Classic Poem

And ich bowede my body and bihelde al aboute,
And seigh the sonne and the see and the sand after,
And wher that briddes and bestes by here makes they yeden,
Wilde wormes in wodes and wonderful fowles
With fleckede fetheres and of fele colours.
Man and hus make ich mighte see bothe,
Poverté and plenté, bothe pees and werre;
Blisse and bale, bothe ich seigh at ones,
And how that men mede token and mercy refuseden.
Reson ich seigh sothliche suwen alle bestes
In etinge and drinking, in engendrure of kinde.
After cours of concepcion non tok kepe of other,
And when they hadde ruteyed, anon they resten after.
Males drowen hem to males on morweninge by hemself,
And femeles to femeles ferdide and drow.
Ther ne was cow ne cow-kinde that conceived hadde
That wolde bere after bole, ne bor after sowe.
Ther ne was no kinne kinde that conceived hadde
That ne lees the likinge of lust of flesch, as hit were,
Save man and hus make. And therof me wondrede,
For out of reson they ride and rechelesliche token on,
As in durne dedes, bothe in drinkinge and elles.
Briddes ich bihelde in bosshes maden nestes:
Hadde nevere weye wit to worche the leste.
Ich hadde wonder at wham and wher that the pie
Lernede to legge stickes that leyen on here neste:
There is no wright as ich wene sholde worche here nest to paye;
If eny mason made a molde therto, muche wonder me thinketh.
And yut me mervaillede more, menye of the briddes
Hudden and heleden here egges durneliche
For no fowl sholde it finde bote hus fere and himself.
And some treden, ich tok kepe, and on trees bredden,
And broughten forth here briddles al above the grounde.
In mareis and in mores, in mires and in wateres
Dompinges diveden. "Deere God," ich saide,
"Where hadden these wilde suche wit, and at what scole?"
And how the pocock caukede, therof took ich kepe,
How uncorteisliche the cok hus kinde forth strenede,
And ferliede of hus fairnesse and of hus foule ledene.
And sitthe ich loked on the see, and so forth on the sterres,
Meny selcouthes ich seigh aren nought to seggen nouthe;
No what on flowres in felde, and of here faire coloures,
And how of greot and of gras growe so meny huwes,
And somme soure and somme swete, selcouth me thoughte;
Of here kinde and of here colours to carpen hit were to longe.