Читать книгу The Poetical Works of John Skelton (Vol. 1&2) - John Skelton - Страница 53

THE COMMENDACIONS.

Beati im ma cu la ti in via,

O gloriosa fœmina!

Now myne hole imaginacion

And studyous medytacion

Is to take this commendacyon

In this consyderacion; 850

And vnder pacyent tolleracyon

Of that most goodly[416] mayd

That Placebo hath sayd,

And for her sparow prayd

In lamentable wyse,

Now wyll I enterpryse,

Thorow the grace dyuyne

Of the Muses nyne,

Her beautye to commende,

If Arethusa wyll send 860

Me enfluence to endyte,

And with my pen to wryte;

If Apollo wyll promyse

Melodyously it to[417] deuyse

His tunable harpe stryngges

With armony that synges

Of princes and of kynges

And of all pleasaunt thynges,

Of lust and of delyght,

Thorow his godly myght; 870

To whom be the laude ascrybed

That my pen hath enbybed

With the aureat droppes,

As verely my hope is,

Of Thagus, that golden flod,

That passeth all[418] erthly good;

And as that flode doth pas

Al floodes that euer was

With his golden sandes,

Who so that vnderstandes 880

Cosmography, and the stremys

And the floodes in straunge remes,

Ryght so she doth excede

All other of whom we rede,

Whose fame by me shall sprede

Into Perce and Mede,

From Brytons Albion

To[419] the Towre of Babilon.

I trust it is no shame,

And no man wyll me blame, 890

Though I regester her name

In the courte of Fame;

For this most goodly floure,

This blossome of fresshe coulour,

So Jupiter me socour,

She floryssheth new and new

In bewte and vertew:

Hac claritate gemina

O gloriosa fœmina,

Retribue servo tuo, vivifica me! 900

Labia mea laudabunt te.

But enforsed am I

Openly to askry,

And to make an[420] outcri

Against odyous Enui,

That euermore wil ly,

And say cursedly;

With his ledder ey,

And chekes dry;

With vysage wan, 910

As swarte[421] as tan;

His bones crake,

Leane as a rake;

His gummes rusty

Are full vnlusty;

Hys herte withall

Bytter as gall;

His lyuer, his longe[422]

With anger is wronge;

His serpentes tonge 920

That many one hath stonge;

He frowneth euer;

He laugheth neuer,

Euen nor morow,

But other mennes sorow

Causeth him to gryn

And reioyce therin;

No slepe can him catch,

But euer doth watch,

He is so bete 930

With malyce, and frete

With angre and yre,

His foule desyre

Wyll suffre no slepe

In his hed to crepe;

His foule[423] semblaunt

All displeasaunte;[424]

Whan other ar glad,

Than is he sad;

Frantyke and mad; 940

His tong neuer styll

For to say yll,

Wrythyng and wringyng,

Bytyng and styngyng;

And thus this elf

Consumeth himself,

Hymself doth slo

Wyth payne and wo.

This fals Enuy

Sayth that I 950

Vse great folly

For to endyte,

And for to wryte,

And spend my tyme

In prose and ryme,

For to expres

The noblenes

Of my maistres,

That causeth me

Studious to be 960

To[425] make a relation

Of her commendation;

And there agayne

Enuy doth complayne,

And hath disdayne;

But yet certayne

I wyll be[426] playne,

And my style dres

To this prosses.

Now Phebus me ken 970

To sharpe my pen,

And lede my fyst

As hym best lyst,

That I may say

Honour alway

Of womankynd!

Trouth doth me bynd

And loyalte

Euer to be

Their true bedell, 980

To wryte and tell

How women excell

In noblenes;

As my maistres,

Of whom I thynk

With pen and ynk

For to compyle

Some goodly[427] style;

For this most goodly[428] floure,

This blossome of fresh coloure, 990

So Jupyter me socoure,

She flourissheth new and new

In beaute and vertew:

Hac claritate gemina

O gloriosa fœmina,

Legem pone mihi, domina,[429] in viam justificationum tuarum!

Quemadmodum desiderat cervus ad fontes aquarum.

How shall I report

All the goodly sort

Of her fetures clere, 1000

That hath non erthly pere?

Her[430] fauour of her face

Ennewed all with[431] grace,

Confort, pleasure, and solace,

Myne hert doth so enbrace,

And so hath rauyshed me

Her to behold and se,

That in wordes playne

I cannot me refrayne

To loke on[432] her agayne: 1010

Alas, what shuld I fayne?

It wer a plesaunt payne

With her aye to remayne.

Her eyen gray and stepe

Causeth myne hert to lepe;

With her browes bent

She may well represent

Fayre Lucres, as I wene,

Or els fayre Polexene,

Or els Caliope, 1020

Or els Penolope;

For this most goodly floure,

This blossome of fresshe coloure,

So Jupiter me socoure,

She florisheth new and new

In beautye and vertew:

Hac claritate gemina

O gloriosa fœmina,

Memor esto verbi tui servo tuo!

Servus tuus sum ego. 1030

The Indy saphyre blew

Her vaynes doth ennew;

The orient perle so clere,

The whytnesse of her lere;

The[433] lusty ruby ruddes

Resemble the rose buddes;

Her lyppes soft and mery

Emblomed lyke the chery,

It were an heuenly blysse

Her sugred mouth to kysse. 1040

Her beautye to augment,

Dame Nature hath her lent

A warte vpon her cheke,

Who so lyst to seke

In her vysage a skar,

That semyth from afar

Lyke to the radyant star,

All with fauour fret,

So properly it is set:

She is the vyolet, 1050

The daysy delectable,

The columbine[434] commendable,

The[435] ielofer amyable;

[For][436] this most goodly floure,

This blossom of fressh colour,

So Jupiter me succour,

She florysheth new and new

In beaute and vertew:

Hac claritate gemina

O gloriosa fœmina, 1060

Bonitatem fecisti cum servo tuo, domina,

Et ex præcordiis sonant præconia!

And whan I perceyued

Her wart and conceyued,

It cannot be denayd

But it was well conuayd,

And set so womanly,

And nothynge wantonly,

But ryght conuenyently,

And full congruently, 1070

As Nature cold deuyse,

In most goodly wyse;

Who so lyst beholde,

It makethe louers bolde

To her to sewe for grace,

Her fauoure to purchase;

The sker upon her chyn,

Enhached[437] on her fayre skyn,

Whyter than the swan,

It wold make any man 1080

To forget deadly syn

Her fauour to wyn;

For this most goodly[438] floure,

This blossom of fressh coloure,

So Jupiter me socoure,

She flouryssheth new and new

In beaute and vertew:

Hac claritate gemina

O gloriosa fœmina,

Defecit in salutatione tua[439] anima mea; 1090

Quid petis filio, mater dulcissima? babæ! [440]

Soft, and make no dyn,

For now I wyll begyn

To haue[441] in remembraunce

Her goodly dalyaunce,

And her goodly pastaunce:

So sad and so demure,

Behauynge her so sure,

With wordes of pleasure

She wold make to the lure 1100

And any man conuert

To gyue her his hole hert.

She made me sore amased

Vpon her whan I gased,

Me thought min hert was crased,

My eyne were so dased;

For this most goodly flour,

This[442] blossom of fressh colour,

So Jupyter me socour,

She flouryssheth new and new 1110

In beauty and vertew:

Hac claritate gemina

O gloriosa fœmina,

Quomodo dilexi legem tuam, domina!

Recedant vetera, nova sint[443] omnia.

And to amende her tale,

Whan she lyst to auale,

And with her fyngers smale,

And handes soft as sylke,

Whyter than the[444] mylke, 1120

That are so quyckely vayned,

Wherwyth my hand she strayned,

Lorde, how I was payned!

Vnneth I me refrayned,

How she me had reclaymed,

And me to her retayned,

Enbrasynge therwithall

Her goodly[445] myddell small

With sydes longe and streyte;

To tell you what conceyte 1130

I had than in a tryce,

The matter were to nyse,

And yet there was no vyce,

Nor yet no villany,

But only fantasy;

For this most goodly floure,

This[446] blossom of fressh coloure,

So Jupiter me succoure,

She floryssheth new and new

In beaute and vertew: 1140

Hac claritate gemina

O gloriosa fœmina,

Iniquos odio habui!

Non calumnientur me superbi.

But whereto shulde I note

How often dyd I tote

Vpon her prety fote?

It raysed myne hert rote

To se her treade the grounde

With heles short and rounde. 1150

She is playnly expresse

Egeria, the goddesse,

And lyke to her image,

Emportured with corage,

A louers pylgrimage;

Ther is no beest sauage,

Ne no tyger so wood,

But she wolde chaunge his mood,

Such relucent grace

Is formed in her face; 1160

For this most goodly floure,

This blossome of fresshe coloure,

So Jupiter me succour,

She flouryssheth new and new

In beaute and vertew:

Hac claritate gemina

O gloriosa fœmina,

Mirabilia testimonia tua!

Sicut novellæ plantationes in juventute sua.

So goodly as she dresses, 1170

So properly[447] she presses

The bryght golden tresses

Of her heer so fyne,

Lyke Phebus beames shyne.

Wherto shuld I disclose

The garterynge of her hose?

It is for to suppose

How that she can were

Gorgiously her gere;

Her fresshe habylementes 1180

With other implementes

To serue for all ententes,

Lyke dame Flora, quene

Of lusty somer grene;

For[448] this most goodly floure,

This blossom of fressh coloure,

So Jupiter me socoure,

She florisheth new and new

In beautye and vertew:

Hac claritate gemina 1190

O gloriosa fœmina,

Clamavi in toto corde, exaudi me!

Misericordia tua magna est super me.

Her kyrtell so goodly lased,

And vnder that is brased

Such plasures that I may

Neyther wryte nor say;

Yet though I wryte not with ynke,

No man can let me thynke,

For thought hath lyberte, 1200

Thought is franke and fre;

To thynke a mery thought

It cost me lytell nor[449] nought.

Wolde God myne homely style

Were pullysshed with the fyle

Of Ciceros eloquence,

To prase her excellence!

For this[450] most goodly floure,

This[451] blossome of fressh coloure,

So Jupiter me succoure, 1210

She flouryssheth new and new

In beaute and vertew:

Hac claritate gemina

O gloriosa fœmina,

Principes persecuti sunt me gratis!

Omnibus consideratis,

Paradisus voluptatis

Hæc virgo est dulcissima.

My pen it is vnable,

My hand it is vnstable, 1220

My reson rude and dull

To prayse her at the full;

Goodly maystres Jane,

Sobre, demure Dyane;

Jane this maystres hyght

The lode star[452] of delyght,

Dame Venus of all pleasure,

The well of worldly treasure;

She doth excede and pas

In prudence dame Pallas; 1230

[For][453] this[454] most goodly floure,

This blossome of fresshe colour,

So Jupiter me socoure,

She floryssheth new and new

In beaute and vertew:

Hac claritate gemina

O gloriosa fœmina!

Requiem æternam dona eis, Domine!

With this psalme, Domine, probasti me,

Shall sayle ouer the see, 1240

With Tibi, Domine, commendamus,

On pylgrimage[455] to saynt Jamys,

For shrympes, and for pranys,

And for stalkynge[456] cranys;

And where my pen hath offendyd,

I pray you it may be amendyd

By discrete consyderacyon

Of your wyse reformacyon;

I haue not offended, I trust,

If it be sadly dyscust. 1250

It were no gentle gyse

This treatyse to despyse

Because I haue wrytten and sayd

Honour of this fayre mayd;

Wherefore shulde I be blamed,

That I Jane haue[457] named,

And famously proclamed?

She is worthy to be enrolde

With letters of golde.

Car elle vault. 1260

Per me laurigerum Britonum Skeltonida vatem[458]

Laudibus eximiis merito hæc redimita puella est:

Formosam cecini,[459] qua non formosior ulla est;

Formosam potius quam commendaret Homerus.

Sic juvat interdum rigidos recreare labores,

Nec minus hoc titulo tersa Minerva mea est.

Rien que playsere.

Thus endeth the boke of Philip Sparow, and here foloweth an adicyon made by maister Skelton.

The gyse now a dayes

Of some ianglynge iayes

Is to discommende 1270

That they cannot amend,

Though they wold spend

All the wyttes they haue.

What ayle them to depraue

Phillip Sparowes graue?

His Dirige, her Commendacyon

Can be no derogacyon,

But myrth and consolacyon

Made by protestacyon,

No man to myscontent 1280

With Phillyppes enterement.

Alas, that goodly mayd,

Why shuld she be afrayde?

Why shuld she take shame

That her goodly name,

Honorably reported,

Sholde be set and sorted,

To be matriculate

With ladyes of estate?

I coniure thé, Phillip Sparow, 1290

By Hercules that hell dyd harow,

And with a venemous arow

Slew of the Epidaures

One of the Centaures,

Or Onocentaures,

Or Hipocentaures;[460]

By whose myght and mayne

An hart was slayne

With hornes twayne

Of glytteryng gold; 1300

And the appels of gold

Of Hesperides withhold,

And with a dragon kept

That neuer more slept,

By marcyall strength

He wan at length;

And slew Gerion

With thre bodyes in one;

With myghty corage

Adauntid[461] the rage 1310

Of a lyon sauage;

Of Dyomedes stable

He brought out a rable

Of coursers and rounses

With leapes and bounses;

And with mighty luggyng,

Wrestlyng and tuggyng,

He plucked the bull

By the horned skull,

And offred to Cornucopia; 1320

And so forth per cetera:

Also by Ecates bower

In Plutos[462] gastly tower;

By the vgly Eumenides,

That neuer haue rest nor ease;

By the venemous serpent,

That in hell is neuer brent,

In Lerna the Grekes fen,

That was engendred then;

By Chemeras flames, 1330

And all the dedly names

Of infernall posty,

Where soules frye and rosty;[463]

By the Stygyall flood,

And the streames wood

Of Cocitus botumles well;

By the feryman of hell,

Caron with his beerd hore,

That roweth with a rude ore

And with his frownsid[464] fore top 1340

Gydeth his bote with a prop:

I coniure[465] Phylyp, and call

In the name of kyng Saul;

Primo Regum expresse,

He bad[466] the Phitonesse

To wytchcraft her to dresse,

And by her abusyons,

And dampnable illusyons

Of marueylus conclusyons,

And by her supersticyons, 1350

And wonderfull condityons,

She raysed vp in that stede

Samuell that was dede;

But whether it were so,

He were idem in numero,

The selfe same Samuell,

How be it to Saull dyd he tell

The Philistinis shuld hym ascry,

And the next day he shuld dye,

I wyll my selfe dyscharge 1360

To lettred men at large:

But, Phylyp, I coniure thee

Now by these names thre,

Diana in the woodes grene,

Luna that so bryght doth shene,[467]

Procerpina in hell,

That thou shortly tell,

And shew now vnto me

What the cause may be

Of this perplexite! 1370

Inferias,[468] Philippe, tuas[469] Scroupe pulchra Joanna

Instanter petiit:[470] cur nostri carminis illam

Nunc pudet?[471] est sero; minor est infamia vero.

Than suche as haue disdayned

And of this worke complayned,

I pray God they be payned

No worse than is contayned

In verses two or thre

That folowe as you[472] may se.

Luride, cur, livor, volucris pia funera damnas? 1380

Talia te rapiant rapiunt quæ fata volucrem! [473]

Est tamen invidia mors tibi continua.