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

[The Fifteen Signs that shall come before Domesday.]

[N]u mai i na-gat bot i mene þa cruel dais and þa kene Forn domes-dai þai sal be sene, wid sorful sines ful fijf-tene; Line 22430 If ȝe of þaim will listen a trau, I sal ȝu tell of þaim sothsau. þat es na man in erd sua fell, þat herkin hertli wele þis spell, Of þis wrechid werldis end, [folio 149b:1] þat he ne agh his lijf to mend. Line 22436

Line 22436 Grete sines sal vr lauerd make, Line 22437 Forto scheu þe wick his wrake, Als it es tald of Ieremi, Zorobabel and ysai; Line 22440 Ierom, als þat man wele trus, Tellis he fand in a boke of iuus, Queþer þai sal hale on rau bitide, Or enter-uale bituix þaim bide, Line 22444 þat vndos he vs nouþer-quar, þou he was mekil clerk of lare. þe iugement a littel are þat nan sal of þe feluns spare, Line 22448 Sal vr lauerd mightes schau, þat man it sal in erd knau. Hider nu i bidd þaim drau, All þat of him standes au, Line 22452 And herkin sua þat i sal say, þat he weind noght hafles away. Sua sorful sight was neuer a þat þaim sal bide sal tell of wa. Line 22456 . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.]

[þ]e first dai sal i of rede, Ful mekil it es al forto drede, Line 22460 For þar sal fall doun fra þe lift A blodi rain, a dreri drift, þe erd sal be all rede of heu, Ne sau men neuer suilk a deu! Line 22464 Childer in þair moder wamb, þar þai li, wid-in þair wambes sal þai cri, wid hei note and lude steuen, Line 22467 "Merci nu, lauerd! king of heuen, Forto be born we haf na space, we do vs, lauerd! in þi grace. Quar-to suld we be born to-day. Line 22471 Quen all thing sal turn to wai?"

Gretand sal þai call on iesu, Line 22473 "Lauerd, haue merci on all nu."

þe toþer dai to bide i-wis, [folio 149b:2] It sal be wele were þan þis. Line 22476 þe sternis wid þar lemand leuin Sadli sall fall dun fra heuen, Es nan sua wele fest of þaim all þat it ne sal dun þat day fall, Line 22480 And titter sal þai rin on grund þan fireslaght dos quen it es stund. þai sal on erd rin here and þare wepand, als þai men ware; Line 22484 Na word þai sal þo-queþer sune, Till þat þai be fallin dune, vnto þe abyme, widuten sight, Line 22487 And þar þai sal haf tint þair light, And worth all blac sum ani cole; Lauerd! hu mai we þan þis thole, þat es sua solwid in vr sinn, Line 22491 And als we wonden þaim war in!

[E]fter þe tua fulus þe thrid, An vncuth day þan es it kid, þat þe mone þat es sua schene, Line 22495 Quen it es in þe waxand sene, Sal bicum rede als ani blode, For drede of him was don on rode. On erd dun he sal descende, Line 22499 Bot þar sal it na wight lend, Bot in þe see þan sall it rin, And þar it sal be hid wid-in, Forto fle þe dai of au, Line 22503 Quen crist sal cum himself to schau.

[þ]e feird signe eftir þe thride, Sal be ful grisli on to se, þat þe sun þat es sua bright, Line 22507 And seruis all þis werld of light,

It sal bicum þan ful vnfair, Line 22509 Dim and blac sum ani haire, Quen it es first fairest on to loke, At middai time, als sais þe boke, Blacken it sal þat ilke time, [folio 150a:1] þat nan þar-wid sal se a stime. Line 22514 A! lauerd! ful wa sal be þat man þat sal haue na merci þan. To þaim þat he his wreth sal kith, Ne sal þai neuer fra þan be blith. [V]gli sal be þe fifte day, Line 22519 Mare þan ani tung can say; All bestes dumb vnder þe lift, Vp þai sal þair heuedis lift Apon vr lauerd for to cri, Line 22523 If þai might speke at aske merci. Right vnto þe air þan sal þai rin For dredenes þar to hide þaim in, An sal cri wid stither steuen Line 22527 þan nu mai do ten or elleuen, All for drede of his coming þat dome [[MS. domo]] sal deme of all ting. [þ]e sexte dai es redd in rune, Line 22531 Quen all þis werld bath dale and dun, Euen illike hei sall wroght all, valis vp-rise, þe fellis fall, Line 22534 And all þis erd nu vnder heuen Sal þat þai be all like euen For dredenes of þat demester. þe pes sal turn all in-to were, Line 22538 þe erd sal quake neuer ar sua fast, Tour and tun all dun to cast, þat es na werk sua strang, or wall, þat ne dune þat dai sal fall; wod and wal all dun sal drau Of þat demester for dredful au. Line 22544

Line 22544 [S]orful sal be þe signe seuind, Line 22545 Mare þan þe sexte þat i haf neuind. þe treis forcastin sal þaim pain Forto right þaim vp a-gain, Line 22548 Dun þe crope, vpward þe rote, Of mirthes nan þan es to mote; vnquemfulli þai sal þai quake, [folio 150a:2] þat all þe erd it sal do schake; Line 22552 Noght a lijf on þaim i sal last Quen þat þe gret in tua sal brest. Lauerd! quar sal we þan reste Quen nan sal witt quar þaim es best; All wanis sal vs þat time wane, Line 22557 Bot we ne haue þe grace of ane. þan bihouis all folk to dei, Thoru sorfulnes þat þai sal drei. [þ]e aghtand signe it has no make, Nan forwid of sua mekil wrake; Of hir chanel þe see sall rise Line 22563 To hide it, bot it mai na wise, It sal brest ouer dale and dune, All kin thinges forto drune, Bot he ne us faile þat has it tald, þat was selue moyses þe ald. Line 22568 vp to þe lift rise sal þe see, þar wid strenth to gett entre, þe fisses þat þar-in er stadd, þat we oft make vs of gladd, Line 22572 Till erdward þan sal þai fle, And wene þat god þaim mai noght se; Again þe se þan sal it drau, Dun fra þe lift vnto þe lau, Line 22576 In-til hir canel sal scho turn, And als til þairis ilk a burn. [þ]e niend sal be cruel and kene, was nan suilk of þa forwid sene, Line 22580

Line 22580 wid speche sal all thing þaim mene Als it wid manes muth had bene;— I drau to warant saint austin, Line 22583 þat spekis hu þis werld sal fine;— þai sal cri on vr lauerd dright, 'Haue merci on vs for þi might, Lauerd god, þat lastes ay! Line 22587 þou sal vs to do wite away. To turn agayn als noght ne war; [folio 150b:1] Lau[er]d þu lat vs noght for-fare."

þ]e teind vte tan forto neuen, Line 22591 þat es na halu vnþer þe heuen, And heuen self it sal be ferid Gain him þat made medileird, Als vs tellis saint ierome, Line 22595 And gregor þat was pape of rome. þe seluen angelis sal quake vnqueme For doute of him þat all sal deme, For þan sal quake saint cherubin, And alsua sal do seraphyn; Line 22600 Na creatur sal þan list play, Saint petre sal be dumb þat day, þat he a worde ne sal dur speke, For dute of þe mister þe wreke. Line 22604 For heuen he sal se part in sundere,— And he sal here it cri to wondre, Cri and brai for dute and drede, "Haue merci! lauerd! for nu es nede." þan sal þai þat in hell er cropin, Line 22609 Quen light sal chine of heuins opin þa warlous all sal walk þan vte,— Saint paul it sais, it es na dute; Line 22612 Herkins nu quat þai sal say, For drede þai sal haue of þat day. "Iesus, lauerd, þat wroght vs a Line 22615 In heuen, and siþen it take vs fra,

we haue it tint wid gret foli; Line 22617 In þis gret nede to þe we cri, þi wreche handwerke [[MS. landwerke]] in wa þat þu of fire vs suffres sua, Line 22620 Caitiue þat nu sorus mare þan euer in hell wont was are, þu ȝeild vs egain vr ostel nu, þat vs es reft, and we ne wat hu, we wald it vnderfang ful fain, Line 22625 If we might haue vr erd egain."

[þ]e signe of þe dai elleuen, [folio 150b:2] It es na skill þat it be leuen; Sare þai sal do for to grise, Line 22629 wind on ilk-a side sal rise, Sua fast again oþer sal þai blau, þat es na tung þat it mai schau. þe erd þan sal it do to rift Line 22633 And vp vte of þe stede to lift, þe deuils vt sal be for-driuen Of þat erd þat sal be reuin, Bere þair bodis in þat air; Line 22637 þat sight it sal be ful vnfair! þan sal þe rainbou descende, In heu of gall it sall be kende, wid þe windes it sall it mell, Line 22641 And driue þaim dun all in-til hell, And bete þe deuillis deþer in, In þair bale ai for to brin, And sal þaim bid to hald þaim þare, Abouen erde to come na mare. Line 22646 þe terme es comen, nu haue ȝe sale þe in-come to be in yur bale; þan sal þai bigin to cri and call, "Lauerd fadir, vr godd of all, Line 22650 þu lat vs under erd be hidd, þat we be here na langer [[MS. nanger]] kidd."

[þ]e tuelft signe es sorful sere, Thoru might of him þat all can stere. þat es na man in erde wroght Line 22655 þat agh to lat it be vte of thoght, And forto mend his lijf þe mare, To iesu þat ut leuedi bare. Heuen sal be lokin again, Line 22659 Sal nan be þan þat þai ne sal quain Hugat here nu mai we lend. Quen alkin thing drauis til end, þe angelis þat in heuen sal be, Line 22663 Sal knele dun bifor cristes kne, And sal cri merci to þat king [folio 151a:1] þat þai se bun till all thing. Line 22666 For þat reuthes sal þai be radd, þai se ouer all þe werld stadd; Quen angels sua sal drede þat pas, Of sinful quat sal worth, allas! Line 22670

[þ]e day thrittende sal be to snell Mare þan ani tung mai tell, Of þat sorful grisli dau, Line 22673 þat crist sal till his chaftes schau, Quen all þe stanis þat er made vnder þe lift in werld brade, Abouen þe erd and bi-neþin, Line 22677 Right vnto þe abyme fra heþin, Sal smite to-gider wid sli maght, Als thoner dos wid firen slaght. wid hard dintes mon þai kidh, Line 22681 Has nan þan euen to be blith. wid strenth þan sal þai samen threst, þat all to pecis sal þai brest. Line 22684 þis sal be lastand all a day, þe signes of þis sori play, þe men þat þat day sal ouerbide, vnder a fell þai sal þaim hide. Line 22688

Line 22688

[þ]e dai fourtend sal be ful ill, Line 22689 Till all þe werld it sal be grill, A stormi day, a strait of au, Bath of frost, hail, and snau. Line 22692 þan sal þar come thoner and leuen, And drone all þat es vnder heuen; þe cloudis to þe see sal rinn For to hide þaim þan þar-in, Line 22696 For to fle þat day sua breme, þat vr lauerd sal come to deme.

[Q]uat sal be þe fijftend day? Line 22699 Als i haue funden, i sal ȝu say; Men sais þat soth mai be and fall, þat it sal be ending of all. Line 22702 þis middelerd, ful wailwai! [folio 151a:2] All to noght sal brin þat day, þe see þat vmlukes all land, Line 22705 And watris all þat rennis in strand, All sal turn again to noght, Als þai war first ar þai war wroght, Heuen and erd to be mad neu, þat euer sal be lastand treu. Line 22710