Sunday 12 February 2012

Sunday Lyric: Love me brought

Another lyric from John of Grimestone's commonplace book, in which Christ addresses mankind. It's in the same Christ-as-wooer vein as this extract from Ancrene Wisse.


Love me brouthte
And love me wrouthte,
Man, to be thy fere.
Love me fedde
And love me ledde
And love me lettet here.

Love me slou
And love me drou
And love me layde on bere.
Love is my pes,
For love I ches,
Man to buyen dere.

Ne dred thee nought,
I have thee sought
Bothen day an night.
To haven thee,
Well is me,
I have thee wonnen in fight.


Rough translation:

Love me brought
And love me wrought,
Mankind, to be thy fere. [companion]
Love me fed
And love me led
And love now keeps me here.

Love me slew
And love me drew
And love me laid on bier.
Love is my peace,
For love I choose
Mankind to buy so dear.

Now fear thee not,
I have thee sought
Both day and night.
To have thee
Is joy to me;
I won thee in the fight.

3 comments:

Supertradmum said...

Put a reference to John Gower and Chaucer for you and all Medievalists on my blog.

Clerk of Oxford said...

Great, I'll go and have a look!

Anonymous said...

just beautiful!