CCCXVII LEBEWOHL I WITH these words, Good-bye, Adieu, Take I leave to part from you, Leave to go beyond your view, Through the haze of that which is to be; Fare thou forth, and wing thy way, So our language makes me say. Though it yield, the forward spirit needs must pray In the word that is hope's old token. II Though the fountain cease to play, As of old it thought so must it think. Leave alone the darkling eyes Fixed upon the moving skies, Cross the hands upon the bosom, there to rise, W. CORY. BOOK I (1250-1625) I TRADITION assigns to this lively little lyric the honour of being the most ancient song, with or without the musical notes, in the English language. In all probability it was composed as early as 1250. It is preserved in the Harleian MS. No. 978, and was first published in Sir John Hawkins' History of Music. II This charming little song is from Harleian MS. No. 2253, and is printed by Ritson in his Ancient Songs and Ballads, vol. i. p. 58; it is also printed in Dr. Böddeker's Altenglische Dichtungen des MS. Harl. 2253, pp. 168-171; and his text I adopt. III Printed in Wright's Songs and Carols from Sloane MS. No. 2593 in the British Museum. IV From Harleian MS. 2253; printed by Wright and Ritson, and by Dr. K. Böddeker in his Altenglische Dichtungen des MS. Harl. 2253, p. 195. I give his text. V From the Egerton MS. No. 613, fol. 2, 20, of the thirteenth century. Printed in Wright's Reliqiuæ Antiquæ, vol. i. p. 89. VI It will be seen that the point of this graceful little poem turns on a pun between the herb "rew" and "rue" or pity. For William Dunbar see next note. VII William Dunbar, whom Sir Walter Scott pronounced to be "a poet unrivalled by any that Scotland has ever produced," was born some time about 1450 and died probably about 1530. Dunbar's fame has suffered from the obsolete language in which he wrote. There is a strange solemnity and power in many of his pieces. I only give a portion of the poem from which these stanzas are taken. VIII I have slightly modernised the spelling in this piece, which is to be found among Dunbar's miscellaneous poems. IX From the Garlande of Laurell. Skelton (1460?-1529) is chiefly known as the author of poems of a very different kind from this, but he had a versatile genius, and if he could revel in graceless ribaldry he could break out, as he does here, into charming song. X Sephestia's Song to her child in Menaphon. The middle stanza is omitted. XI From Patient Grissell, a comedy written in conjunction by Haughton, Chattle, and Dekker, 1600. XII From the Phænix Nest, 1593. |