Blow, Northern Wind



Blow, northerne wynd,
    Send thou me my suetyng!
    Blow, northerne wynd,
      Blou, blou, blou!

    Ichot a burde in bour{.e} bryht,
    That fully semly is on syht,
    Menskful maiden of myht,
      Feir ant fre to fond{.e};
    In al this wurhlich{.e} won,
  A burde of blod and of bon
  Never yete y nust{.e} non
    Lussomore in lond{.e}.

    With lokk{.e}s lefliche and long{.e},
  With frount and fac{.e} feir to fong{.e},
  With murth{.e}s moni{.e} mote heo mong{.e},
    That brid so breme in bour{.e};
  With lossom ey{.e}, grete ant god{.e},
  With browen blysfol under hod{.e};
  He that reste him on the rod{.e}
    That leflich lyf honour{.e}!

    Hire lur{.e} lum{.e}s liht
  Ase a launterne a nyht,
  Hire bleo blykyeth so bryht:
    So feyr heo is ant fyn!
  A suetly suyre heo hath to hold{.e},
  With arm{.e}s, shuldr{.e}, ase mon wold{.e},
  Ant fyngres feyr{.e} fort{.e} fold{.e},
    God wolde hue wer{.e} myn!

    Middel heo hath menskful smal;
  Hire loveliche cher{.e} as cristal;
  They{.e}s, legg{.e}s, fet, ant al,
    Ywraht is of the best{.e}.
  A lussum ledy last{.e}les
  That sweting is, and ever wes;
  A betere burd{.e} never nes
    Yhery{.e}d with the hest{.e}.

    Heo is der{.e}worthe in day,
  Gracious{.e}, stout, and gay,
  Gentil, jolyf so the jay,
    Worhlich{.e} when heo waketh.
  Maiden murgest of mouth;
  Bi est, bi west, by north and south,
  Thér nis fithel{.e} ne crouth
    That such murth{.e}s maketh.

    Heo is coral of godness{.e},
  Heo is rubie of ryhtfulness{.e},
  Heo is cristal of clanness{.e},
    Ant baner of bealté;
  Heo is lilie of largess{.e},
  Heo is paruenke of prouess{.e},
  Heo is solsecle of suetness{.e},
    Ant ledy of lealté.

...
    For hir{.e} love y carke ant car{.e},
  For hir{.e} love y droupne ant dar{.e},
  For hir{.e} love my blisse is bar{.e},
    Ant al ich wax{.e} won;
  For hir{.e} love in slep y slak{.e},
  For hir{.e} love al nyht ich wak{.e},
  For hir{.e} love mournynge y mak{.e}
    Mor{.e} then eny mon.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:52 min read
121

Quick analysis:

Scheme AbAc aaadeffd dddddddd aaaeddde cccdgggd abxhhhhh dddaddda dddedddx
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,964
Words 373
Stanzas 8
Stanza Lengths 4, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 9

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