Time & Brevity
Wynter Wakeneth Al My Care
From Harley Lyrics (British Library, MS Harley 2253)
Wynter wakeneth al my care,
Nou this leves waxeth bare;
Ofte I sike ant mourne sare
When hit cometh in my thoht
Of this worldes joie, hou hit goth al to noht.
Nou hit is, and nou hit nys,
Al so hit ner nere, ywys;
That moni mon seith, soth hit ys:
Al goth bote Godes wille:
Alle we shule deye, thah us like ylle.
Al that gren me graueth grene,
Nou hit faleweth albydene:
Jesu, help that hit be sene
Ant shild us from helle!
For y not whider y shal, ne hou longe her duelle.
Codex Note
A short Harley lyric on bare leaves and the passing of worldly joy: ‘Nou hit is, and nou hit nys’ — now it is, and now it is not. Text from Quiller-Couch’s Oxford Book of English Verse (1900).
Cite this poem
MLA
Anonymous (Middle English). “Wynter Wakeneth Al My Care.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/anonymous-middle-english/8/.
Chicago
Anonymous (Middle English). “Wynter Wakeneth Al My Care.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/anonymous-middle-english/8/.
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