The Departing Soul's Address to the Body: A Fragment of a Semi-Saxon Poem: Discovered Among the Archives of Worcester Cathedral — John Shaqi
The Departing Soul's Address to the Body: A Fragment of a Semi-Saxon Poem: Discovered Among the Archives of Worcester Cathedral
Religion
The Departing Soul's Address to the Body: A Fragment of a Semi-Saxon Poem: Discovered Among the Archives of Worcester Cathedral
Poetry
Now lieth thy body still
on ful colde denne. in full cold den;
nafest thu gaersume themo. nor hast thou the treasure
the heo was spekinde. 610 of which she spake;
_for_ heo was faken biforen. for she was deceitful before,
and atterne bihinden. and envenomed after;
heo demde feole domes. she pronounced many judgments
the drihten _was_ lothe. that were hateful to the Lord.
Iseid hit is on psalme. 615 It is said in the Psalm,
and ful sothe hit is bihire. and full true it is of her:
_Lingua tua concinnabat dolos._ _Lingua tua concinnabat dolos._
Heo ȝeothede fakenliche. She poured out deceitfully,
and then feonde icwemde. and pleased the fiend;
heo heou mid hearde worde. 620 she hewed with hard words,
and _icwem_de tha wrecches. and delighted the wretches.
scearpe heo was and kene. Sharp she was and keen,
and cwemde then deofle. and pleased the devil
mid alle then sun_ne_. with all the sin
_that_ efre was his wille. 625 that ever was his will.
A wurthe hire wa. Wo be to her!
that heo spekinde was so. that she spake so;
heo haue_th_ unc _dom_ned. she has damned us
to deoppere helle. to deeper hell.
Nis hit non sellic. 630 Is it not wonderful,
thauh ic segge of boken. though I read in books,
thauh ic _thonne_ that sothe repie. though I then the truth gathered,
for ic was ilered. for I was taught
of mine leoue fæder. by my dear father
feire on frumthe. 635 beautifully in the beginning,
aer ic _ford_ferde. before I departed,
ic was Godes douhter. I was God's daughter,
ac thu amerdest that foster. but thou didst hinder that fostering.
ic sceolde lif holden. I might life have held,
_me selle_the he wolde. 640 that he would have given me.
Sone thu were lifleas. Soon thou wert lifeless,
seoththen ic the forleas. sithence I left thee.
Ic was thin imake. I was thy wife,
_so so_ bec seggeth. as the book says:
_Uxor tua sicut vitis habundans._ 645 _Uxor tua sicut vitis habundans._
Ic was the biwedded. I was wedded to thee
wurthliche * * * e. honourably,
et then fontstone. at the fount stone,
that thu haucst ifuled. that thou hast defiled
mid thine fule othes. 650 with thy foul oaths.
Thu hafest thin ful_luht_ forloren. Thou hast forfeited thy baptism
behinden and biuoren. here and hereafter.
Feire thu were imerked. Fair thou wert marked,
heie on thine heafde.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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