Cursor mundi (The cursur o the world). A Northumbrian poem of the XIVth century in four versions. Ed. by the Rev. Richard Morris ...

¶ Bot i mai nagat bot i mene þaa cruel dais and þaa kene Fore domes-dai þat sal be sene, Wit sorful signes þaa fiftene; Line 22430 If yee o þaim will list a thrau, I sal yow tell o þaim soth-sau. þar es nam in erth sa fell, þat herken herteli wil þis spell, O þis wreched werlds end, þat he ne his liif agh to mend. Line 22436

Line 22436 Gret signes sal vr lauerd make Line 22437 For to sceu þe wic his wrak, Als il es tald o Jeremi, Zorobabel and o Ysai; Line 22440 Als Jerome sais þat man wel truus, Sais he fand in þe bok o Juus, Queþer þai sal hal on rau bitide, Or enterwal bituix þam bide, Line 22444 þat vndos he us nour-quar, þof he was mikel clerc o lare. ¶ þe Iugement a little are, þat nan sal of þe feluns spare, Line 22448 Sal ur lauerd his mightes scau, þat nan it sal in erth knau. Hider nu I bidd þam drau, All þai þat of him standes au, Line 22452 And herken sua þat i sal sai, þat he wenid noght he fles awai. Sua sorful sight was neuer a þat þai sal bide sal telle owa. Line 22456 . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.]

þe first dai sal i of rede, [[Primus dies iudicij]] Ful mikil it es al for to drede, Line 22460 For þar sal fall dun fra þe lijft A blodi rain, a dreri drift, þe erth sal be al rede of heu, Ne sagh i neuer suilk a deu! Line 22464 Childer in moder wamb to lij, Wit-in þair wambs sal þai cri, Wit hei not and lude steuen, Line 22467 "Merci nu lauerd king of heuen, For to be born ha we noght mint, þou do it lauerd us for to stint; Quar-to suld we be born to dai, Line 22471 Quen al thinges sal turn to wai?"

Gretand þai sal calle on iesu, [folio 126a:2] "Lauerd ha merci on all nu." Line 22474

¶ þe toþer dai to bide iwisse, [ij] It sal be well war þan þis. þe sterns wit þair leman leuen Ful saddli fall sal þai dun fra heuen, Es nan sa wel fest o þam all Line 22479 þat it ne sal dun þat dai fall, And titter sal þai rin on grund þan fire-slagh dos quen is es stund. þai sal on erth rin her and þar, Line 22483 Wepand, als þof þai men war; Na word þai sal þo queþer sune, Til þat þai be all fallen dune, Vnto þe abime wit-vuten sight, Line 22487 And þar þai sal haf tint þair light, And worth al black sum ani cole; Lauerd! how mai we þan þis thole, þat es sua sulwed in vr sin, Line 22491 And als we wonden war þam in!

¶ Efter þe tua fules þe þrid, [iij] An uncuth dai þan es it kidd, þat þe mone þat es sa scene, Line 22495 Quen it es in þe waxand sene, Sal becum rede als ani blod, Thoru dred of him was don on rode. On erth dun it sal descend, Line 22499 Bot þar ne sal it nawight lend, Bot to þe see þan sal it rin, And þar sco sal hir hide þar-in, For to fle þe dai of au, Line 22503 Quen crist sal cum himself to scau.

¶ þe ferþ signe efter þe þre, [iiij] Sal be ful griseli on to see, þat þe sun þat es sa bright, And seruis al þis werld o light, Line 22508

Line 22508 It sal becum þan ful vnfair, Line 22509 Dune and blak sum ani hair; Quen it es þe fairest on to loke, At middai time, als sais þe bok, Blacken it sal þat ilk time Line 22513 þat nan þar-wit sal se a stime. A! lauerd ful waa sal be þat man þat ne sal haue na merci þan. Line 22516 To þam þat he his wreth sal kyth Ne sal þai neuer fra þan be blith.

¶ Uggeli sal be þe fift dai, [folio 126b:1] [Vus] Mare þan ani tung can sai; Line 22520 All bestes dumb vnder þe lift, Vp þan sal þair hefds lift Apon vr lauerd for to cri, If þai moght spek at ask merci. Line 22524 Right to þe air al sal þai rin For drednes þar to hide þam in, An þan cri sal wit stiþer steuen þan nu mai do ten or elleuen, Line 22528 All for dred of his cuming þat dome sal deme of alkin thing.

¶ þe sext dai es redd in rune, [þe vjus] Quen al þis werld bath dale and dune, Even ilik he sal worth all, Line 22533 þe dals up-rise, þe fells dun fall, And all þis erth nu vnder heuen Sal be þat dai ilike al euen For drednes o þat demster. Line 22537 þe pes sal al turn into were, þe erth sal quak, neuer ar sa fast, Tur and tun al dun to cast; Line 22540 þar es na werc sa strang, or wall, þat it ne dun þat dai sal fall; Wodd and wall al dun sal drau O demester þat dred-ful au. Line 22544

Line 22544

¶ Sorful sal be þe signe seuend, [vijus] Mar þan sex þat i ha neuend. Line 22546 þe tres for-casten sal þam pain For to right þam up again, Dun þe croppe, vpward þe rote, O murthes þan es nan to mote; Line 22550 Vnquemfulli þan sal þai quak, þat all þe erth it sal to scak; Noght a leif o þam sal last Quen þat þe gret of þam sal brast. Lauerd! quar sal we þan rest Line 22555 Quen nan sal wite quar þam to nest; All wanes þat time sal us wane Bot we na haf þe grace of ane. þan behoves all folk to dei, Line 22559 Thoru sorfulnes þat þai sal drei,

¶ þe aghtand signe it has na mak, [viijus] Nan forwit o sa mikel wrak; Of hir chanel þe see sal rise To hide it, bot it may na wise, Line 22564 [folio 126b:2] It sal bath brest ouer dale and dun, Alkin thinges for to drune, Bot he ne vs fail þat has it tald, þat was Moses þat ald. Line 22568 Vp to þe lift rise sal þe see, þar wit strenght to get entre, þe fixses þat þar-in er stade, þat we mak us oft of glade, Line 22572 Til erth wai þan sal þai fle, And wene þat god þam mai noght se; Again þe see þan sal it drau, Dun fra the lift unto þe lau, Vntil hir chanel þan sal sco turn, And alsua to þairs ilk burn. Line 22578

¶ The neinind sal be cruel and kene, [ixus] Was nan suilk o þaa forwit sene,

Wit speche sal al thing þam mene Als it wit mans muth had bene;— I drau to warand saint austine, Line 22583 þat spekes hu þis werld sal fine;— þai sal cri on vr lauerd dright, "Haf mercy on us for þi might, Lauerd godd, þat lastes ai! Line 22587 þou sal us do to wite awai, To turn again als noght ne war; Lauerd þou lat us noght forfar." Line 22590

¶ þe tend utenemes es for to neuen, [xus] þat es na halus vnder þe heven, And heuen self it sal be ferd Gain him þat wroght middelerd, Als at us tells sant Ierome, Line 22595 And gregor þat was pape o rome. þe self angels sal quake vnqueme For dute of him þat all sal deme; For þan sal quak sant cherubin, And alsua sal do seraphin; Line 22600 Na creatur sal þan list plai, Saint Petre sal be dumb þat dai, þat he a word ne sal dur speke, For dute o demester þe wreke. Line 22604 For heuen he sal se part in sundre, And he sal here it cri to wonder, Bath cri and brai for dute and drede, "Ha merci! lauerd! for nu es nede." þan sal þai þat in helle es cropen, Quen sal scine þe heuennes open, þaa warlaus all sal walk þan vte, [folio 127a:1] Sant Paule sais, it es na dute; Line 22612 Herkens nu quat þai sal sai, For dred þai sal haf o þat dai; "Iesus, lauerd, þat wroght us a Line 22615 In heuen, and siþen it tok us fra,

We haf it tint wit gret foli; Line 22617 In þis gret nede to þe we cri, þin wreche hand-werc in wa þat þou vtewandre us suffers sua, Caitiues þat nu sorus mare Line 22621 þan euer in hell we won war ar; þou yeild us gain vr ostel nu, þat us es reft, and we ne wat hu, We wald it vnderfang ful fain, Line 22625 If we moght haue vr erd again."

¶ þe signe o þe dai elleft, [xius] It es na skil that it be left; Sair þai sal do for to grise, Line 22629 Windes on ilk side sal rise, Sa fast gain oþer sal þai blau, þar es na tung þat it mai scau. þe erth þai sal do for to rift Line 22633 And up vte of þe sted to lift, þe deuels vte sal be fordriuen O þat erth þat sal be riuen; Bers þair bodis in þat air, Line 22637 þat sight it sal be ful vnfair! þan sal þe rainbou descend In hu o gall it sal be kend, Wit þe wind þan sal it mell, Line 22641 And driue þam dun all vntil hell, And dump þe deuls þider in, In þair bale alle for to brin, Line 22644 And sal þam bidd to hald þam þar Abouen erth to cum na mar. þe term es cummen, haf we sale þe income to be in yur bale; Line 22648 þan sal þai bigin to cri and call, "Lauerd godd, ur fader of all, þou lat us under erth be hidd, Line 22651 þat we ne be here na langer kidd."

¶ þe twelft signe es of sorus sere, [xijus] Thoru might of him þat all can stere. þat es na man in erth wroght Line 22655 þat agh to lat it vte o thoght, And for to mend his lijf þe mare, [folio 127a:2] To iesu þat vr leuedi bar. Heuen it sal be loken again, Line 22659 Sal nan be þan þat þai ne sal quain Hu-gat here nu mai we lend. Quen all thinges draus þus-ga til end, þe angels þat in heuen sal be Line 22663 Sal knele dun befor cristes kne, And sal cri merci to þair king þat þai se bun til all thing. For þat rethnes sal þai be radd, Line 22667 þai se oueral þe werld sa stadd; Quen angels sua sal dred þat pas, O sinful quat sal worth, allas? Line 22670

¶ þe thrittend sal be to snell Mar þan man wit tung mai tell, O þat sorful grisli dau, þat crist sal til his scaftes scau, Line 22674 Quen all þe stanes þat are made Vnder þe lift in werld brade, Aboue þe erth and beneþen, Line 22677 Right vn[t]o þe abime fra heþen, Sal smitt togedir wit sli maght, Als thoner dos wit firen slaght. Wit herd dintes mone þai kyeth, þan nan has heuen to be blith. Line 22682 Wit thran[g]ing [[or thrauing?]] sal þai samen threst, þat al to peces sal þai brest. þis sal be lastand al a dai, Line 22685 þe signes o þis sorful plai, þe men þat þat dai sal ouerbide, Under a fell þai sal þam hide. Line 22688

Line 22688

¶ þe dai fourtend sal be ful il, [xvius] Til al þe werld it sal be gril; A stormi dai, a stret of au, Line 22691 Bath o frost, and hail, and snau. þan sal þar cum bath thoner and leuin, And drone al that es vnder heuin; þe cludes to þe se sal rin Line 22695 For to hid þam þar-in, For to fle þat dai sa breme, þat vr lauerd sal [come to] deme.

¶ Quat sal þe fiftend dai? [xvus] Als i haf funden i sal it sai; Line 22700 Men sais and soth al be mai fall, þai it sall ending be of all. þis midel erth, ful wail wai! [folio 127b:1] Al to noght sal brin awai, Line 22704 The see that vmlukes þe land, And watres all that rinnes in strand, Al sal turn again to noght, Line 22707 Als þai war first, ar al was wroght, Heuen and erth to be mad neu, þat euer sal be þan lastand treu.