Two Anonymous Poems from ca. 1325

Thanks to everyone who has been reading and commenting on the Daily Poems. This first round of them began back in December, with a poem by Alice Oswald. For the past seven months we've gone backwards nearly seven hundred years, and have finally landed here, around 1325, at some of the earliest poetry in English. Tomorrow I'll begin another round. Please keep commenting, sharing, and suggesting other poems and poets to include. 

"Bitwenë March and Avëril"
Bitwenë March and Avëril
When spray biginneth to springe,
The litel foul hath hirë wil
On hyrë lede to synge.
Ich live in love-longinge
For semeliest of allë thynge,
She may me blissë bringe,
Ich am in hire baundoun.
     An hendy hap Ichave y-hent,
     Ichot from hevene it is me sent,
     From allë wommen my love is lent
     And light on Alysoun.

On hew hire her is fair ynogh,
Hire browës broune, hire eyen blake,
With lufsom chere she on me logh,
With middel smal and wel y-make.
But she me wol to hirë take
For to ben hire owen make,
Longe to live Ichulle forsake
And feyë falle adoun.
     An hendy hap Ichave y-hent,
     Ichot from hevene it is me sent,
     From allë wommen my love is lent
     And light on Alysoun.

Nightës when I wende and wake –
Forthy myn wongës waxen won –
Lady, al for thinë sake,
Longinge is y-lent me on.
In world nis non so wyter mon
That al hire bounté tellë con,
Hire swyre is whitter then the swon,
And fairest may in toune.
     An hendy hap Ichave y-hent,
     Ichot from hevene it is me sent,
     From allë wommen my love is lent
     And light on Alysoun.

Ich am for wowyng al forwake,
Wery so water in wore,
Lest any revë me my make
Ichave y-yernëd yore.
Beter is tholen while sore
Then mournen evermore.
Geynest under gore,
Herknë to my roun.
     An hendy hap Ichave y-hent,
     Ichot from hevene it is me sent,
     From allë wommen my love is lent
     And light on Alysoun.

Notes:
Averil - April;
spray - twig; springe - sprout;
foul - bird; hirë wil - her desire;
on hyrë lede - in her language;
semeliest - fairest; thynge - things, creatures;
baundoun - power;
‘a fair good fortune I have received’;
Ichot - I know;
lent - gone;
light - alighted;
on hew - in hue, colour; her - hair;
lufsom chere - lovely expression; logh - smiled;
middel smal - slender waist; wel y-make - well made;
but she - unless she;
to ben - to be; make - companion;
Ichulle forsake - I will refuse;
feyë - doomed, dead;
Nightës - at night; wende - toss;
Forthy for which - cause; wongës - cheeks; waxeth won - grow pale;
is y-lent me on - has come upon me;
so wyter - wiser;
bounté - excellence;
swyre - neck; swon - swan;
may in toune maiden alive;
wowyng - wooing; forwake - worn out;
so water in wore as - water in a troubled pool;
revë me my make - rob me of my mate;
y-yernëd yore - yearned for so long;
tholen whilë sore - suffer pain for a time;
geynest under gore - most gracious woman alive;
roun - song


“Maiden in the more lay”
Maiden in the more lay,
In the more lay,
     Sevenightë fullë and a –
     Sevenightë fulle and a –
Maiden in the morë lay,
In the morë lay,
     Sevenightë fullë and a day.

Well was hirë mete,
What was hirë mete?
     The primerole and the –
     The primerole and the –
Well was hirë mete,
What was hirë mete?
     The primerole and the violet.

Well was hirë dring,
What was hirë dring?
     The coldë water of the –
     The coldë water of the –
Well was hirë dring,
What was hirë dring?
     The coldë water of the wellë-spring.

Well was hirë bour,
What was hirë bour?
     The redë rose and the –
     The redë rose and the –
Well was hirë bour,
What was hirë bour?
     The redë rose and the lilie flour.

Notes:
in the morë - lay dwelt in the moor;
sevenightë fullë - seven full nights;
‘good was her food’;
primerole - primrose;
dring - drink;
wellë-spring - spring;
bour - chamber

Both poems from Penguin Book of English Verse