Down at the farther end, in which there were
A nest of children come of Christian blood, 45
That learnèd in that school from year to year
Such sort of doctrine as men used there,
That is to say, to sing and read also,
As little children in their childhood do.
VIII "Among these children was a Widow's son, 50
A little scholar, scarcely seven years old, [C]
Who day by day unto this school hath gone,
And eke, when he the image did behold
Of Jesu's Mother, as he had been told,
This Child was wont to kneel adown and say 55
_Ave Marie_, as he goeth by the way.
IX "This Widow thus her little Son hath taught
Our blissful Lady, Jesu's Mother dear,
To worship aye, and he forgat it not;
For simple infant hath a ready ear. 60
Sweet is the holiness of youth: and hence,
Calling to mind this matter when I may,
Saint Nicholas in my presence standeth aye,
For he so young to Christ did reverence. [D]
X "This little Child, while in the school he sate 65
His Primer conning with an earnest cheer, [E]
The whilst the rest their anthem-book repeat
The _Alma Redemptoris_ did he hear;
And as he durst he drew him near and near,
And hearkened to the words and to the note, 70
Till the first verse he learned it all by rote.
XI "This Latin knew he nothing what it said,
For he too tender was of age to know;
But to his comrade he repaired, and prayed
That he the meaning of this song would show, 75
And unto him declare why men sing so;
This oftentimes, that he might be at ease,
This child did him beseech on his bare knees.
XII "His Schoolfellow, who elder was than he,
Answered him thus:--'This song, I have heard say, 80
Was fashioned for our blissful Lady free;
Her to salute, and also her to pray
To be our help upon our dying day:
If there is more in this, I know it not:
Song do I learn,--small grammar I have got.' 85
XIII "'And is this song fashioned in reverence
Of Jesu's Mother?' said this Innocent;
'Now, certès, I will use my diligence
To con it all ere Christmas-tide be spent;
Although I for my Primer shall be shent, 90
And shall be beaten three times in an hour,
Our Lady I will praise with all my power.'
XIV "His Schoolfellow, whom he had so besought,
As they went homeward taught him privily
And then he sang it well and fearlessly, 95
From word to word according to the note:
Twice in a day it passèd through his throat;
Homeward and schoolward whensoe'er he went,
On Jesu's Mother fixed was his intent.
XV "Through all the Jewry (this before said I) 100
This little Child, as he came to and fro,
Full merrily then would he sing and cry,
O _Alma Redemptoris!_ high and low:
The sweetness of Christ's Mother piercèd so
His heart, that her to praise, to her to pray, 105
He cannot stop his singing by the way.
XVI "The Serpent, Satan, our first foe, that hath
His wasp's nest in Jew's heart, upswelled--'O woe,
O Hebrew people!' said he in his wrath,
'Is it an honest thing? Shall this be so? 110
That such a Boy where'er he lists [1] shall go
In your despite, and sing his hymns and saws,
Which is against the reverence of our laws!'
XVII "From that day forward have the Jews conspired
Out of the world this Innocent to chase; 115
And to this end a Homicide they hired,
That in an alley had a privy place,
And, as the Child 'gan to the school to pace,
This cruel Jew him seized, and held him fast
And cut his throat, and in a pit him cast. 120
XVIII "I say that him into a pit they threw,
A loathsome pit, whence noisome scents exhale;
O cursèd folk! away, ye Herods new!
What may your ill intentions you avail?
Murder will out; certès it will not fail; 125
Know, that the honour of high God may spread,
The blood cries out on your accursèd deed.
XIX "O Martyr 'stablished in virginity!
Now may'st thou sing for aye before the throne,
Following the Lamb celestial," quoth she, 130
"Of which the great Evangelist, Saint John,
In Patmos wrote, who saith of them that go
Before the Lamb singing continually,
That never fleshly woman they did know.
XX "Now this poor widow waiteth all that night 135
After her little Child, and he came not;
For which, by earliest glimpse of morning light,
With face all pale with dread and busy thought,
She at the School and elsewhere him hath sought,
Until thus far she learned, that he had been 140
In the Jews' street, and there he last was seen.
XXI "With Mother's pity in her breast enclosed
She goeth, as she were half out of her mind,
To every place wherein she hath supposed
By likelihood her little Son to find; 145
And ever on Christ's Mother meek and kind
She cried, till to the Jewry she was brought,
And him among the accursèd Jews she sought.
XXII "She asketh, and she piteously doth pray
To every Jew that dwelleth in that place 150
To tell her if her child had passed that way;
They all said--Nay; but Jesu of his grace
Gave to her thought, that in a little space
She for her Son in that same spot did cry
Where he was cast into a pit hard by. 155
XXIII "O thou great God that dost perform thy laud
By mouths of Innocents, lo! here thy might;
This gem of chastity, this emerald,
And eke of martyrdom this ruby bright,
There, where with mangled throat he lay upright, 160
The _Alma Redemptoris_ 'gan to sing
So loud, that with his voice the place did ring.
XXIV "The Christian folk that through the Jewry went
Come to the spot in wonder at the thing;
And hastily they for the Provost sent; 165
Immediately he came, not tarrying,
And praiseth Christ that is our heavenly King,
And eke his Mother, honour of Mankind:
Which done, he bade that they the Jews should bind.
XXV "This Child with piteous lamentation then 170
Was taken up, singing his song alwày;
And with procession great and pomp of men
To the next Abbey him they bare away;
His Mother swooning by the body [2] lay:
And scarcely could the people that were near 175
Remove this second Rachel from the bier.
XXVI "Torment and shameful death to every one
This Provost doth for those bad Jews prepare
That of this murder wist, and that anon:
Such wickedness his judgments cannot spare; 180
Who will do evil, evil shall he bear;
Them therefore with wild horses did he draw,
And after that he hung them by the law.
XXVII "Upon his bier this Innocent doth lie
Before the altar while the Mass doth last: 185
The Abbot with his convent's company
Then sped themselves to bury him full fast;
And, when they holy water on him cast,
Yet spake this Child when sprinkled was the water;
And sang, O _Alma Redemptoris Mater!_ 190
XXVIII "This Abbot, for he was a holy man,
As all Monks are, or surely ought to be, [3]
In supplication to the Child began
Thus saying, 'O dear Child! I summon thee
In virtue of the holy Trinity 195
Tell me the cause why thou dost sing this hymn,
Since that thy throat is cut, as it doth seem.'
XXIX "'My throat is cut unto the bone, I trow,'
Said this young Child, 'and by the law of kind
I should have died, yea many hours ago; 200
But Jesus Christ, as in the books ye find,
Will that his glory last, and be in mind;
And, for the worship of his Mother dear,
Yet may I sing, _O Alma!_ loud and clear.
XXX "'This well of mercy, Jesu's Mother sweet, 205
After my knowledge I have loved alwày;
And in the hour when I my death did meet
To me she came, and thus to me did say,
"Thou in thy dying sing this holy lay,"
As ye have heard; and soon as I had sung 210
Methought she laid a grain upon my tongue.
XXXI "'Wherefore I sing, nor can from song refrain,
In honour of that blissful Maiden free,
Till from my tongue off-taken is the grain;
And after that thus said she unto me; 215
"My little Child, then will I come for thee
Soon as the grain from off thy tongue they take:
Be not dismayed, I will not thee forsake!"'
XXXII "This holy Monk, this Abbot--him mean I,
Touched then his tongue, and took away the grain; 220
And he gave up the ghost full peacefully;
And, when the Abbot had this wonder seen,
His salt tears trickled down like showers of rain;
And on his face he dropped upon the ground,
And still he lay as if he had been bound. 225
XXXIII "Eke the whole Convent on the pavement lay,
Weeping and praising Jesu's Mother dear;
And after that they rose, and took their way,
And lifted up this Martyr from the bier,
And in a tomb of precious marble clear 230
Enclosed his uncorrupted body sweet.--[F]
Where'er he be, God grant us him to meet!
XXXIV "Young Hew of Lincoln! in like sort laid low
By cursèd Jews--thing well and widely known,
For it was done a little while ago--[4] 235
Pray also thou for us, while here we tarry
Weak sinful folk, that God, with pitying eye,
In mercy would his mercy multiply
On us, for reverence of his Mother Mary!"
* * * * *
VARIANTS ON THE TEXT
[Variant 1:
1827.
... list ... 1820.]
[Variant 2:
1845.
... by the Bier ... 1820.]
[Variant 3:
1827.
This Abbot who had been a holy man
And was, as all Monks are, or ought to be, [a] 1820.]
[Variant 4:
1836.
For not long since was dealt the cruel blow, 1820.]
* * * * *
FOOTNOTES ON THE TEXT
[Footnote A:
"Friday, 4th December 1801.... William translating 'The Prioress'
Tale'."
"Saturday, 5th. William finished 'The Prioress' Tale', and after tea,
Mary and he wrote it out"
(Dorothy Wordsworth's Journal).--Ed.]
[Footnote B: See 'Il Penseroso', l. 110.--Ed.]
[Footnote C: Chaucer's phrase is "a litel clergeon," Wordsworth's, "a
little scholar;" but "clergeon" is a chorister, not a scholar.--Ed.]
[Footnote D:
"Chaucer's text is:
'Thus hath this widow her litel child i-taught
Our blissful lady, Criste's moder deere,
To worschip ay, and he forgat it nought;
For sely child wil alway soone leere.'
'For sely child wil alway soone leere,' i.e. for a happy child will
always learn soon. Wordsworth renders:
'For simple infant hath a ready ear,'
and adds:
'Sweet is the holiness of youth,'
extending the stanza to receive this addition from seven to eight
lines, with an altered rhyme-system."
(Professor Edward Dowden, in the 'Transactions of the Wordsworth
Society', No. III.)--Ed.]
[Footnote E: Chaucer's text is:
'This litel child his litel book lernynge
As he sat in the schole in his primere.'
Ed.]
[Footnote F: Chaucer's text is:
'And in a tombe of marble stoones clere
Enclosed they this litel body swete.'
Ed.]
* * * * *
SUB-FOOTNOTES ON THE TEXT
[Sub-Footnote a: This was erased in the 'Errata' of 1820, but it
may be reproduced here.--Ed.]
* * * * *
THE CUCKOO AND THE NIGHTINGALE
Translated 1801. [A]--Published 1841 [B]
I The God of Love--_ah, benedicite!_
How mighty and how great a Lord is he!
For he of low hearts can make high, of high
He can make low, and unto death bring nigh;
And hard hearts he can make them kind and free. [1] 5
II Within a little time, as hath been found,
He can make sick folk whole and fresh and sound:
Them who are whole in body and in mind,
He can make sick,--bind can he and unbind
All that he will have bound, or have unbound. 10
III To tell his might my wit may not suffice;
Foolish men he can make them out of wise;--
For he may do all that he will devise;
Loose livers he can make abate their vice,
And proud hearts can make tremble in a trice. 15
IV In brief, the whole of what he will, he may;
Against him dare not any wight say nay;
To humble or afflict whome'er he will,
To gladden or to grieve, he hath like skill;
But most his might he sheds on the eve of May. 20
V For every true heart, gentle heart and free,
That with him is, or thinketh so to be,
Now against May shall have some stirring--whether
To joy, or be it to some mourning; never
At other time, methinks, in like degree. 25
VI For now when they may hear the small birds' song,
And see the budding leaves the branches throng,
This unto their remembrance doth bring
All kinds of pleasure mix'd with sorrowing;
And longing of sweet thoughts that ever long. 30
VII And of that longing heaviness doth come,
Whence oft great sickness grows of heart and home;
Sick are they all for lack of their desire;
And thus in May their hearts are set on fire,
So that they burn forth in great martyrdom. 35
VIII In sooth, I speak from feeling, what though now
Old am I, and to genial pleasure slow;
Yet have I felt of sickness through the May,
Both hot and cold, and heart-aches every day,--
How hard, alas! to bear, I only know. 40
IX Such shaking doth the fever in me keep
Through all this May that I have little sleep;
And also 'tis not likely unto me,
That any living heart should sleepy be
In which Love's dart its fiery point doth steep. 45
X But tossing lately on a sleepless bed,
I of a token thought which Lovers heed;
How among them it was a common tale,
That it was good to hear the Nightingale,
Ere the vile Cuckoo's note be utterèd. 50
XI And then I thought anon as it was day,
I gladly would go somewhere to essay
If I perchance a Nightingale might hear,
For yet had I heard none, of all that year,
And it was then the third night of the May. 55
XII And soon as I a glimpse of day espied,
No longer would I in my bed abide,
But straightway to a wood that was hard by,
Forth did I go, alone and fearlessly,
And held the pathway down by a brook-side; 60
XIII Till to a lawn I came all white and green,
I in so fair a one had never been.
The ground was green, with daisy powdered over;
Tall were the flowers, the grove a lofty cover,
All green and white; and nothing else was seen. [C] 65
XIV There sate I down among the fair fresh flowers,
And saw the birds come tripping from their bowers,
Where they had rested them all night; and they,
Who were so joyful at the light of day,
Began to honour May with all their powers. 70
XV Well did they know that service all by rote,
And there was many and many a lovely note,
Some, singing loud, as if they had complained;
Some with their notes another manner feigned;
And some did sing all out with the full throat. 75
XVI They pruned themselves, and made themselves right gay,
Dancing and leaping light upon the spray;
And ever two and two together were,
The same as they had chosen for the year,
Upon Saint Valentine's returning day. 80
XVII Meanwhile the stream, whose bank I sate upon,
Was making such a noise as it ran on
Accordant to the sweet Birds' harmony;
Methought that it was the best melody
Which ever to man's ear a passage won. 85
XVIII And for delight, but how I never wot,
I in a slumber and a swoon was caught,
Not all asleep and yet not waking wholly;
And as I lay, the Cuckoo, bird unholy,
Broke silence, or I heard him in my thought. 90
XIX And that was right upon a tree fast by,
And who was then ill satisfied but I?
Now, God, quoth I, that died upon the rood,
From thee and thy base throat, keep all that's good,
Full little joy have I now of thy cry. 95
XX And, as I with the Cuckoo thus 'gan chide,
In the next bush that was me fast beside,
I heard the lusty Nightingale so sing,
That her clear voice made a loud rioting,
Echoing through all the green wood wide. [D] 100
XXI Ah! good sweet Nightingale! for my heart's cheer,
Hence hast thou stayed a little while too long;
For we have had [2] the sorry Cuckoo here,
And she hath been before thee with her song;
Evil light on her! she hath done me wrong. 105
XXII But hear you now a wondrous thing, I pray;
As long as in that swooning-fit I lay,
Methought I wist right well what these birds meant,
And had good knowing both of their intent,
And of their speech, and all that they would say. 110
XXIII The Nightingale thus in my hearing spake:--
Good Cuckoo, seek some other bush or brake,
And, prithee, let us that can sing dwell here;
For every wight eschews thy song to hear,
Such uncouth singing verily dost thou make. 115
XXIV What! quoth she then, what is't that ails thee now?
It seems to me I sing as well as thou;
For mine's a song that is both true and plain,--
Although I cannot quaver so in vain
As thou dost in thy throat, I wot not how. 120
XXV All men may understanding have of me,
But, Nightingale, so may they not of thee;
For thou hast many a foolish and quaint cry:--
Thou say'st, OSEE, OSEE, then how may I
Have knowledge, I thee pray, what this may be? 125
XXVI Ah, fool! quoth she, wist thou not what it is?
Oft as I say OSEE, OSEE, I wis,
Then mean I, that I should be wondrous fain
That shamefully they one and all were slain,
Whoever against Love mean aught amiss. 130
XXVII And also would I that they all were dead,
Who do not think in love their life to lead;
For who is both the God of Love to obey,
Is only fit to die, I dare well say,
And for that cause OSEE I cry; take heed! 135
XXVIII Ay, quoth the Cuckoo, that is a quaint law,
That all must love or die; but I withdraw,
And take my leave of all such company,
For mine intent it neither is to die,
Nor ever while I live Love's yoke to draw. 140
XXIX For lovers of all folk that be alive,
The most disquiet have and least do thrive;
Most feeling have of sorrow [3] woe and care,
And the least welfare cometh to their share;
What need is there against the truth to strive? 145
XXX What! quoth she, thou art all out of thy mind,
That in thy churlishness a cause canst find
To speak of Love's true Servants in this mood;
For in this world no service is so good
To every wight that gentle is of kind. 150
XXXI For thereof comes all goodness and all worth;
All gentiless [4] and honour thence come forth;
Thence worship comes, content and true heart's pleasure,
And full-assured trust, joy without measure,
And jollity, fresh cheerfulness, and mirth; 155
XXXII And bounty, lowliness, and courtesy,
And seemliness, and faithful company,
And dread of shame that will not do amiss;
For he that faithfully Love's servant is,
Rather than be disgraced, would chuse to die. 160
XXXIII And that the very truth it is which I
Now say--in such belief I'll live and die;
And Cuckoo, do thou so, by my advice.
Then, quoth she, let me never hope for bliss,
If with that counsel I do e'er comply. 165
XXXIV Good Nightingale! thou speakest wondrous fair,
Yet for all that, the truth is found elsewhere;
For Love in young folk is but rage, I wis;
And Love in old folk a great dotage is;
Who most it useth, him 'twill most impair. 170
XXXV For thereof come all contraries to gladness;
Thence sickness comes, and overwhelming sadness,
Mistrust and jealousy, despite, debate,
Dishonour, shame, envy importunate,
Pride, anger, mischief, poverty, and madness. 175
XXXVI Loving is aye an office of despair,
And one thing is therein which is not fair;
For whoso gets of love a little bliss,
Unless it alway stay with him, I wis
He may full soon go with an old man's hair. 180
XXXVII And, therefore, Nightingale! do thou keep nigh,
For trust me well, in spite of thy quaint cry,
If long time from thy mate thou be, or far,
Thou'lt be as others that forsaken are;
Then shall thou raise a clamour as do I. 185
XXXVIII Fie, quoth she, on thy name, Bird ill beseen!
The God of Love afflict thee with all teen,
For thou art worse than mad a thousand fold;
For many a one hath virtues manifold,
Who had been nought, if Love had never been. 190
XXXIX For evermore his servants Love amendeth,
And he from every blemish them defendeth;
And maketh them to burn, as in a fire,
In loyalty, and worshipful desire,
And, when it likes him, joy enough them sendeth. 195
XL Thou Nightingale! the Cuckoo said, be still,
For Love no reason hath but his own will;--
For to th' untrue he oft gives ease and joy;
True lovers doth so bitterly annoy,
He lets them perish through that grievous ill. 200
XLI With such a master would I never be; [E]
For he, in sooth, is blind, and may not see,
And knows not when he hurts and when he heals;
Within this court full seldom Truth avails,
So diverse in his wilfulness is he. 205
XLII Then of the Nightingale did I take note,
How from her inmost heart a sigh she brought,
And said, Alas! that ever I was born,
Not one word have I now, I am so forlorn,--
And with that word, she into tears burst out. 210
XLIII Alas, alas! my very heart will break,
Quoth she, to hear this churlish bird thus speak
Of Love, and of his holy services;
Now, God of Love! thou help me in some wise,
That vengeance on this Cuckoo I may wreak. 215
XLIV And so methought I started up anon,
And to the brook I ran and got a stone,
Which at the Cuckoo hardily I cast,
And he for dread did fly away full fast;
And glad, in sooth, was I when he was gone. 220
XLV And as he flew, the Cuckoo, ever and aye,
Kept crying, "Farewell!--farewell, Popinjay!"
As if in scornful mockery of me;
And on I hunted him from tree to tree,
Till he was far, all out of sight, away. 225
XLVI Then straightway came the Nightingale to me,
And said, Forsooth, my friend, do I thank thee,
That thou wert near to rescue me; and now
Unto the God of Love I make a vow,
That all this May I will thy songstress be. 230
XLVII Well satisfied, I thanked her, and she said,
By this mishap no longer be dismayed,
Though thou the Cuckoo heard, ere thou heard'st me;
Yet if I live it shall amended be,
When next May comes, if I am not afraid. 235
XLVIII And one thing will I counsel thee also,
The Cuckoo trust not thou, nor his Love's saw;
All that she said is an outrageous lie.
Nay, nothing shall me bring thereto, quoth I,
For Love, and it hath done me mighty woe. 240
XLIX Yea, hath it? use, quoth she, this medicine;
This May-time, every day before thou dine,
Go look on the fresh daisy; then say I,
Although for pain thou may'st be like to die,
Thou wilt be eased, and less wilt droop and pine. 245
L And mind always that thou be good and true,
And I will sing one song, of many new,
For love of thee, as loud as I may cry;
And then did she begin this song full high,
"Beshrew all them that are in love untrue." 250
LI And soon as she had sung it to the end,
Now farewell, quoth she, for I hence must wend;
And, God of Love, that can right well and may,
Send unto thee as mickle joy this day,
As ever he to Lover yet did send. 255
LII Thus takes the Nightingale her leave of me;
I pray to God with her always to be,
And joy of love to send her evermore;
And shield us from the Cuckoo and her lore,
For there is not so false a bird as she. 260
LIII Forth then she flew, the gentle Nightingale,
To all the Birds that lodged within that dale,
And gathered each and all into one place;
And them besought to hear her doleful case,
And thus it was that she began her tale. 265
LIV The Cuckoo--'tis not well that I should hide
How she and I did each the other chide,
And without ceasing, since it was daylight;
And now I pray you all to do me right
Of that false Bird whom Love can not abide. 270
LV Then spake one Bird, and full assent all gave;
This matter asketh counsel good as grave,
For birds we are--all here together brought;
And, in good sooth, the Cuckoo here is not;
And therefore we a Parliament will have. 275
LVI And thereat shall the Eagle be our Lord,
And other Peers whose names are on record;
A summons to the Cuckoo shall be sent,
And judgment there be given; or that intent
Failing, we finally shall make accord. 280
LVII And all this shall be done, without a nay,
The morrow after Saint Valentine's day,
Under a maple that is well beseen,
Before the chamber-window of the Queen,
At Woodstock, on the meadow green and gay. 285
LVIII She thankèd them; and then her leave she took,
And flew into a hawthorn by that brook;
And there she sate and sung--upon that tree--
"For term of life Love shall have hold of me"--
So loudly, that I with that song awoke. 290
Unlearnèd Book and rude, as well I know,
For beauty thou hast none, nor eloquence,
Who did on thee the hardiness bestow
To appear before my Lady? but a sense
Thou surely hast of her benevolence, 295
Whereof her hourly bearing proof doth give;
For of all good she is the best alive.
Alas, poor Book! for thy unworthiness,
To show to her some pleasant meanings writ
In winning words, since through her gentiless, [5] 300
Thee she accepts as for her service fit!
Oh! it repents me I have neither wit
Nor leisure unto thee more worth to give;
For of all good she is the best alive.
Beseech her meekly with all lowliness, 305
Though I be far from her I reverence,
To think upon my truth and stedfastness,
And to abridge my sorrow's violence,
Caused by the wish, as knows your sapience,
She of her liking proof to me would give; 310
For of all good she is the best alive.
L'ENVOY Pleasure's Aurora, Day of gladsomeness!
Luna by night, with heavenly influence
Illumined! root of beauty and goodnesse,
Write, and allay, by your beneficence, 315
My sighs breathed forth in silence,--comfort give!
Since of all good, you are the best alive.
EXPLICIT
* * * * *
VARIANTS ON THE TEXT
[Variant 1: In 1819 Wordsworth wrote the opening stanza of his version
of 'The Cuckoo and the Nightingale', in the album of Mrs. Calvert at
Keswick, thus:
'The God of Love--ah, benedicite!'
How mighty and how great a Lord is He!
High can he make the heart that's low and poor,
And high hearts low--through pains that they endure,
And hard hearts, He can make them kind and free.
W. W., Nov. 27, 1819.]
[Variant 2:
1842.
... have heard ... 1841.]
[Variant 3:
1842
... sorrow's ... 1841.]
[Variant 4:
1842.
... gentleness ... 1841.]
[Variant 5:
1842.