Long Middle english Poems
Long Middle english Poems. Below are the most popular long Middle english by PoetrySoup Members. You can search for long Middle english poems by poem length and keyword.
MODERN ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS OF MEDIEVAL ENGLISH POEMS
Inordinate Love
anonymous Middle English poem, circa 15th century
loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
I shall say what inordinate love is:
The ferocity and singleness of mind,
An inextinguishable burning devoid of bliss,
A great hunger, too insatiable to decline,
A dulcet ill, an evil sweetness, blind,
A right wonderful, sugared, sweet error,
Without any rest, contrary to kind,
Without quiet, a riot of useless labor.
Unkindness Has Killed Me
anonymous Middle English poem, 15th century
loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Grievous is my sorrow:
Both evening and morrow;
Unto myself alone
Thus do I moan,
That unkindness has killed me
And put me to this pain.
Alas! what remedy
That I cannot refrain?
The spring under a thorn
anonymous Middle English poem, circa 15th century
loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
At a wellspring, under a thorn,
the remedy for an ill was born.
There stood beside a maid
Full of love bound,
And whoso seeks true love,
In her it will be found.
A lover left alone with his thoughts
anonymous Middle English poem, circa later 15th century
loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Continuance
of remembrance,
without ending,
causes me penance
and great grievance,
for your parting.
You are so deeply
engraved in my heart,
God only knows
that always before me
I ever see you
in thoughts covert.
Though I do not explain
my woeful pain,
I bear it still,
although it seems vain
to speak against
Fortune’s will.
Keywords/Tags: Middle English, translation, Medieval English, love, mind, bliss, burning, hunger, desire, sorrow, pain, spring, lover, thoughts, heart
*Reserata Carcerem XLIV*
Yore, chewed churning curse sewn sage -
ñ an urchin did he spit rasp rage;
ñ bounty bicycle had h' ridden.
Alas! Moist murk his tarred tog cl'ven.
Anon, tottered by th' urchin's sire,
'n' apt acumen rehearsed th' transpired.
Only t' know th' sewn sage for his sire -
his callous urchin smeared grandsire?
"Holla, sire.", sunny sire did quethe,
fanning wanky wind's sumptuous spree.
"Holla!", smothered sage sewn scarred runes,
but skittish urchin t' his sire flew.
Went then torn trio t' th' sage's eyry;
"Ruef'l thou'll be!", th' tune feral tongue leased.
'20:07:13:14:39
Note:
a) Of inky impatience.
b) Written apace with Middle English:
i) Yore - long ago
ii) Alas - sorrowful exclamation
iii) Anon - Immediately
iv) Sire - father
v) Quethe - say
c) The following are used with no syllabic consequences:
i) ñ - on
ii) h' - he
iii) 'n' - and
iv) t' - to
v) th' - the
vi) ruef'l - rueful
Sumer is icumen in
anonymous Middle English poem, circa 1260 AD
loose translation by Michael R. Burch
Summer is a-comin'!
Sing loud, cuckoo!
The seed grows,
The meadow blows,
The woods spring up anew.
Sing, cuckoo!
The ewe bleats for her lamb;
The cows contentedly moo;
The bullock roots;
The billy-goat poots ...
Sing merrily, cuckoo!
Cuckoo, cuckoo,
You sing so well, cuckoo!
Never stop, until you're through!
Sing now cuckoo! Sing, cuckoo!
Sing, cuckoo! Sing now cuckoo!
ALTERNATE OPENING LINES:
Summer is a-comin'!
Summer has come in again!
Summer has arrived again!
Summer has arrived!
NOTES: These notes were taken from the poem's Wikipedia page ...
Although the composer's identity is unknown today, it may have been W. de Wycombe. The manuscript in which it is preserved was copied between 1261 and 1264. This rota is the oldest known musical composition featuring six-part polyphony.
*Reserata Carcerem XLV*
Sassy sword ere was bruised blitzkrieg;
tainted torment taunting torn spree -
'n la-de-da lust 'n' rust'c rage was sh' draped;
doleful elysian -sworn swig sh' craved.
E'en adawed sh' grit cum bounty bliss;
athwart threw her lusty limbs flit,
smothering swoon numbed nature leased;
porous Peace's pursuivant 'n gaunt glee.
Anon, rolled b' as Earth's foams a *****;
cunctipotent kine time did spit.
Challenged h' sassy sword t' sewn scrimmage.
"I'm basked 'n ire", his larynx's rage.
Sassy sword smothered b' porous pride
embraced th' call, quotient ***** marred his life.
'20:07:14:14:46
Note:
a) Of sassy sword and powerful pen.
b) Written apace with Middle English lexis:
i) Ere - before
ii) doleful - mournful
iii) Elysian - Happy
iv) Adawed - subdued
v) Grit - courage
vi) Cum - and
vii) Athwart - from here to there
viii) Flit - Fastly
ix) Swoon - infatuation
x) Glee - Joy
xi) Anon - Soon, immediately
xii) ***** - Homosexual
xiii) Cunctipotent - Almighty
xiv) Kine - A hoofed mammal
xv) Scrimmage - battle
xvi) Ire - wrath
c) The following are used with no syllabic consequences:
i) 'n - in
ii) 'n' - and
iii) sh' - she
iv) b' - by
v) h' - he
vi) th' - the
"The Maiden's Song" or "The Bridal Morn" is an ancient Middle English poem about a young girl, a bride, on the morning after her wedding day.
The Maiden’s Song aka The Bridal Morn
anonymous Medieval lyric
loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
The maidens came to my mother’s bower.
I had all I would, that hour.
The bailey beareth the bell away;
The lily, the rose, the rose I lay.
Now silver is white, red is the gold;
The robes they lay in fold.
The bailey beareth the bell away;
The lily, the rose, the rose I lay.
Still through the window shines the sun.
How should I love, yet be so young?
The bailey beareth the bell away;
The lily, the rose, the rose I lay.
I take this to be a naughty, suggestive poem, but one that makes us feel sympathy for a young bride, quite possibly a child bride.
Keywords/Tags: maiden, mother, mother and daughter, bailey, beareth, bell, lily, rose, silver, gold, robes, sun, love, young, youth, girl, bower, bridal shower, wedding, woman, women,
Yore was pulpy pride hoisted oft
that tactic ticker toppled
'n' was absorbed - la-de-da lotion.
"f such tiding tamed Satraps puncture.
Quoth would damp dell conception b'rrowed
when "f voluptuous voyage time "t m' throw.
"Pride thy empress 's", her contention -
felon fury fostered fusion.
But now metamorphosis thrives;
callous cave "f pride - agora sliced.
Damp death with apt biddings had skipped,
b' drooling death borne t' apt azure yond rill.
Pious 'pirit "f YHWH shut callous cave.
'n' ere agora stands I, wits' slave.
'20:07:02:12:07
Note:
a) of mystic me.
b) Written apace with the Middle English lexis:
i) yore - long ago
ii) oft - often
iii) quoth - said
iv) dell - a lady
v) agora - place of gathering
vi) azure - unclouded sky
vii) yond - beyond
viii) ere - before
c) The following are used with no syllabic consequences:
i) 'n' - and
ii) "f - of
iii) "t - at
iv) m' - me
v) 's - is
vi) b' - by
vii) t' - to
viii) 'pirit - spirit
d) Poet's vocabulary:
i) The word "YHWH" is represented as a syllable in the poem.
Erewhile took hoisted oath crushed cod,
'pon Cecilia 'n' cramped Cynthia's nod.
T' his lusty lover he'd rehearsed
pored pledges gored b' lanky love's lurch.
Damp dell 'n forg'ry hewn dark deceit,
'n which sassy smirk 's draped - smothered spree.
Furred fabrics ergo "f cloning sewn
torn was b' bounty blitzkrieg b' time thrown;
"Trade thy love with me. I'll borrow",
thrived oft - offshoot "f th' ticker's sorrow.
But untutored mind 'n deceit lagged
"s her words smarter than visage nagged.
Anon did wielded wits 'witch him,
'n' anon sent he her 'way raging.
'20:07:25:11:00
Note:
a) of damp dishonesty
b) Written apace with Middle English lexis:
i) Erewhile - long ago
ii) Cod - a man
iii) Cynthia - moon
iv) dell - young woman
v) ergo - then
vi) oft - often
vii) visage - face
viii) Anon¹ - immediately
ix) Anon² - At once
c) The following are used with no syllabic consequences:
i) 'pon - upon
ii) 'n' - and
iii) t' - to
iv) b' - by
v) 'n - in
vi) 's - is
vii) "f - of
viii) b' - by
ix) oft - often
x) th' - the
xi) "s - as
xii) 'witch - bewitch
xiii) 'way - away.
Athwart swayed a raven 'cross land,
yon cliffs 'n' moist mountains anon 't danced
'til a callous Centuar caught her
'n' made mess ''f graces nature barters.
Ergo did sh' rhino's allure snatch,
'n' 'to confetti crushed sanity's hatch;
her new form "f rhin'cerous raven -
cloned contractions "f pain, wiles 'n' shudders.
Callous Centuar ergo tottered
'wards hankering hemisphere -
rusty raven ñ longer jocund;
jolting joy cramped b' pizzazz' dagger.
Felon fate caught rusty raven;
yore, she'd had nosy Nymphs cloven.
'20:08:01:10:29
Note:
a) of callous comeback.
b) Written apace with the Middle English lexis:
i) athwart - from side to side
ii) yon - beyond
iii) anon - at once
iv) ergo - then
v) yore - long ago
c) The following are used with no syllabic consequences:
i) 'cross - across
ii) yon - beyond
iii) 'n' - and
iv) 't - it
v) 'til - until
vi) "f - of
vii) sh' - she
viii) 'to - into
ix) 'wards - towards
x) ñ - on
xi) b' - by
.
i had thuh one
Such hern
she
Kiss'd mine lips
Pled uv me
oh did
she
Ink by thuh inch
Az hern frenetic mitt's
Digits
Stir’d
mine see’z think
mine imagine
vanish’d
unto whut
y'all
uv my
spill'd
read
tap
*yourn: 1350–1400; Middle English, equivalent to,
your + -n, as in mine 1
(i uv course)
')
Porous pride sucked sassy strength leased
b' bounty biddings hoisted hurls greased.
"f two cods, crushed contentions dangled -
their salient stances 'n' hexed dribbles.
Quoth th' first t' twain bis, "Oft would you grudge?
Knowing that ere thou wert torn trudge
hoisted horizon "f pain punctured.
Why ergo thou'rt "n offshoot "f fractures?"
Torn twain b' lanky liquor smitten
which behove with erst ñ ill'sion driven,
hewn haggard syllables 'n' did robe
fractured folly 'n gullible glows.
Anon skipped torn twain like gazelle,
treading lands as waves - lured limbs hexed.
'20:07:26:10:40
Note:
a) of damp drunkards
b) Written apace with Middle English lexis:
i) Hexed - Charmed
ii) Quoth - said
iii) twain - two
iv) bis - twice
v) oft - often
vi) ere - before
vii) wert - were
viii) ergo - then
ix) thou'rt - You're
x) behove - suited
xi) erst - first
xii) Anon - Immediately
xiii) Cods - Men
c) The following are used with no syllabic consequences:
i) b' - by
ii) "f - of
iii) 'n' - and
iv) th' - the
v) t' - to
vi) 'n - in
vii) ñ - on
viii) "n - an