Early English Alliterative Poems 3
The second poem, entitled “_Cleanness_,” is a collection of Biblical
stories, in which the writer endeavours to enforce Purity of Life, by
showing how greatly God is displeased at every kind of impurity, and how
sudden and severe is the punishment which falls upon the sinner for
every violation of the Divine law.
After commending cleanness and its “fair forms,” the author relates (I.)
The Parable of the Marriage Feast (p. 39); (II.) the Fall of the Angels
(p. 43); (III.) The wickedness of the antediluvian world (p. 44),
He watȝ famed for fre þat feȝt loued best
_He was famous as free that fight loved best,_
& ay þe bigest in bale þe best watȝ halden
_And ever the biggest in sin the best was held;_ (p. 45.)
(IV.) The destruction of mankind by the Flood. When all were safely
stowed in the ark,
Thenne sone com þe seuenþe day, when samned wern alle
_Then soon came the seventh day when assembled were all,_
& alle woned in þe whichche þe wylde & þe tame.
_And all abode in the ark (hutch), the wild and the tame._
Þen bolned þe abyme & bonkeȝ con ryse
_Then swelled the abyss and banks did rise,_
Waltes out vch walle-heued, in ful wode stremeȝ
_Bursts out each well-head in full wild streams,_
Watȝ no brymme þat abod vnbrosten bylyue
_There was no brim (stream) that abode unburst by then,_
Þe mukel lauande loghe to þe lyfte rered
_The much (great) flowing deep (loch) to the loft (sky) reared._
Mony clustered clowde clef alle in clowteȝ
_Many a clustering cloud cleft all in clouts (pieces),_
To-rent vch a rayn-ryfte & rusched to þe vrþe
_Rent was each a rain-rift and rushed to the earth;_
Fon neuer in forty dayeȝ, & þen þe flod ryses
_Failed never in forty days, and then the flood rises,_
Ouer-walteȝ vche a wod and þe wyde feldeȝ
_Over-flows each wood and the wide fields;_
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Water wylger ay wax, woneȝ þat stryede
_Water wildly ever waxed, abodes that destroyed,_
Hurled in-to vch hous, hent þat þer dowelled
_Hurled into each house, seized those that there dwelt._
Fyrst feng to þe flyȝt alle þat fle myȝt
_First took to flight all that flee might,_
Vuche burde with her barne þe byggyng þay leueȝ
_Each bride (woman) with her bairn their abode they leave,_
& bowed to þe hyȝ bonk þer brentest hit wern
_And hied to the high bank where highest it were,_
& heterly to þe hyȝe hilleȝ þay [h]aled on faste
_And hastily to the high hills they rushed on fast;_
Bot al watȝ nedleȝ her note, for neuer cowþe stynt
_But all was needless their device, for never could stop_
Þe roȝe raynande ryg [&] þe raykande waweȝ
_The rough raining shower and the rushing waves,_
Er vch boþom watȝ brurd-ful to þe bonkeȝ eggeȝ
_Ere each bottom (valley) was brim-ful to the banks’ edges,_
& vche a dale so depe þat demmed at þe brynkeȝ
_And each dale so deep that dammed at the brinks._ --(pp. 47, 48).
The ark is described as “heaved on high with hurling streams.”
Kest to kyþeȝ vncouþe þe clowdeȝ ful nere
_Cast to kingdoms uncouth the clouds ful near,_
Hit waltered on the wylde flod, went as hit lyste
_It tossed on the wild flood, went as it list,_
Drof vpon þe depe dam, in daunger hit semed
_It drove upon the deep dam, in danger it seemed,_
With-outen mast, oþer myke, oþer myry bawe-lyne
_Without mast, or mike,[16] or merry bow-line,_
Kable, oþer capstan to clyppe to her ankreȝ
_Cable or capstan to clip to their anchors,_
Hurrok, oþer hande-helme hasped on roþer
_Oar or hand-helm hooked on rudder,_
Oþer any sweande sayl to seche after hauen
_Or any swinging sail to seek after haven,_
Bot flote forthe with þe flyt of þe felle wyndeȝ
_But floated forth with the force of the fell winds._
Wheder-warde so þe water wafte, hit rebounde
_Whither-ward so (as) the water waft, it rebounded,_
Ofte hit roled on-rounde & rered on ende
_Oft it rolled around and reared on end,_
Nyf our lorde hade ben her lodeȝ-mon hem had lumpen harde
_Had our Lord not been their (pilot) leader hardship had befallen
them._ --(p. 49.)
(V.) The Visit of Three Angels to Abraham (p. 54).
(VI.) The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (pp. 64, 65), including a
description of the Dead Sea, the tarn (lake) of traitors (p. 66).
(VII.) The invasion of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar (p. 71), and the
captivity of Judah (p. 74).
The following is a paraphrase of the fourth and fifth verses in the
twenty-fifth chapter of the second book of Kings.[17]
Þenne þe kyng of þe kyth a counsayl hym takes
_Then the king of the kingdom a counsel him takes,_
Wyth þe best of his burnes, a blench for to make
_With the best of his men a device for to make;_
Þay stel out on a stylle nyȝt er any steuen rysed
_They stole out on a still night ere any sound arose,_
& harde hurles þurȝ þe oste, er enmies hit wyste
_And hard hurled through the host, ere enemies it wist,_
Bot er þay at-wappe ne moȝt þe wach wyth oute
_But ere they could escape the watch without,_
Hiȝe skelt watȝ þe askry þe skewes an-vnder
_High scattered was the cry, the skies there under,_
Loude alarom vpon launde lulted was þenne
_Loud alarm upon land sounded was then;_
Ryche, ruþed of her rest, ran to here wedes,
_Rich (men) roused from their rest, ran to their weeds,_
Hard hattes þay hent & on hors lepes
_Kettle hats they seized, and on horse leap;_
Cler claryoun crak cryed on-lofte
_Clear clarion’s crack cried aloft._
By þat watȝ alle on a hepe hurlande swyþee
_By that (time) was all on a heap, hurling fast,_
Folȝande þat oþer flote, & fonde hem bilyue
_Following that other fleet (host), and found them soon,_
Ouer-tok hem, as tyd,[18] tult hem of sadeles
_Over-took them in a trice, tilted them off saddles,_
Tyl vche prynce hade his per put to þe grounde
_Till each prince had his peer put to the ground;_
& þer watȝ þe kyng kaȝt wyth calde prynces
_And there was the king caught with crafty princes,_
& alle hise gentyle for-iusted on Ierico playnes
_And all his nobles vanquished on Jericho’s plains._ --(pp. 71, 72.)
(VIII.) Belshazzar’s impious feast (pp. 76-80), and the handwriting upon
the wall (pp. 80, 81).
In þe palays pryncipale vpon þe playn wowe
_In the palace principal upon the plain wall,_
In contrary of þe candelstik þat clerest hit schyned
_Opposite to the candlestick that clearest there shone._
Þer apered a paume, with poyntel in fyngres
_There appeared a palm with a pointel in its fingers,_
Þat watȝ grysly & gret, & grymly he wrytes
_That was grisly and great, and grimly it writes,_
None oþer forme bot a fust faylaynde þe wryst
_None other form but a fist failing the wrist_
Pared on þe parget, purtrayed lettres
_Pared on the plaister, pourtrayed letters._
When þat bolde Baltaȝar blusched to þat neue
_When that bold Belshazzar looked to that fist,_
Such a dasande drede dusched to his hert
_Such a dazzling dread dashed to his heart._
Þat al falewed his face & fayled þe chere
_That all paled his face and failed the cheer;_
Þe stronge strok of þe stonde strayned his ioyntes
_The strong stroke of the blow strained his joints,_
His cnes cachcheȝ to close & cluchches his hommes
_His knees catch to close, and he clutches his hams,_
& he with plat-tyng his paumes displayes his lers[19]
_And he with striking his palms displays his fears,_
& romyes as a rad ryth þat roreȝ for drede
_And howls as a frightened hound that roars for dread,_
Ay biholdand þe honde til hit hade al grauen,
_Ever beholding the hand till it had all graven,_
& rasped on þe roȝ woȝe runisch saueȝ
_And rasped on the rough wall uncouth saws (words)._
(IX.) The story of Nebuchadnezzar’s pride and its punishment (pp. 84,
85), and the interpretation of the handwriting by Daniel (p. 86).
(X.) The invasion of Babylon by the Medes (pp. 87, 88).
Baltaȝar in his bed watȝ beten to deþe
_Belshazzar in his bed was beaten to death,_
Þat boþe his blood & his brayn blende on þe cloþes
_That both his blood and his brains blended on the clothes;_
Þe kyng in his cortyn watȝ kaȝt by þe heles
_The king in his curtain was caught by the heels,_
Feryed out bi þe fete & fowle dispysed
_Ferried out by the feet and foully despised;_
Þat watȝ so doȝty þat day & drank of þe vessayl
_He that was so doughty that day and drank of the vessels,_
Now is a dogge also dere þat in a dych lygges
_Now is as dear (valuable) as a dog that in a ditch lies._ --(p. 88.)
[Footnote 16: See Glossary.]
[Footnote 17: “4. And the city was broken up, and all the men of
war fled by night by the way of the gate between two walls, which
is by the king’s garden: (now the Chaldees were against the city
round about:) and the king went the way toward the plain.
“5. And the army of the Chaldees pursued after the king, and
overtook him in the plains of Jericho: and all his army were
scattered from him.”]
[Footnote 18: Immediately.]
[Footnote 19: ? feres.]
The third poem, entitled “_Patience_,” is a paraphrase of the book of
Jonah. The writer prefaces it with a few remarks of his own in order to
show that “patience is a noble point though it displease oft.”
The following extract contains a description of the sea-storm which overtook Jonah
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