Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition

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

Poem 11

Song of the Times

1. 1] Whose thenchith vp this carful lif
   Nighte and dai that we beth inne,
   So much we seeth of sorow and strif,
   And lite ther is of world is winne.
2. 5] Hate and wreth ther is wel riue,
   And trew loue is ful thinne.
   Men that beth in heiighist liue
   Mest icharged beth with sinne.
3. 9] Fals and lither is this lond,
   As al dai we mai i-se,
   Ther-in is bothe hate and onde,
   Ich wene that euer so wol be.
4. 13] Coueitise hath the law an honde
   That the trewthe he ne mai i-se,
   Nov is maister prude and onde.
   Alas, louerde, whi suffrith he?
5. 17] Wold Holi Cherch pilt is mighte
   And law of lond pilt him to,
   Than schold coueitise and vnrighte
   Vte of lond ben y-do.
6. 21] Holi Cherch schold hold is right
   For no eie no for no loue,
   That hi ne schold schow har might—
   For lordingen boste that beth aboue—
{MS fol 45r}
7. 25] To entredite and a-monsi
   Al thai, whate hi euir be,
   That lafful men doth robbi,
   Whate in lond, what in see;
8. 29] And thos hoblurs namelich
   That husbond be-nimeth eri of grund,
   Men ne schold ham biri in non church,
   Bot cast ham vte as a hund.
9. 33] Thos king is ministris beth i-schend,
   To right and law that ssold tak hede,
   And al the lond fort amend
   Of thos theuis hi taketh mede.
10. 37] Be the lafful man to deth i-broght
    And is catel awei ynom,
    Of his deth ne tellith hi noght,
    Bot of har prei hi hab som.
11. 41] Hab hi the siluer and the mede
    And the catel vnder-fo,
    Of feloni hi ne taketh hede;
    Al thilk trepas is a-go.
12. 45] Of thos auorbisen Ich herd telle:
    The lion is king of alle bestis
    And—herknith al to mi spelle—
    In his lond he did an heste.
{MS fol 45v}
13. 49] The lyon lete cri as hit was do,
    For he hird lome to telle,
    And eke him was i-told al-so,
    That the wolf didde noght welle.
14. 53] And the fox, that lither grome,
    With the wolf i-wreiid was.
    To-for har lord hi schold come
    To amend har trepas.
15. 57] And so men didde that seli asse,
    That trepasid noght no did no gilte,
    With ham bothe i-wreiid was,
    And in the ditement was ipilt.
16. 61] The uoxe hird a-mang al menne,
    And told the wolf with the brode crune
    That on him send gees and henne,
    That other geet and motune.
17. 65] The seli asse wend was saf,
    For he ne eete noght bote grasse.
    None yiftes he ne yaf,
    Ne wend that no harm nasse.
18. 69] Tho hi to har lord com to tune,
    He told to ham law and skille.
    Those wikid bestis lutid adune,
    ‘Lord’, hi seiid, ‘What is thi wille?’
{MS fol 46r}
19. 73] Tho spek the lion hem to,
    To the fox anone his wille:
    'Tel me, boi, what hast ido?
    Men beth aboute the to spille.'
20. 81] 'Gees no hen nad Ich noght,
    Sire, for soth Ich the sigge,
    Bot as Ich ham dere boght,
    And bere ham vp myn owen rigge.'
21. 85] 'God is grame most hi haue
    That in the curte the so pilt
    Whan hit is so, Ich vouche-saue.
    Ich for-yiue the this gilte.'
22. 89] The fals wolf stode be-hind.
    He was doggid and ek felle.
    'Ich am icom of grete kind,
    Pes thou grant me that might ful welle.'
23. 93] 'What hast i-do, bel amy,
    That thou me so oxist pes?'
    ‘Sire,’ he seid, 'I nel noght lie,
    If thou me woldist hire a res.'
{MS fol 46v}
24. 97] 'For Ich huntid vp the doune
    To loke, Sire, mi biyete.
    Ther Ich slow a motune,
    Ye, Sire, and fewe gete.'
25. 101] 'Ich am iwreiid, Sire, to the,
    For that ilk gilt.
    Sire, Ichul sker me:
    Y ne yaf ham dint no pilt.'
26. 105] 'For soth, I sigge the, belami,
    Hi nadde no gode munde,
    Thai that wreiid the to mei.
    Thou ne diddist noght bot thi kund.'
27. 109] 'Sei thou me, asse, what hast ido?
    Me thenchith thou cannist no gode.
    Whi nadistou as other mo?
    Thou come of lither stode.'
28. 113] 'Sertis, Sire, not Ich noght.
    Ich ete sage abuil gras,
    More harm me ne did Ich noght.
    Ther-for iwreiid Ich was.'
29. 117] 'Bel ami, that was misdo,
    That was a-ye thi kynd
    Forto et such gras so.
    Hastilich ye him bind.'
{MS fol 47r}
30. 121] 'Al his bonis ye to-draw.
    Loke that ye noght lete,
    And that Ich yiue al for law,
    That his fleis be al ifrette.'
31. 125] Al so hit farith nov in lond,
    Whose wol tak ther-to hede,
    Of thai that habbith an hond:
    Of theuis hi takith mede.
32. 129] the lafful man ssal be ibund,
    And ido in strang pine,
    And ihold in fast prisund,
    Fort that he make fine;
33. 133] And the thef to skap so
    That doth euer a-ye the right!
    God, take hede ther-to,
    That is al ful of might!
34. 137] Thus farith al the world nuthe,
    As we mai al ise,
    Bothe est and west, north and suthe,
    God vs help and the Trinite!
35. 141] Trewith is ifaillid with fremid and sibbe
    Al-so wide as al this lond.
    Ne mai no man ther-in libbe,
    What throgh couetise and throgh onde.
{MS fol 47v}
36. 145] Thogh lafful man wold hold is lif
    In loue, in charite and in pes,
    Sone me ssul compas is lif,
    And that in a litel res.
37. 149] Prude is maister and coueitise,
    The thrid brother men clippeth ond;
    Night and dai he fondith i-wisse,
    Lafful men to hab har lond.
38. 153] Whan erth hath erthe i-gette
    And of erthe so hath inovgh,
    Whan he is ther-in i-stekke
    Wo is him that was in wough!
39. 157] What is the gode that man ssal hab
    Vte of this world whan he ssal go?
    A sori wede, whi ssal Ich gab?
    For he broght with him no mo.
40. 161] Right as he com, he ssal wend,
    In wo, in pine, in pouerte.
    Takith gode hede, men, to yure end,
    For al I sigge, so hit wol be.
41. 165] Y not whar-of beth men so prute
    Of erthe and axen, felle and bone.
    Be the soule enis vte,
    A uiler caraing nis ther non.
{MS fol 52r}
42. 169] The caraing is so lolich to see
    That vnder erth men mot hit hide,
    Bothe wif and child wol fram him fle,
    Ther nis no frend that wol him bide.
43. 173] What wol men for the sowle del?
    Corne no mel, wel thou wost,
    Bot wel seld; at the mele
    A rowgh bare trenchur other a crust.
44. 177] The begger that the crust ssal hab,
    Wel hokirlich he lokith ther-an.
    Soth to sigge and noght to gabbe,
    Right noght he is i-paiid apan.
45. 181] Than seiith the begger in is mode:
    ‘The crust is bothe hard and touth’.
    The wreche was hard that ow the gode.
    Hard for hard is gode y-nowgh.
46. 185] Moch misanter that for him bidde
    Pater Noster other Crede,
    Bot let him hab as he didde,
    For of the yift nath he no mede.
47. 189] Ich red, vp no man thou hab triste,
    No vppon non other,
    Ok del hit with yure owen fist.
    Trist to soster no brother.
{MS fol 52v}
48. 193] Anurith God and Holi Chirch,
    And yiueth the pouir that habbith nede;
    So God is wille ye ssul wirche
    And joi of heuen hab to mede.
    To whoch joi vs bring
    Jesus Crist, heuen King. Amen