Anonymous
Ubi Sunt Qui ante Nos Fuerunt?
Ubi Sunt Qui ante Nos Fuerunt
Were beth they biforen us weren,
Houndes ladden and hauekes berenled / hawks / carried
And hadden feld and wodeowned / wood
The riche levedies in hoere bour,ladies / their/bower
That wereden gold in hoere tressour,headdress
With hoere brightte rode,face
Eten and drounken and maden hem glad;them
Hoere lif was al with gamen i-lad;pleasure / led
Men keneleden hem biforen;knelt
They beren hem wel swithe heye—very / haughtily
And in a twincling of an eye
Hoere soules weren forloren.completely lost
Were is that lawing and that song,laughing
That trayling and that proude yong,
Tho hauekes and tho houndes
Al that joye is went away;
That wele is comen to welaway/happiness I sadness
To manie harde stoundes.times
Hoere paradis hy nomen here,they I took
And nou they lien in helle i-fereo-together
The fuir hit brennes hevere.fire I burns I ever
Long is aye and long is ho,ahloh
Long is wy and long is wo o_alas I woe
Thennes ne cometh they nevere.thence
Dreghy here, man, thenne if thou wilt,suffer
A luitel pine, that me the bit.pain
W i t h d r a u t h i n e e y s e s o f t e .
They thi pine be ounrede,though / severe
A n d t h o u t h e n k e on thi m e d e , if/reward.
Hit sal the thinken softe.
If that f e n d , 1 t h a t f o u l e t h i n g ,
Thorou wikke roun, thorou fals egging,temptation / urging
Nethere the haveth i-cast,down
O u p , a n d be g o d c h a u n p i o u n !up
S t o n d , ne fal n a m o r e a d o u nfall
For a luytel blast.puff of wind
Thou tak the rode t 2 thi staf
And thenk on him that thereonne yafgave
H i s lif t h a t w e s so lef.dear
He hit yaf for the; thou yelde hit him.
Ayein his fo that staf thou nim,against / take
A n d w r e k h i m o f that t h e f . 4
Of rightte bileve' thou nim that sheld
The wiles that thou best in that feld.while / are
Thin hond to strenkthen fonde
And kep thy fo with staves ord
And do that traytre seien that word. S
Biget that murie londegain
T h e r e i n n e i s day w i t h o u t e n n i g h t ,
W i t h o u t e n e n d e s t r e n k t h e a n d m i g h t ,
And wreche of everich fo,vengeance / on
M i d g o d h i m s e l w e n e c h e lifwith / eternal
A n d p e s a n d rest w i t h o u t e strif,
W e l e w i t h o u t e n w o .happiness
M a y d e n m o d e r , h e v e n e q u e n e ,
Thou might and const and owest to benecan / ought / he
Oure sheld ayein the fende.against
Help ous sunne for to Hen
That we moten thi sone i-seenmight
In joye withouten hende.end
Amen.