MEDIAEVAL POETRY IN PRAISE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN (PART SEVEN)
MARYE, MAYDE MYLDE AND FRE
Scriptural imagery abounds in Marye, mayde mylde and fre, ascribed to William Shoreham, one of the very few named authors to have written lyrics before 1350.
MARYE, MAYDE MYLDE AND FRE
Marye, mayde mylde and free . . . gracious; noble
Chambre of þe trynyte Trinity
One wyle lest to me A while; listen
Ase ich þe grete wyþ songe: As I greet thee in sons
Þaᵹ my fet on-clene be Though; container; dirty
My mes þou onder-fonge. Receive thou my portion
Þou art quene of paradys
Of heuene, of erthe, of alþat hys that is (exists)
Þou bere þane kynge of blis bore the King
Wyþ-oute senne and sore 10 without sin or pain
Þou hast y-ryᵹt þat was amys hast set wrongs aright
Y-wonne þat was ylore. won; lost
Þou ert þe coluere of noe dove of Noah
Þat broute þe braunche of olye tre brought; branch; olive
In tokne þat pays scholde be token; peace; should
By-tuexte god and manne between
Suete leuedy, help þou me sweet lady
Wanne ich schal wende hanne. when I shall go hence
Þou art þe bosche of synay bush of Sinai
Þou art þe rytte sarray 20 legitimate Sarah
Þou has ybrouᵹt ous out of cry brought us out of range
Of calenge of Þe fende challenge; fiend/devil
Þou art crystes oᵹene drury Christ's own beloved
And of dauyes kende. David's kin
Þou art þe slinge, þe sone þe ston the sling; son; stone
Þat dauy slange golye op-on David slung on Goliath
Þou ert þe ᵹerd al of aaron all the rod of Aaron
Me dreye iseᵹ spryngynde blooming when dry
Wyt-nesse at ham euerechon take all as witness
Þat wyste of þyne chyldynge. 30 knew; childbearing
Þou ert þe temple salomon Solomon's temple
In þe wondrede gedeon Gideon wandered
Þou hast ygladed symeon gladdened Simeon
Wyþ þyne swete offrynge sweet offering
In þe temple atte auter-ston at the altar stone
Wyþ ihesus heuene kynge. with Jesus, heaven's
Þou ert Iudith, þat fayre wyfe Judith; that fair lady
Þou hast abated al þat stryf diminished all strife
Olofernes wyþ hys knyf with his knife
Hys heuede þou hym by-nome 40 head; bereft
Þou hest ysaued here lef saved their lives
Þat to þe wylle come. who wish to come
Þou ert hester, þate swete þinge Esther; sweet creature
Ande asseuer þe ryche kynge Assuerus
Þe(y) heþ ychose to hys weddynge thee he chose to wed
And quene he heþ a-uonge when he captured
For mordocheus, þy derlynge thy beloved Mordecai
Syre aman was y-honge. Lord Haman was hanged
Þe prophete ezechyel The prophet Ezekiel
In hys boke hyt wytnesseþ wel 50 it is well witnessed
Þou ert þe gate so stronge so stel as strong as steel
Ac euere y-schet fram manne but ever shut to man;
Þou erte þe ryᵹte uayre rachel the truly fair
Fayrest of all wymman. women
By ryᵹte toknynge þou ert þe hel true symbol; the hill
Of wah spellede danyel; of which Daniel spoke
Þou ert emaus, þe ryche castel
Þar resteþ alle werye where all the weary rest
Ine þe restede emanuel in thee rested Emanuel
of wan y-spekeþ ysaye. 60 of whom Isaiah spoke
In þe hys god by-come a chyld In thee has God become
In þe hys wreche by-come myld vengeance; mild
Þat vnicorn þat was so wyld the unicorn
Aleyd hys of a cheaste was subdued by a virgin
Þou hast y-tamed and i-styld tamed; quietened (it)
Wyþ melke of þy breste with milk; breast
Ine þe apocalyps sent Iohn Apocalypse; St John
Iseᵹ any wymman wyᵹ sonne by-gon saw; woman sun-clothed
Þane mone al onder hyre ton the moon under her feet
I-crouned wyþ tuel sterre 70 crowned; twelve stars
Swyl a leuedy nas neuere non Such; as never was
Wyþ þane fend to werre to make war on the Fiend
Ase þe sonne takeþ hyre pas As the sun penetrates
Wyþ-oute breche þorᵹ-out þat glas without breaking; glass
Þy maydenhod on-wemmed hyt was virginity; undefiled
For bere of þyne chylde by bearing; thy child
Nou, swete leuedy of solas sweet lady of solace
To ous senfolle be þou mylde us; the sinful; merciful
Haue, leuedy, þys lytel songe accept; this little song
Þat out of senfol herte spronge 80 sprung; sinful heart
Aᵹens þe feend þou make me stronge against; fiend; strengthen
And ᵹyf me þy wyssynge; grant me thy guidance
And þaz ich habbe y-do þe wrange though I; wronged thee
Þou graunte me amendynge. grant; amendment
The Scriptural imagery, varied only once by a reference to the unicorn (63), the legendary quadruped which could be quietened only by a virgin, covers mainly the Old Testament, though the reference to Emmaus (57) clearly refers to Christ's supper with the disciples at Emmaus after His Resurrection. Referring to the final couplet of the first stanza: Þaᵹ my fet on-clene be/My mes þou onder-fonge (5-6), Brown (1924:256) writes that this is "an obvious allusion to the story of 'Dainties in a foul dish' which is of frequent occurrence in the collections of Miracles of Our Lady."
The imagery conjured up is fast-moving and kaleidoscopic; in one of the more original and effective metaphors contained in the corpus of Marian poetry, the Blessed Virgin is described as David's sling and the Christ-Child as the stone which was shot from it (24-26). By equating Mary, who bore Christ, with characters such as Iudith (37), hester (43) and Rachel (53), fauna such þe coloure of noe (13) and flora such as the bosche of synay (19), William of Shoreham emphasises the belief that the Old Testament was fulfilled by the arrival of the Redeemer and that Mary's womb provided the bridge between the two eras. The unremitting production of Biblical metaphors brings the poem to a climax in which Mary is presented as the virgin who tamed the unicorn (63-64) before being depicted as the woman clothed with the sun, standing on the moon and crowned with twelve stars (68-70). The poem's conclusion culminates in prayer to the blessed Virgin to strengthen the poet against the devil; a prayerful end to a brilliantly conceived and executed panegyric.
Dr Luky Whittle
William of Shoreham ab 1320 Vicar of Charl-Sutton https://archive.org/details/poemswilliamsho00konrgoog
The Poems of William of Shoreham http://books.google.ie/books?id=MRNISXqCD-0C&redir_esc=y
With thanks to Archive.org Poemswilliam and Google
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