The Clerk who would see the Virgin

Publication Statement:

This file is part of the facsimile-edition of the Auchinleck Manuscript was co-edited by Professor David Burnley and Dr Alison Wiggins. The HTML versions of the resource are freely available at http://www.nls.uk/auchinleck/

Notes:

This manuscript file was originally supplied as clerkvirg.html and the header file was located in heads/clerkvirg_head.html both of which were converted to TEI XML by Dr James Cummings of the Oxford Text Archive. The notes below were taken from the header file and each HTML paragraph placed in a separate note.

Scribe 1

12-line stanzas, rhyming ababababcdcd. Paraphs in the latter part of the poem suggest interpretation by the copyist as alternating 8- and 4-line stanzas. 199 lines. Begins imperfect.

Unique Copy.

Editions:
B. Boyd, Middle English Miracles of the Virgin (San Marino: Huntington Library, 1964): 24-29.
C. Horstmann, 'Of a Clerk who would see the Virgin', Altenglische Legenden, Neue Folge (Heilbronn: Henninger, 1881): 499-502.

Index *4. Suppl. 282.5.

Source:

The Auchinleck Manuscript (NLS Adv MS 19.2.1) is one of the National Library of Scotland’s greatest treasures. Produced in London in the 1330s, it provides a unique insight into the English language and literature that Chaucer and his generation grew up with and were influenced by. It acquired its name from its first known owner, Lord Auchinleck, who discovered the manuscript in 1740 and donated it to the precursor of the National Library in 1744.

The Clerk who would see the Virgin


[An an]gel sche sent to him anon. [f.37vb] [Image]
[He g]ret þe clerk wiþ milde steuen.
[Into] þe chamber when he gan gon,
[He was] briȝter þan ani leuen.
[Leuen] no no sonnes bem[5]
[In so]mers day nas neuer so briȝt,
[Þan] þat angel, when he doun kem
[Into] þat hous about midniȝt.
[He þo]uȝt his hert schuld tospring,
[Þo h]e gan on þat angel sen.[10]
[‘Mi] clerk, drede þe noþing,
[Grace] of God be ous bitven.
[Tidan]des now y þe bring
[Fram M]arie, our heuen-quen;
[I þe] telle certain tiding:[15]
[If þou] wilt hir bodi sen,
[If sen] þou wilt þat leuedi briȝt,
[Þis p]enaunce þou most chesen:
[Þou m]iȝt be siker, þine eiȝesiȝt
[Oþer þ]i liif þou schalt forlesen.’[20]
[Þe cler]k anon gan him biþink:
[ȝet y] can anoþer croke:
[Wiþ] min on eiȝe y schal wink,
[& wiþ] mi noþer y schal loke;
[Mi wa]risoun y schal biswink[25]
[Til y] may sen opon a boke,
[& haue] anowe mete & drink.
[Gode] comfort to him he tok.
[He tok] to him anon gode hede:
[Iwis, m]in on eiȝe may me seruen[30]
[Þer to] do wiþ al mi dede;
[It is] ynouȝ til y schal steruen.
[Þe cl]erk him fair answerd oȝain
[‘Ich] do me alle in her manay.
[Sch]eu now what y schal mene[35]
[To] Mari, as y þe say.
[Hir s]eriaunt ichaue long ben;
[Wiþ a]ll loue now ich [h]ir pray
[Þat] ich mot hir ones sen
[Aper]tliche, er þan y day.[40]
[Whe]n y dye, sche ȝiue me grace
[To come] to hir wiþ gode entent,
[To sen] hir bodi & hir face.’
[Þe an]gel oȝain to heuene is went.
Fram heuen into þe clerkes bour, [f.38ra] [Image] [45]
Riȝt doun biforn his beddes fet,
Þe angel aliȝt wiþ gret honour,
& wel fair he gan him gret.
‘Mari, þat bar our saueour’
He seyd ‘þou schalt sen as sket.’[50]
Wiþ him þer com a gret odour;
Nas neuer no smel half so swete.
So swete a smal nas neuer non,
Of rose no of no spicerie,
As com into þat leueli won[55]
Befor þat leueliche compeynie.
Wiþ angel song & miri play
Our leuedi adoun sche liȝt
Into þe chaumber þer he lay,
& seyd ‘clerk, drede þe nowiȝt.’[60]
Þei a man biþouȝt him ay,
No schuld he reden a poin[t] ariȝt
Hennes vnto domesday
Hou fair sche is, þat maiden briȝt.
Hou briȝt sche is no tong may telle –[65]
Yblisced mot hye euer ben.
Of heuen, of erþe & of helle
Sche is emperice & quene.
A mantel our leuedy vnfeld,
Briȝter þan sonne þat schineþ schire.[70]
‘Clerk, drede þe nouȝt, bot be nov beld,
For þou schalt haue þi desire;
Þerwhiles þou hast þine eiȝen in weld,
Avise þe wele of min atire,
Apertliche þou me biheld,[75]
Bodi & face, brest & swire.’
Swire & al hir bodi he seiȝe,
When sche hadde to him spoken:
He loked on hir wiþ his on eiȝe –
Þat oþer he held stille yloken.[80]
Oȝain to heuen our leuedi went
Wel stillelich out of þat clos.
Þe clerk held him foulely schent,
Amorwe, when þat he aros.
His ȝalu here he haþ al torent,[85]
& in his hert sore him agros;
Al þus he seyd & him biment
‘Þis niȝt y saued on of mi fos;
Mi fo y spard, allas þat while! [f.38rb] [Image]
Sori icham & wele ich owe:[90]
Min eiȝe doþ mi soule gile,
& often bringeþ it ful lowe.’
Riȝt in his chaumber, þer he stode,
Him þouȝt his liif was him ful loþ,
He wepe sore wiþ dreri mode,[95]
& out of his chaumber he goþ. [ out of: copied on an erasure?]
‘Þat me no deined, ich was wode,
To loke wiþ min eiȝen boþe
Opon þat leuedi fair & gode;
Y wot þerfore þat sche is wroþ.[100]
Wroþ sche is, & wele sche may,
Wiþ me, þat am sinful chaitif,
Þat y schuld hir so bitraye,
Þat ichaue loued in al mi liif.
Euer me may rewe þat ich while[105]
Þat y schuld for ani drede
Do Marie þat gret gile.
Allas, what schal me to rede?
Mi soule y brouȝt in gret periil.
A, leuedi, for þi maidenhed[110]
Forȝiue me mi sinnes vile,
& help me in þis muchel nede.
In þis nede þou me saue,
Þat y no be neuer forlorn;
Graunt me þat y þe craue,[115]
For his loue þat of þe was born.
A, leuedi, to me þou liþe,
For care min hert wil toriue;
Michel loue ichil þe kiþe
& worþschip þine ioies fiue.[120]
Lene me grace, anoþer siþe
To se þi bodi wiþouten striue.
Bi so, ichil be bliþe
To be blinde in al mi liue.
In al mi liue ichil be glad[125]
In swiche penaunce for to ben,
Bi so þou graunt þat y þe bad:
Efsones y mot þe sen.’
Alday he was in sorwe strong;
& afterward þat com þe niȝt;[130]
His white honden hard he wrong,
He ne may for wo slepe nowiȝt.
He herd þan a miri song [f.38va] [Image]
Of angels þat were so briȝt;
Our leuedi com hem among,[135]
& seyd ‘clerk, drede [þe] nowiȝt.’
Sche spac þe clerk so fair vntille
‘Ich forȝiue þe al þi gilt;
Þi praier y schal fulfille:
Loke on me, ȝif þat þou wilt.[140]
Þerwhiles þat þou art hayl & quert,
Biheld me wele euerich a bon.
Biþenche in þine owhen hert
Þat warisoun no hastow non;
Þine axing sore schal þe smert,[145]
ȝif þou be blinde as ani ston;
Þou most liue in gret pouert,
[W]hen þou hast þine eiȝen forgon.
When þou forgos þi warldes wele,
& loue of frendes, fremed & sibbe,[150]
Angwis þou most suffri fele,
In alle time þat þou schalt libbe.’
Þe clerk answerd, & louȝ
‘Min hert is ful of gret solas;
Icham bliþer þan brid on bouȝ[155]
Þat ich haue seyn þine holy face;
Of al ioie ichaue anouȝ,
Sende me now, leuedi, of þi grace –
To suffren wo mi body is touȝ,
Bi so ich mot hauen a place.[160]
A place graunt me, Marie,
Þat mi soule mot wone,
Wiþ ioie & wiþ melodye;
In heuen bifor þi swet sone.’
Sche seyd ‘mi clerk, no wepe þou nouȝt,[165]
No make no mornand chere.
Þi bon þou hast me bisouȝt,
Ich graunt þe in al maner;
Into þat ioie þou schalt be brouȝt,
When þou hast laten þi liif here,[170]
Þat mi swete sone haþ wrouȝt
To hem þat ben him leue & dere.
Dere þou art to me, ywis.
Oȝain to heuen now ich mot wende;
Þou schalt com into þat blis,[175]
When þou hast laten þi liues ende.’
Vp into heuen anon sche steyȝe, [f.38vb] [Image]
Þer sche is quen & leuedi corn.
Þe clerk his eiȝen fast he wreiȝe,
He wende his siȝt were forlorn. [180] [ forlorn: second r superscript with caret mark.]
When it was day, ful wele he seiȝe [ day superscript with insertion point marked.]
Þis warldes pride al him biforn.
‘Merci, leuedi’ he crid on heiȝe
‘Wele be þe time þat þou were born.
Þat þou were born of o wiman,[185]
Blisced be euer þe day.
Þer liueþ no wiȝt þat telle can
Þe ioie þat of þe springeþ ay.’
Leuedi, flour & frout of Iesse,
Þou art maiden, gode & hende,[190]
Godes moder, mild & fre;
Michel þou helpest al mankende:
On þi seruaunt haue pite,
& saue ous, lord, fram þe fende
& graunt ous, ȝif þi wille be[195]
When we schul of þis warld wende
When we schal wend out of þis liue.
Here our prayer & our steuen:
Bring ous, for þine ioies fiue,
Into þe swete blis of heuen. Amen.[200]
Explicit