A Bird in Bishopswood
In a sesone of somere þat souerayne ys of alle,
Þat was þe myry monþ of May when many myrthys spryng,
Þe sonne ys somnore and syre and sendyth tyl vs doun,
And byddyth vs bisy for to be oure bodys for to glade;
Man for to myrth hym in al maner wys,
Bestys for to buske ham on bentys tyl abyde,
Bryddys in buschys bysy ham with songys,
Flourys for to florych and flauour ȝyf about,
Grys for to grow grene and glade mennys hartys;
Þus ech creature comfort hym caght,
And laxt lust for to lyf in likyng of somer.
And I had lenyd me long al a Lentyn tyme
In vnlust of my lyf and lost al my joye;
And þen I heuyd vp myn hert and myn hede aftyr
And welk forth to þe wodys as oþer wyes dydene,
Al vnpouruayd of play þat pryuete askyth.
And as I welk þus and wandryd, wery of myself,
I abode vndyr a busch at Byschopys Woode
For to se þe fayr fo[wly]s ech with his felaw play.
And as I sat in my solas and alle þes syghtys sawe,
A bryd bode on a bough, fast me besyde,
Þe fayrest fowyl of fethyrs þat I had say beforne;
Fyguryd in feturys fourmyd so clene
Þat sche nad lyme ne lyth þat lakke myȝt hafe;
Sade in al semblant, sayd bot a lytyl,
Naythyr chauntyd ne chatryd bot cheryd herself,
And naythyr fluschyd ne frayd as oþer fowlys dydyne,
Bot euer stode in a stody as sche astonyd were.
And as hyt semyd to my syght by semblant sche made
Þat sche myssyd a make myrth for to mak here.
Þen was I ferd of þis fowle þat I affray her schuld
Ȝyf I bowyd to þe bowgh þe bryd sat vpon,
And I was wo and euer waytyd when sche away wold flye,
For sche had wengys at her wylle and wantyd neuer a fethyr
And I vnlyght of my lymys and lyme had I none
Ne couth noght cheuysch me with charmys ne chauntyng of bryddys.
And thus I buskyd fro þis bryd and hyt abode stylle,
And þorg no spech þat I spak aspyed sche me noght;
And euer I wischyd in my wyl þat I her weld myȝt,
For to kepyn in my cage tyl wynter comyn were,
Þat sche were wery of þat wedyr and wold abyd somer.
Notes:
Original text dates c. 1395, authored by John Tickhill. Source language text is public domain. Read the translation in English here.
Ruth Kennedy, "'A Bird in Bishopswood': Some Newly-Discovered Lines of Alliterative Verse from the Late Fourteenth Century," from Medieval Literature and Antiquities: Studies in Honour of Basil Cottle, edited Myra Stokes and T. L. Burton. Cambridge: D. S. Brewer, 1987.