miri hit is to with the be.
54. 213] Ther-after He steigh to heuen aboue,
    Ther joi is that euer lest,
    And ther He sal al vs loue
    In His swet blisful fest. Amen.