Þenne lasned þe l03 lowkande togeder.
After harde dayez wern out on hundreth and fyfte,
As þat lyftande lome luged aboute
Where be wynde and be weder warpen hit wolde,
Hit sagtled on a softe day synkande to grounde;
On a rasse of a rok, hit rest at þe laste,
On þe mounte of Mararach of Armene hilles,
Þat operwayez on Ebru hit hat be Thanes.
Bot þaz þe kyste in þe cragez wer[e] closed to byde,
get fyned not þe flod, ne fel to þe boþemez;
Bot þe hyzest of þe eggez unhuled wern a lyttel,
Þat þe burne bynne borde byhelde pe bare erpe.
Þenne wafte he upon his wyndowe, and wysed
A message fro þat meyny hem moldez to seche:
Þat watz þe raven so ronk, þat rebel watz ever;
He watz colored as pe cole, corbyal untrwe.
And he fongez to be fly3t and fannez on þe wyndez,
H[o]vez hyze upon hy3t to herken tyþyngez.
He croukez for comfort when carayne he fyndez
Kast up on a clyffe per costese lay drye;
He hade pe smelle of þe smach and smoltes peder sone,
Fallez on be foule flesch and fyllez his wombe,
And sone zederly forzete zisterday steven,
How þe chevetayn hym charged þat þe kyst zemed.
Þe raven raykez hym forth, þat reches ful lyttel
How alle fodez þer fare, ellez he fynde mete;
449 MS., wern; Sk. wer[e]; Schwahn (p. 26) wer enclosed, but cf. 379.-451 MS., M. wern; Sk. were. 452 M.1 lorde, M.2 borde, cf. 467.—456 MS., M., Sk. corbyal; G. and E. suggest corby al.-458 M., Sk. hovez, but second letter blurred, perhaps second stroke of o omitted: MS. tyþyngez; M. tyþynges. — 461 MS., M. smoltes; Sk. smolte, following M.'s suggestion in Glossary. — 464 MS., M., Sk. kyst; Fi. (p. 42) and Sch. (p. 169) would read chyst for alliteration, but elsewhere form always kyst (see Glossary and Introd., p. lvii, n. 2).
Bot be burne bynne borde þat bod to hys come,
Banned hym ful bytterly wyth bestes alle samen.
He sechez anoper sondezmon and settez on
dou [v]e,
Bryngez þat bryзt upon borde blessed, and sayde:
'Wende, worþelych wy3t, uus wonez to seche,
Dryf over þis dymme water; if pou druye fyndez,
Bryng bodworde to bot blysse to uus alle;
Þaz þat fowle be false, fre be pou ever.'
And ho skyrmez under skwe and skowtez aboute,
Tyl hit watz nyze at þe nazt, and Noe þen sechez.
Ho wyrle out on þe weder on wyngez ful scharpe,
Drezly alle alonge day þat dorst never lygt;
And when ho fyndez no folde her fote on to pyche,
Ho umbekestez be coste and be kyst sechez;
Ho hittez on þe eventyde and on þe ark sittez,
Noe nymmes hir anon and naytly hir stauez.
Noe on anoper day nymmez efte pe do [wv]e,
And byddez hir bowe over þe borne efte bonkez to
seche;
VI. THE DEPARTURE FROM THE ARK
On ark on an eventyde hovez þe dowve,
On stamyn ho stod and stylle hym abydez.
What! ho brozt in hir beke a bronch of olyve,
Gracyously umbegrouen al wyth grene levez;
Þat watz þe syngne of savyte þat sende hem oure
• Lorde,
And be sagtlyng of hymself wyth po sely bestez.
Þen watz þer joy in þat gyn where jumpred er dryzed,
467 M.1 lorde; M.2, Sk. borde, noting that MS. reads lorde; perhaps MS. intended for lorde; cf. 452 and Introd., p. x.—469 MS., M., Sk. doune; M. note douue or douene(?); Sk. note 'for douene'; K. (p. 54) douue; cf. note on this line, and 481, 485.— 481 MS. doveue or dovene; M., Sk. dovene, cf. 469, 485.— 485 M., Sk. downe; K. (p. 54) dowue.
And much comfort in þat cofer þat watz clay-daubed. 492
Myryly on a fayr morn, monyth be fyrst,
Þat fallez formast in þe zer, and þe fyrst day,
Ledez lozen in þat lome, and loked þeroute
How þat watterez wern woned and þe worlde dryed. 496
Uch on loved oure Lorde, bot lenged ay stylle,
Tyl þay had tyþyng fro be Tolke þat tyned hem
Þen Godez glam to hem glod þat gladed hem alle,
Bede hem drawe to be dor, delyver hem he wolde.
Þen went pay to be wykket, hit walt upon sone,
Bope be burne and his barnez bowed peroute,
Her wyvez walkez hem wyth, and þe wylde after,
Proly prublande in pronge, prowen ful þykke.
Bot Noe of uche honest kynde nem out an odde,
And hevened up an auter and halzed hit fayre,
And sette a sakerfyse peron of uch a ser kynde
Þat watz comly and clene-God kepez non oper.
When bremly brened pose bestez, and be brepe rysed,
Þe savor of his sacrafyse so3t to hym even
Þat al spedez and spyllez; he spekes wyth þat ilke
In comly comfort ful clos and cortays wordez:
'Now, Noe, no more nel I never wary
Alle þe mukel mayny [on] molde for no mannez
For I se wel þat hit is sothe, þat alle mannez wyttez'
To unpryfte arn alle prawen wyth pozt of her herttez, 516
And ay hatz ben, and wyl be 3et, fro her barnage;
Al is þe mynde of þe man to malyce enclyned;
Forby schal I never schende so schortly at ones
As dysstrye al for manez [dedes], dayez of þis erpe.
Bot waxez now and wendez forth and worpez to
501 MS., M. walt; M.2 in notes wafte(?). — 514 M., Sk. insert on.-520 MS. synne inserted above line after manez; M., Sk. synne; M., Sk. insert in before dayez.
Multypiyez on þis molde, and menske yow bytyde.
Sesounez schal yow never sese of sede ne of hervest,
Ne hete, ne no harde forst, umbre ne drogbe,
Ne þe swetnesse of somer, ne þe sadde wynter,
Ne þe nyt, ne þe day, ne þe newe zerez,
Bot ever renne restlez-rengnez ze perinne!'
Þerwyth he blessez uch a best, and bytast hem þis erþe.
Þen watz a skylly skyvalde, quen scaped alle þe wylde:
Uche fowle to be flyst þat fyberez my3t serve,
Uche fysch to be flod þat fynne coube nayte,
Uche beste to þe bent þat bytes on erbez;
Wylde wormez to her won wrybez in þe erbe,
Þe fox and be folmarde to be fryth wyndez,
Herttes to hyze heþe, harez to gorstez,
And lyounez and lebardez to þe lake-ryites;
Hernez and havekez to þe hyze rochez,
Þe hole-foted fowle to be flod hyzez,
And uche best at a brayde þer hym best lykez.
Þe fowre frekez of be folde fongez þe empyre.
Lo! suche a wrakful wo for wlatsum dedez
Parformed þe hyze Fader on folke þat he made;
Þat he chysly hade cherisched he chastysed ful hard[e],
In devoydynge þe vylanye þat venkquyst his þewez. 544
Forby war þe now, wyze þat worschyp desyres
In his comlych corte þat Kyng is of blysse,
In þe fylbe of þe flesch þat þou be founden never,
Tyl any water in þe worlde to wasche be fayly.
For is no segge under sunne so seme of his craftez,
If he be sulped in synne, þat syttez unclene—
On spec of a spote may spede to mysse
Of be syzte of þe Soverayn þat syttez so hyze;
527 MS., M1 rengnezze; M, Sk. rengnez ze. — 532 MS., M.1 þat þat; M2, Sk. þat. — 543 MS., M. hardee; Sk. harde. — 550 M2 inserts ne after þat.
For þat schewe me schale in po schyre howsez,
As þe beryl bornyst byhovez be clene,
Þat is sounde on uche a syde and no sem habes,
Wythouten maskle oper mote as margerye-perle.
VII. A WARNING OF GOD'S WRATH AGAINST SINNERS
Sypen þe Soverayn in sete so sore forbozt
Þat ever he man upon molde merked to lyvy;
For he in fylpe watz fallen, felly he venged,
Quen forferde alle þe flesch þat he formed hade.
Hym rwed þat he hem uprerde and ragt hem lyflode,
And efte þat he hem undyd, hard hit hym pozt;
For quen þe swemande sorge sozt to his hert,
He knyt a covenaunde cortaysly wyth monkynde pere, 564
In þe mesure of his mode and mepe of his wylle,
Þat he schulde never, for no syt, smyte al at onez,
As to quelle alle quykez for qued þat my3t falle,
Whyl of pe lenpe of pe londe lastez þe terme.
Þat ilke skyl for no scape ascaped hym never.
Wheder wonderly he wrak on wykked men after:
Ful felly for þat ilk faute forferde a kyth ryche,
In þe anger of his ire þat arged mony;
And al watz for þis ilk evel, þat unhappen glette,
Þe venym and be vylanye and þe vycios fylpe
Þat bysulpez mannez saule in unsounde hert,
Þat he his Saveour ne see wyth sy3t of his yzen,
Þat alle illez he hates as helle þat stynkkez;
Bot non nuyez hym, on nazt ne never upon dayez,
As harlottrye unhonest, heþyng of selven ;
Þat schamez for no schrewedschyp schent mot he
worpe!
Bot sa [v]or, mon, in þyself, þaz þou a sotte lyvie,
553 MS., M. me; Fi. we.-560 forferde abbrev. in MS. (see Introd., p. x, n. 3); M. fourferde, note forferde (?).—581 MS. sauyõ; M. sauyour.
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