And abouen hire heed dowues fleyng
Biforn hir stood hir sone Cupido
vpon his schuldres were wynges two
Line 1964
And blynd he was as it is often seene
A bowe he bar and arwes fair and greene
Why schuld I nouȝt as wel telle ȝou alle
The portraiture þat was vpon þe walle
Line 1968
wiþ in þe temple of mighty mars þe reede
Al peynted was þe wal in lengþ and breede
loke to þe Estres of þe grisly place
That hight þe gret tempul of mars in trace
Line 1972
In þat colde and in þat frosty regioun
Ther as mars haþ his souereyn mancioun
First on þe wal was peynted a foreste [folio 27a]
In which þer dwelled neyther man ne beste /
Line 1976
wiþ knotty knarry bareyn trees olde
Of stubbes scharpe and hidous to byholde
In which þer ran as wymbul in a swough
As it were a storme schuld berst euery bough
Line 1980
And downward on an hil vnder a bent /
Ther stood þe tempul of marcȝ armypotent /
wrought al of burned steel of which þentre
was long and streyt and gastly for to see
Line 1984
And þer out/ came a rage of suche aprise
That it maad al þe gates for to rise
The norþen light in at þe dore schon
For wyndow on þe walle was þer noon
Line 1988
Thorugh þe which men might no light discerne
The dores wer alle. ademauntȝ eterne
I-clenched ouer thward and endelong/
with Iren tough / and for to make it strong
Line 1992
Euery piler þe tempul to susteene
was tonne greet of Iren bright and schene
Ther saugh I furst þe derk ymaginyng
Of felony and al the compassyng
Line 1996
The cruel Ire as reed as eny gleede
