Purity, a Middle English poem, ed. with introduction, notes, and glossary by Robert J. Menner.

V. THE FLOOD

'Now, Noe,' quod oure Lorde, 'art þou al redy? Hatz þou closed þy kyst wyth clay alle aboute?' 'Ȝe, Lorde, wyth þy leve,' sayde þe lede þenne, 'Al is wroȝt at þi worde, as þou me wyt lantez.' Line 348 'Enter in, þenn,' quod he, 'and haf þi wyf wyth þe, Þy þre sunez, wythouten þrep, and her þre wyvez; Bestez, as I bedene have, bosk þerinne als, And when ȝe arn staued styfly, stekez yow þerinne. Line 352 Fro seven dayez ben seyed I sende out bylyve Such a rowtande ryge þat rayne schal swyþe,

Þat schal wasch alle þe worlde of werkez of fylþe; Schal no flesch upon folde by fonden on lyve, Line 356 Outtaken yow aȝt in þis ark staued, And sed þat I wyl save of þyse ser bestez.' [No]w Noe never sty[n]tez—þat [n]yȝ[t] he by|gynnez— Er al wer stawed and stoken as þe steven wolde. Line 360

Thenne sone com þe sevenþe day when samned wern alle, [folio 66a] And alle woned in þe whichche, þe wylde and þe tame. Þen bolned þe abyme, and bonkez con ryse, Waltes out uch w[e]lle-heved in ful wode stremez, Line 364 Watz no brymme þat abod unbrosten bylyve; Þe mukel lavande loghe to þe lyfte rered. Mony clustered clowde clef alle in clowtez, Torent uch a rayn-ryfte and rusched to þe urþe, Line 368 Fon never in forty dayez; and þen þe flod ryses, Overwaltez uche a wod and þe wyde feldez. For when þe water of þe welkyn wyth þe worlde mette, Alle þat deth moȝt dryȝe drowned þerinne. Line 372 Þer watz moon for to make when meschef was cnowen, Þat noȝt dowed bot þe deth in þe depe stremez. Water wylger ay wax, wonez þat stryede, Hurled into uch hous, hent þat þer dowelled. Line 376 Fyrst feng to þe flyȝt alle þat fle myȝt, Uuche burde wyth her barne þe byggyng þay levez, And bowed to þe hyȝ bonk þer brentest hit wer[e], And heterly to þe hyȝe hyllez þay aled on faste. Line 380

Line 380 Bot al watz nedlez her note, for never cowþe stynt Þe roȝe raynande ryg, þe raykande wawez, Er uch boþom watz brurdful to þe bonkez eggez, And uche a dale so depe þat demmed at þe brynkez. Line 384

Þe moste mountaynez on mor þenne watz no more dryȝe, And þeron flokked þe folke, for ferde of þe wrake. Syþen þe wylde of þe wode on þe water flette; Summe swymmed þeron þat save hemself trawed, Line 388 Summe styȝe to a stud and stared to þe heven, Rwly wyth a loud rurd rored for drede. Harez, herttez also, to þe hyȝe runnen, Bukkez, bausenez, and bulez to þe bonkkez hyȝed; Line 392 And alle cryed for care to þe Kyng of heven, Recoverer of þe Creator þay cryed uch one, Þat amounted þe mase—his mercy watz passed, And alle his pyte departed fro peple þat he hated. Line 396 Bi þat þe flod to her fete floȝed and waxed, [folio 66b] Þen uche a segge seȝ wel þat synk hym byhoved; Frendez fellen in fere and faþmed togeder, To dryȝ her delful deystyne and dyȝen alle samen; Line 400 Luf lokez to luf and his leve takez, For to ende alle at onez and for ever twynne. By forty dayez wern faren, on folde no flesch styryed, Þat þe flod nade al freten wyth feȝtande waȝez; Line 404 For hit clam uche a clyffe cubites fyftene, Over þe hyȝest hylle þat hurkled on erþe.

Þenne morkne in þe mudde most ful nede Alle þat spyrakle inspranc, no sprawlyng awayled, Line 408 Save þe haþel under hach and his here straunge, Noe þat ofte nevened þe name of oure Lorde,

Hym aȝtsum in þat ark as aþel God lyked, Þer alle ledez in lome lenged druye. Line 412 Þe arc hoven watz on hyȝe wyth hurlande gotez, Kest to kythez uncouþe þe clowdez ful nere. Hit waltered on þe wylde flod, went as hit lyste, Drof upon þe depe dam, in daunger hit semed, Line 416 Withouten mast, oþer myke, oþer myry bawelyne, Kable oþer capstan to clyppe to her ankrez, Hurrok oþer hande-helme hasped on roþer, Oþer any sweande sayl to seche after haven, Line 420 Bot flote forthe wyth þe flyt of þe felle wyndez. Whederwarde so þe water wafte, hit rebounde; Ofte hit roled on rounde and rered on ende; Nyf oure Lorde hade ben her lodezmon, hem had lumpen harde. Line 424

Of þe lenþe of Noe lyf to lay a lel date, Þe sex hundreth of his age and none odde ȝerez, Of secounde monyth, þe sevenþe day ryȝtez, Towalten alle þyse welle-hedez and þe water flowed; Line 428 And þryez fyfty þe flod of folwande dayez, Uche hille watz þer hidde wyth y[þ]ez ful graye. Al watz wasted þat þer wonyed þe worlde wythinne, Þer ever flote, oþer flwe, oþer on fote ȝede, Line 432 That roȝly watz þe remnaunt þat þe rac dryvez, [folio 67a] Þat alle gendrez so joyst wern joyned wythinne. Bot quen þe Lorde of þe lyfte lyked hymselven For to mynne on his mon his meth þat abydez, Line 436 Þen he wakened a wynde on watterez to blowe; Þenne lasned þe llak þat large watz are. Þen he stac up þe stangez, stoped þe wellez, Bed blynne of þe rayn, hit batede as fast; Line 440

Line 440 Þenne lasned þe loȝ lowkande togeder. After harde dayez wern out on hundreth and fyfte, As þat lyftande lome luged aboute Where þe wynde and þe weder warpen hit wolde, Line 444 Hit saȝtled on a softe day synkande to grounde; On a rasse of a rok, hit rest at þe laste, On þe mounte of Mararach of Armene hilles, Þat oþerwayez on Ebru hit hat þe Thanes. Line 448 Bot þaȝ þe kyste in þe cragez wer[e] closed to byde, Ȝet fyned not þe flod, ne fel to þe boþemez; Bot þe hyȝest of þe eggez unhuled wern a lyttel, Þat þe burne bynne borde byhelde þe bare erþe. Line 452

Þenne wafte he upon his wyndowe, and wysed þeroute A message fro þat meyny hem moldez to seche: Þat watz þe raven so ronk, þat rebel watz ever; He watz colored as þe cole, corbyal untrwe. Line 456 And he fongez to þe flyȝt and fannez on þe wyndez, H[o]vez hyȝe upon hyȝt to herken tyþyngez. He croukez for comfort when carayne he fyndez Kast up on a clyffe þer costese lay drye; Line 460 He hade þe smelle of þe smach and smoltes þeder sone, Fallez on þe foule flesch and fyllez his wombe, And sone ȝederly forȝete ȝisterday steven, How þe chevetayn hym charged þat þe kyst ȝemed. Line 464 Þe raven raykez hym forth, þat reches ful lyttel How alle fodez þer fare, ellez he fynde mete;

Bot þe burne bynne borde þat bod to hys come, Banned hym ful bytterly wyth bestes alle samen. Line 468 He sechez anoþer sondezmon and settez on þe dou[v]e, [folio 67b] Bryngez þat bryȝt upon borde blessed, and sayde: 'Wende, worþelych wyȝt, uus wonez to seche, Dryf over þis dymme water; if þou druye fyndez, Line 472 Bryng bodworde to bot blysse to uus alle; Þaȝ þat fowle be false, fre be þou ever.' Ho wyrle out on þe weder on wyngez ful scharpe, Dreȝly alle alonge day þat dorst never lyȝt; Line 476 And when ho fyndez no folde her fote on to pyche, Ho umbekestez þe coste and þe kyst sechez; Ho hittez on þe eventyde and on þe ark sittez, Noe nymmes hir anon and naytly hir stauez. Line 480 Noe on anoþer day nymmez efte þe do[wv]e, And byddez hir bowe over þe borne efte bonkez to seche; And ho skyrmez under skwe and skowtez aboute, Tyl hit watz nyȝe at þe naȝt, and Noe þen sechez. Line 484

Notes

• M. now, but I cannot distinguish first two letters, which are very blurred: MS., M. stystez, M. note styntez(?), accepted by Fi.: MS. myȝ, M., Sk. niyȝ[t].
• er al very faint.
• MS., M., Sk. walle (but cf. 428).
• MS., M. dowelled; Sk. dwelled.
• MS., M. wern; Sk. emends to were; B. would read bonkes.
• MS., M. ¹ aled; M. ², Sk. [h]aled, but consistency in this respect would necessitate many more emendations.
• M. unnecessarily inserts & after ryg; if any word is omitted, it would more probably be ne.
• MS., M. þe masse þe mase; Sk. þe mase.
• MS. to, letters curiously combined, o perhaps by another hand.
• MS., M., Sk. waȝez, M. note wawez(?).
• MS., M., Sk. inspranc; M. note insprang(?).
• MS., M., Sk. flote, E. flote[d].
• MS., M., Sk. rebounde; Fi. rebounded.
• MS., M. yreȝ; M. note yþez(?); so Sk., Fi.
• wasted perhaps partly retraced (see Introd., p. ix).
• on inserted above line (see Introd., p. ix, n. 2).
• at end of preceding page þat roȝly watz as catchwords: Sk. note rwly(?).
• MS., wern; Sk. wer[e]; Schwahn (p. 26) wer enclosed, but cf. 379.
• MS., M. wern; Sk. were.
• M. ¹ lorde, M. ² borde, cf. 467.
• MS., M., Sk. corbyal; G. and E. suggest corby al.
• M., Sk. hoveȝ, but second letter blurred, perhaps second stroke of o omitted: MS. tyþyngeȝ; M. tyþynges.
• MS., M. smoltes; Sk. smolte, following M.'s suggestion in Glossary.
• MS., M., Sk. kyst; Fi. (p. 42) and Sch. (p. 169) would read chyst for alliteration, but elsewhere form always kyst (see Glossary and Introd., p. lvii, n. 2).
• M. ¹ lorde; M. ², Sk. borde, noting that MS. reads lorde; perhaps MS. intended for lorde; cf. 452 and Introd., p. x.
• MS., M., Sk. doune; M. note douue or douene(?); Sk. note 'for douene'; K. (p. 54) douue; cf. note on this line, and 481, 485.
• MS. doveue or dovene; M., Sk. dovene, cf. 469, 485.