Classic Poem

Of a true love clean and derne
I have now written thee a Ron,
How thou might, if thou wilt, learn
For to love thy Leman
That truest is of alle bearn;
And more of love there knoweth none:
Beware, for He is somewhat stern,
His eye is ever thee upon.

Thou art wrought of such a kind,
Withouten love thou may not be;
And nevermore shalt thou find
One so sweet and fair as He.
If thou wilt Him to thee bind
With true love-bondes three,
With all thine heart and will and mind, —
Then from thee will He never flee.

Haddest thou founden such a fere
That were so fair as Absalom,
And besides as strong to tear
As in his time was Sampson;
So rich besides if so he were
And e'en as wise as Solomon:
I-wis right nought to Him he were
Whom thou hast chose as thy Leman.

If love will not with thee abide
When thou desire it, thou hast woe;
Ere thou art ware away it glides
It is fickle and false and fro;
It is wayward on all sides:
Whilst it lasts, unrest and woe. —
Be war and see what will betide:
It wavers as the leaf on bough.

The love that will to sorrow wend,
Put it out of all thy thought,
And His love into thine heart bind
That hath thy love so dear i-bought.
If thou haddest to the end
Heaven and earth's each fastness sought
To find a fere that wert so hende
As He, I-wis it were for nought.

He is of mood full meek and mild,
Free of heart and strong in might,
Of gladsome cheer, of words unwild,
Of lovesome look and eyen bright.
If thou wouldst win his favour wide
And Him alone wouldst love aright,
Within Thy heart He will abide
And dwell with thee both day and night.

Far more mirth is in his steven
Than heart may think or tongue may name:
As by the swan is the black raven
So by Him is the sunne-gleam.
No more are earth's joys like to Him
Than gall is to the honey stream:
His love is like the circle's rim
Who with His grace all things will leme.

If He touch thy neighbour slain
He riseth up to life anon;
For weal and winning, grief and pain,
All is buxom to this One.
If thou wilt Him in heart well twine
And keep that He not from thee go
Holde Him with love-line:
No other bond may hold Him so.

None may be found here in the land
That is so rich a man of fee;
For far more good He hath in hand
Than heart may think or eye may see.
No king nor knight, can loyal be
But first to Him must buxom be.
A secret message He sends thee,
He asketh for the love of thee.

He wants with thee nor land nor lede,
Gold nor silver nor precious stone:
Of all such things hath He no need;
All that is good is with Him one.
If thou with Him thy life wilt lead
And say thou'lt be His own Leman,
I tell thee what will be thy meed:
Forsooth, the Heavenly Kingdom won.

If thou wilt thy Leman queme
And to His bright bower be brought,
In chastity keep thou thee clean
That thou may be i-wemmed nought.
No honey comb that runs in stream
Was never yet so sweetly wrought
Nor ne'er so bright the sonne-gleam,
Than maiden that is clean of thought.

Though all the gold of Araby,
Rich rings and gems and precious stone;
And all the treasure of Asie
And other Kingdoms everyone;
Were bi-taken in thy Bailey
To weld and haven in thy wone —
It were nought to the glory
Of clean maidenhood alone.

She who will this gem-stone's might
Locken in a sweet love ring,
She will shine then all as bright
As doth the sun without ending,
And be held a full sweet wight
Before that God who for mankind
Would within a Maiden light —
Full sweet a thing is maiden's mind.