Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition

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

Poem 13

Piers of Bermingham

1. 1] Sith Gabriel gan grete
   Vre Leuedi Mari swete,
   That Godde wold in hir lighte,
   A thousand yer hit isse
   Thre hundred ful i-wisse,
   And ouer yeris eighte.
2. 7] Than of the eight yere
   Tak twies ten ifere,
   That wol be tuenti fulle.
   Apan the tuentieth dai
   —Of Aueril bi-for Mai—
   So deth vs gan to pulle.
3. 13] He pullid us of on,
   Al Irlond makith mon,
   Engelon ek as welle.
   Ful wel ye witte his nam:
   Sire Pers the Birmingham
   Non nede hit is to telle.
4. 19] His nam hit was and isse,
   Y sigge you ful, i-wisse.
   That vppe ssal arise
   In felle, flesse and bone,
   A better knight nas none,
   No none of more prise.
5. 25] Noble werrure he was,
   And gode castel in place.
   On stede ther he wold ride,
   With his sper and scheld,
   In hard wodde and feld
   No thef him durst abide.
{MS fol 50v}
6. 31] Do thenchith al in him,
   With weepin who wol win,
   Hou gode he was to nede,
   In batail stif to stond.
   I-wis pere nas nond,
   Alas, he sold be dede!
7. 37] Al Englis-men that beth,
   Sore now wep is deth,
   That such a knight ssold falle!
   Thos knightis, euchone,
   Of him mai make mone,
   As peruink of ham alle.
8. 43] Peruink he might be,
   And that for thinges thre
   He vssid of and lome.
   That was one of the best:
   He ne leet no thef hab rest
   In no stid ther he come.
9. 49] An other thing al-so:
   To Yrismen he was fo,
   That wel wiede-whare,
   Euer he rode aboute
   With streinth to hunt ham vte,
   As hunter doth the hare.
10. 55] For whan he wend best
    In wildernis hab rest,
    That no man ssold ham see,
    Than he wold driue a quest
    Anon to har nest,
    In stid ther he wold be.
11. 61] Of slep he wold ham wake,
    For ferdnis hi wold quake,
    And fond to sculk awai.
    {MS fol 51r}
    For the hire of har bedde,
    He tok har heuid to wedde,
    And so he taght ham plai.
12. 67] Thos Yrismen of the lond,
    Hi swor and tok an hond
    The Englis-men to trai,
    And seid hi wold quelle
    As fale as Ich you telle,
    Al apon o dai.
13. 73] The Erl of Vluester
    Sire Emond the Botiler,
    Sire Jon le FizTomas
    Illgate al bi name;
    Sire Pers the Birminghame,
    This was har compas.
14. 79] This compasment com vte
    Fram knight to knight abute,
    Hit was noght lang ihidde.
    Thos knightis preid al
    That meschans most ham fal,
    Yif scape hi ssold ther-midde.
15. 85] And swor bi God is name,
    To yild the cuntre pane,
    Whan hi might com to,
    And that, with-vte lette,
    To certain dai i-sette
    This thing ssold be do.
16. 91] Lang er this dai was com,
    Hit was for-yit with som
    That neisse beth to nede.
    Alas! what ssold hi be ibor!
    Throgh ham this land is ilor,
    To spille ale and bred.
{MS fol 51v}
17. 97] Sire Pers the Birmingham,
    On ernist and agam,
    This dai was in is thoght.
    He thoght ordres to make
    What time he might ham take,
    Of trauail nas him noght.
18. 103] O'Konwir that was king,
    His ketherin he gan bring—
    The maister heet Gilboie—
    Right at the Trinite,
    Whan hodes sold best be
    To Pers in Totomoye.
19. 109] And yite of other stoore
    Com Ethe MacMalMore,
    And other fale bi name.
    Sire Pers lokid vte,
    He seei such a rute,
    Him thoght hit nas no game.
20. 115] Sire Pers sei ham com,
    He receiuid al and som,
    Noght on iwernd nas.
    Sith hoodis he let make,
    Noght on nas for-sake,
    Bot al he did ham grace,
21. 121] Saue o wreche that ther was.
    He cuth noght red in place
    Ne sing whar he com.
    He was of Caym is kinne,
    And he refusid him;
    He wend vnhodid hom.
22. 127] He that this sang let mak
    For Sir Pers is sake,
    Wel-wid hath igo,
    Wid-whar i-soght
    And god pardon i-boght,
    Two hundrid daies and mo.
Explicit.