| Love is Life |
| By Richard Rolle of Hampole (1290?–1349) |
I LUF es lyf pat lastes ay, par it in Criste es feste, | |
| For wele ne wa it chaunge may, als wryten has men wyseste. | |
| Pe nyght it tournes in til pe day, pi trauel in tyll reste; | |
| If pou wil luf pus as I say, pou may be wyth pe beste. | |
II Lufe es thought, wyth grete desyre, of a fayre louyng; | 5 |
| Lufe I lyken til a fyre pat sloken may na thyng; | |
| Lufe vs clenses of oure syn, lufe vs bote sall bryng; | |
| Lufe pe keynges hert may wyn, lufe of ioy may syng. | |
III Pe settel of lufe es lyft hee, for in til heuen it ranne; | |
| Me thynk in erth it es sle, pat makes men pale and wanne. | 10 |
| Pe bede of blysse it gase ful nee, I tel pe as I kanne, | |
| Pof vs thynk pe way be dregh; luf copuls god & manne. | |
IV Lufe es hatter pen pe cole, lufe may nane be-swyke; | |
| Pe flawme of lufe wha myght it thole, if it war ay I-lyke? | |
| Luf vs comfortes, & mase in qwart, & lyftes tyl heuen-ryke; | 15 |
| Luf rauysches Cryste in tylowr hert, I wate na lust it lyke. | |
V Lere to luf, if pou wyl lyfe when pou sall hethen fare. | |
| All pi thought til hym pou gyf, pat may pe kepe fra kare; | |
| Loke pi hert fra hym noght twyn, if pou in wandreth ware, | |
| Sa pou may hym welde & wyn and luf hym euer-mare. | 20 |
VI Ihesu pat me lyfe hase lent, In til pi lufe me bryng, | |
| Take til pe al myne entent, pat pow be my zhernyng. | |
| Wa fra me away war went & comne war my couytyng, | |
| If pat my sawle had herd & hent pe sang of pi louyng. | |
VII Pi lufe es ay lastand, fra pat we may it fele: | 25 |
| Pare-in make me byrnand, pat na thyng gar it kele. | |
| My thoght take in to pi hand, & stabyl it ylk a dele, | |
| Pat I be noght heldand to luf pis worldes wele. | |
VIII If I lufe any erthly thyng pat payes to my wyll, | |
| & settes my ioy & my lykyng when it may co&mtilde; me tyll, | 30 |
| I mai drede of partyng, pat wyll be hate and yll: | |
| For al my welth es bot wepyng, when pyne mi saule sal spyll. | |
IX Pe ioy pat men hase sene, es lyckend tyl pe haye, | |
| Pat now es fayre & grene, and now wytes awaye. | |
| Swylk es pis worlde, I wene, & bees till domes-daye, | 35 |
| All in trauel & tene, fle pat na man it maye. | |
X If pou luf in all pi thought, and hate pe fylth of syn, | |
| And gyf hym pi sawle pat it boght, pat he pe dwell with-in: | |
| Als Crist pi sawle hase sought & per-of walde noght blyn, | |
| Sa pou sal to blys be broght, & heuen won with-in. | 40 |
XI Pe kynd of luf es pis, par it es trayst and trew: | |
| To stand styll in stabylnes, & chaunge it for na new. | |
| Pe lyfe pat lufe myght fynd or euer in hert it knew, | |
| Fra kare it tornes pat kyend, & lendes in myrth & glew. | |
XII For now lufe pow, I rede, Cryste, as I pe tell: | 45 |
| And with aungels take pi stede—pat ioy loke pou noght sell! | |
| In erth pow hate, I rede, all pat pi lufe may fell: | |
| For luf es stalworth as pe dede, luf es hard as hell. | |
XIII Luf es lyght byrthen, lufe gladdes zong and alde, | |
| Lufe es with-owten pyne, als lofers hase me talde; | 50 |
| Lufe es a gastly wynne, pat makes men bygge & balde, | |
| Of lufe sal he na thyng tyne pat hit in hert will halde. | |
XIV Lufe es pe swettest thyng pat man in erth hase tane, | |
| Lufe es goddes derlyng, lufe byndes blode & bane. | |
| In lufe be owre lykyng, Ine wate na better wane, | 55 |
| For me & my lufyng lufe makes bath be ane. | |
XV Bot fleschly lufe sal fare as does pe flowre in may, | |
| And lastand be na mare pan ane houre of a day, | |
| And sythen syghe ful sare par lust, par pride, par play, | |
| When pai er casten in kare, til pyne pat lastes ay. | 60 |
XVI When pair bodys lyse in syn, pair sawls mai qwake & drede: | |
| For vp sal ryse al men, and answer for pair dede; | |
| If pai be fonden in syn, als now pair lyfe pai lede, | |
| Pai sall sytt hel within, & myrknes hafe to mede. | |
XVII Riche men pair handes sal wryng, & wicked werkes sal by | 65 |
| In flawme of fyre bath knyght & keyng, with sorow schamfully. | |
| If pou wil lufe, pan may pou syng til Cryst in melody, | |
| Pe lufe of hym ouercoms al thyng, parto pou traiste trewly. | |
XVIII [I] sygh & sob, bath day & nyght, for ane sa fayre of hew. | |
| Par es na thyng my hert mai light, bot lufe, pat es ay new. | 70 |
| Wha sa had hym in his syght, or in his hert hym knew, | |
| His mournyng turned til ioy ful bryght, his sang in til glew. | |
XIX In myrth he lyfes, nyght & day, pat lufes pat swete chylde: | |
| It es Ihesu, forsoth I say, of all mekest & mylde. | |
| Wreth fra hym walde al a-way, pof he wer neuer sa wylde; | 75 |
| He pat in hert lufed hym, pat day fra euel he wil hym schylde. | |
XX Of Ihesu mast lyst me speke, pat al my bale may bete. | |
| Me thynk my hert may al to-breke, when I thynk on pat swete | |
| In lufe lacyd he hase my thoght, pat I sal neuer forgete: | |
| Ful dere me thynk he hase me boght, with blodi hende & fete. | 80 |
XXI For luf my hert es bowne to brest, when I pat faire behalde. | |
| Lufe es fair pare it es fest, pat neuer will be calde. | |
| Lufe vs reues pe nyght rest, in grace it makes vs blade; | |
| Of al warkes luf es pe best, als hale men me talde. | |
XXII Na wonder gyf I syghand be & sipen in sorow be sette: | 85 |
| Ihesu was nayled apon pe tre, & al blody for-bette; | |
| To pynk on hym es grete pyte, how tenderly he grette— | |
| Pis hase he sufferde, man, for pe, if pat pou syn wyll lette. | |
XXIII Pare es na tonge in erth my tell of lufe pe swetness; | |
| Pat stdfastly in lufe kan dwell, his ioy es endlesse. | 90 |
| God schylde pat he sulde til hell pat lufes & langand es, | |
| Or euer his enmys sulde hym quwell, or make his luf be lesse! | |
XXIV Ihesu es lufe pat lastes ay: til hym es owre langyng; | |
| Ihesu pe nyght turnes to pe day, pe dawyng in til spryng. | |
| Ihesu, pynk on vs, now & ay: for pe we halde oure keyng: | 95 |
| Ihesu, gyf vs grace, as pou wel may, to luf pe with-owten endyng. GLOSS: par] when; feste] fastened; trauel] toil; louyng] object of love, beloved; sloken] quench; bote] remedy; settel] seat; lyft] lifted; hee] high; sle] deceitful?; bede] bed?; nee] nigh; Pof] Though; dregh] long; hatter] hotter; be-swyke] deceive; thole] bear; I-lyke] the same; mase in qwart] makes healthy; heuen-ryke] heaven’s kingdom; lust] desire; Lere] Learn; hethen] hence; twyn] separate; in wandreth ware] shouldst be in trouble; welde] possess; lent] given; zhernyng] desire; hent] grasped, apprehended; fra pat] from the time that; gar it kele] may cause it to cool; ylk a dele] every whit, completely [lit. every one part]; heldand] inclined; payes to] pleases; hate] grievous; pyne] pain; spyll] destroy; haye] grass ready for mowing; wytes] passes; Swylk] such; tene] affliction; pat … it] which; blyn] cease; won] dwell; kynd] nature, quality; par] when; trayst] faithful; Pe lyfe] The man, the soul; kyend] nature, quality; lendes] places; glew] joy; For now] Therefore; rede] advise; stede] place; fell] abate; pe dede] death; gastly] spiritual; wynne] wine; bygge] strong; tyne] lose; wane] dwelling; sythen] afterwards; syghe] lament; myrknes] darkness; by] pay dearly for; hew] form, aspect; turned] would turn; Wreth] Anger; pof] tough; bale] woe; bete] amend; lacyd] caught; hende] hands; bowne to brest] ready to burst; reues] bereaves; for-bette] scourged; grette] wept; lette] leave; sulde] should[go]; qwell] destroy, slay; dawyng] dawn; spryng] day-spring |
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