The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman, Volume 1

Name: The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman, Volume 1
Author: Langland, William

Langland, William

Christian pilgrims and pilgrimages -- Poetry

I seigh the sonne and the see,
  And the sond after;
  And where that briddes and beestes                      7230
  {222}
  By hir makes yeden;
  Wilde wormes in wodes,
  And wonderful foweles
  With fleckede fetheres
  And of fele colours.

    Man and his make
  I myghte bothe biholde;
  Poverte and plentee;
  Bothe pees and werre;
  Blisse and bale bothe                                   7240
  I seigh al at ones;
  And how men token mede,
  And mercy refused.

    Reson I seigh soothly
  Sewen alle beestes,
  In etynge, in drynkynge,
  And in engendrynge of kynde;
  And after cours of concepcion,
  Noon took kepe of oother
  As whan thei hadde ryde in rotey tyme,                  7250
  Anoon right therafter
  Males drowen hem to males
  A-morwenynges by hemselve,
  And in evenynges also
  The males ben fro femelles.
  Ther ne was cow ne cow-kynde
  That conceyved hadde,
  That wolde belwe after boles,
  Ne boor after sowe;
  Bothe hors and houndes,                                 7260
  And alle othere beestes,
  Medled noght with hir makes
  That with fole were.

    Briddes I biheld
  {223}
  That in buskes made nestes,
  Hadde nevere wye wit
  To werche the leeste.
  I hadde wonder at whom
  And wher the pye lerned
  To legge the stikkes                                    7270
  In whiche she leyeth and bredeth.
  Ther nys wrighte, as I wene,
  Sholde werche hir nestes to paye;
  If any mason made a molde therto,
  Muche wonder it were.

    Ac yet me merveilled moore,
  How many othere briddes
  Hidden and hileden
  Hir egges ful derne
  In mareys and moores,                                   7280
  For men sholde hem noght fynde;
  And hidden hir egges,
  Whan thei therfro wente,
  For fere of othere foweles,
  And for wilde beestes.

    And some troden hir makes,
  And on trees bredden,
  And broughten forth hir briddes so
  Al above the grounde;
  And some briddes at the bile                            7290
  Thorugh brethyng conceyved;
  And some caukede; and took kepe
  How pecokkes bredden.
  Muche merveilled me
  What maister hem made,
  And who taughte hem on trees
  To tymbre so heighe,
  Ther neither burn ne beest
  {224}
  May hir briddes rechen.

    And sithen I loked upon the see,                      7300
  And so forth upon the sterres;
  Manye selkouthes I seigh,
  Ben noght to seye nouthe.

    I seigh floures in the fryth,
  And hir faire colours;
  And how among the grene gras
  Growed so manye hewes,
  And some soure and some swete,
  Selkouth me thoughte;
  Of hir kynde and hir colour                             7310
  To carpe it were to longe.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Opening the text

The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman, Volume 1Langland, William

General

The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman, Volume 1

Langland, William

Christian pilgrims and pilgrimages -- Poetry

I seigh the sonne and the see,
  And the sond after;
  And where that briddes and beestes                      7230
  {222}
  By hir makes yeden;
  Wilde wormes in wodes,
  And wonderful foweles
  With fleckede fetheres
  And of fele colours.

    Man and his make
  I myghte bothe biholde;
  Poverte and plentee;
  Bothe pees and werre;
  Blisse and bale bothe                                   7240
  I seigh al at ones;
  And how men token mede,
  And mercy refused.

    Reson I seigh soothly
  Sewen alle beestes,
  In etynge, in drynkynge,
  And in engendrynge of kynde;
  And after cours of concepcion,
  Noon took kepe of oother
  As whan thei hadde ryde in rotey tyme,                  7250
  Anoon right therafter
  Males drowen hem to males
  A-morwenynges by hemselve,
  And in evenynges also
  The males ben fro femelles.
  Ther ne was cow ne cow-kynde
  That conceyved hadde,
  That wolde belwe after boles,
  Ne boor after sowe;
  Bothe hors and houndes,                                 7260
  And alle othere beestes,
  Medled noght with hir makes
  That with fole were.

    Briddes I biheld
  {223}
  That in buskes made nestes,
  Hadde nevere wye wit
  To werche the leeste.
  I hadde wonder at whom
  And wher the pye lerned
  To legge the stikkes                                    7270
  In whiche she leyeth and bredeth.
  Ther nys wrighte, as I wene,
  Sholde werche hir nestes to paye;
  If any mason made a molde therto,
  Muche wonder it were.

    Ac yet me merveilled moore,
  How many othere briddes
  Hidden and hileden
  Hir egges ful derne
  In mareys and moores,                                   7280
  For men sholde hem noght fynde;
  And hidden hir egges,
  Whan thei therfro wente,
  For fere of othere foweles,
  And for wilde beestes.

    And some troden hir makes,
  And on trees bredden,
  And broughten forth hir briddes so
  Al above the grounde;
  And some briddes at the bile                            7290
  Thorugh brethyng conceyved;
  And some caukede; and took kepe
  How pecokkes bredden.
  Muche merveilled me
  What maister hem made,
  And who taughte hem on trees
  To tymbre so heighe,
  Ther neither burn ne beest
  {224}
  May hir briddes rechen.

    And sithen I loked upon the see,                      7300
  And so forth upon the sterres;
  Manye selkouthes I seigh,
  Ben noght to seye nouthe.

    I seigh floures in the fryth,
  And hir faire colours;
  And how among the grene gras
  Growed so manye hewes,
  And some soure and some swete,
  Selkouth me thoughte;
  Of hir kynde and hir colour                             7310
  To carpe it were to longe.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman, Volume 1

The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman, Volume 1

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