Blow, Northern Wind Poem by Anonymous Americas

Blow, Northern Wind

Rating: 2.8


Blow, northerne wynd,
Send thou me my suetyng!
Blow, northerne wynd,
Blou, blou, blou!

Ichot a burde in bour{.e} bryht,
That fully semly is on syht,
Menskful maiden of myht,
Feir ant fre to fond{.e};
In al this wurhlich{.e} won,
A burde of blod and of bon
Never yete y nust{.e} non
Lussomore in lond{.e}.

With lokk{.e}s lefliche and long{.e},
With frount and fac{.e} feir to fong{.e},
With murth{.e}s moni{.e} mote heo mong{.e},
That brid so breme in bour{.e};
With lossom ey{.e}, grete ant god{.e},
With browen blysfol under hod{.e};
He that reste him on the rod{.e}
That leflich lyf honour{.e}!

Hire lur{.e} lum{.e}s liht
Ase a launterne a nyht,
Hire bleo blykyeth so bryht:
So feyr heo is ant fyn!
A suetly suyre heo hath to hold{.e},
With arm{.e}s, shuldr{.e}, ase mon wold{.e},
Ant fyngres feyr{.e} fort{.e} fold{.e},
God wolde hue wer{.e} myn!

Middel heo hath menskful smal;
Hire loveliche cher{.e} as cristal;
They{.e}s, legg{.e}s, fet, ant al,
Ywraht is of the best{.e}.
A lussum ledy last{.e}les
That sweting is, and ever wes;
A betere burd{.e} never nes
Yhery{.e}d with the hest{.e}.

Heo is der{.e}worthe in day,
Gracious{.e}, stout, and gay,
Gentil, jolyf so the jay,
Worhlich{.e} when heo waketh.
Maiden murgest of mouth;
Bi est, bi west, by north and south,
Thér nis fithel{.e} ne crouth
That such murth{.e}s maketh.

Heo is coral of godness{.e},
Heo is rubie of ryhtfulness{.e},
Heo is cristal of clanness{.e},
Ant baner of bealté;
Heo is lilie of largess{.e},
Heo is paruenke of prouess{.e},
Heo is solsecle of suetness{.e},
Ant ledy of lealté.

...
For hir{.e} love y carke ant car{.e},
For hir{.e} love y droupne ant dar{.e},
For hir{.e} love my blisse is bar{.e},
Ant al ich wax{.e} won;
For hir{.e} love in slep y slak{.e},
For hir{.e} love al nyht ich wak{.e},
For hir{.e} love mournynge y mak{.e}
Mor{.e} then eny mon.

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Fabrizio Frosini 14 February 2016

Middle English lyrics are short poems, almost all anonymous, written in English during the 13th,14th and early 15th centuries. Their themes are generally love, nature or religious devotion.

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Fabrizio Frosini 14 February 2016

1 Ichot: Ich wot, I know (of) . 1b burde: maiden. 1c boure bryht: bright bower. 2 fully semly... syht: very pleasing to sight. 3 menskful: worshipful. 4 feir: fair. 5 fonde: deal with. 6 wurhliche: worthy. 7 won: multitude. 8 y nuste: I knew not. 9 lussomore in londe: lovelier on earth. 10 suetyng: sweetling, sweetheart. 11 lefliche: lovely. 12 fonge: finger, take between hands. 13 murthes: mirths, joys. 14 mote heo monge: may she mingle. 15 brid: bird. 16 breme: glorious. 16b lossom: lovesome, lovely. 17 rode: the rood, the cross. 18 lure: face. 19 lumes: beams. 20 bleo: colour. 21 suetly swyre: darling neck. 22 hue, heo: she. 23 clannesse: cleanness, purity. 24 parvenke: periwinkle. 25 solsecle: sunflower. 25b lealté: loyalty. 26 carke: care, worry. 26b dare: am in dismay. 27 won: wan. 28 slake: lessen.

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