bezeichnet als: the airiest and cleverest piece of satire in the whole range of Early English, if not of English, poetry. Die Worte mögen zu weit gehen in ihrer Wertschätzung, aber sie sind bezeichnend dafür, in welchem Sinne man die muntere Fabulistik des Verfassers betrachten muß und wie sie in seiner eigenen derben Zeit vermutlich anch betrachtet worden ist.
Fur in see bi west Spayngne [folio 3]
Line 1
Is a lond ihote Cokaygne,
þer nis lond vnder heuen riche
Of wel, of godnis hit iliche.
Þoȝ paradis be miri and briȝt,
Line 5
Cokaygn is of fairir siȝt,
What is þer in paradis
Bot grasse and flure and grene ris?
Þoȝ þer be ioi and gret [grete] dute,
Þer nis met [mete] bote frute;
Line 10
Þer nis halle, bure no benche,
Bot watir man is þursto quenche.
Beþ þer no men bot [man but] two,
Hely and Enok also;
Elinglich [Clinglich] mai [may] hi go,
Line 15
Whar þer woniþ men no mo.
Iu Cokaigne [Cokaygne] is met and drink
Wiþ vte care, how and swink;
Þe met is trie, þe drink is clere
To none, russin and sopper.
Line 20
I sigge for soþ, boute were,
Þer nis lond on erþe is pere,
Vnder heuen nis lond iwisse
Of so mochil ioi and blisse.
Þer is mani swete siȝte, [folio 3b]
Line 25
Al is dai, nis þer no niȝte.
Þer nis baret noþer strif,
Nis þer no deþ, ac euer lif,
Þer nis lac of met no cloþ,
Þer nis man no womman wroþ,
Line 30
Þer nis serpent, wolf no fox,
Hors no capil, kowe no ox,
