Religion
Done is a Battell on the Dragon Blak
From The Poems of William Dunbar, ed. John Small, vol. II (Scottish Text Society, 1893)
Done is a battell on the dragon blak,
Our campioun Chryst confoundit hes his force ;
The ȝettis of hell ar brokin with a crak,
The signe trivmphall rasit is of the croce,
The diuillis trymmillis with hiddouss voce,
The saulis ar borrowit and to the bliss can go,
Chryst with his blud our ransonis dois indoce :
Surrexit Dominus de sepulchro.
Dungin is the deidly dragon Lucifer,
The crewall serpent with the mortall stang ;
The auld kene tegir, with his teith on char,
Quhilk in a wait hes lyne for ws so lang,
Thinking to grip ws in his clowss Strang ;
The mercifull Lord wald nocht that it wer so,
He maid him for to felȝe of that fang :
Surrexit Dominus de sepulchro.
He for our saik that sufferit to be slane,
And lyk a lamb in sacrifice wes dicht,
Is lyk a lyone rissin vp agane,
And as gyane raxit him on hicht ;
Sprungin is Aurora radius and bricht,
On loft is gone the glorius Appollo,
The blisfull day departit fro the nycht :
Surrexit Dominus de sepulchro.
The grit victour agane is rissin on hicht,
That for our querrell to the deth wes woundit ;
The sone that vox all paill now schynis bricht,
And dirknes clerit, our fayth is now refoundit ;
The knell of mercy fra the hevin is soundit,
The Cristin ar deliuerit of thair wo,
The Jowis and thair errour ar confoundit :
Surrexit Dominus de sepulchro.
The fo is chasit, the battell is done ceiss,
The presone brokin, the jevellouris fleit and flemit ;
The weir is gon, confermit is the peiss,
The fetteris lowsit and the dungeoun temit,
The ransoun maid, the presoneris redemit ;
The feild is win, ourcumin is the fo,
Dispulit of the tresur that he ȝemit :
Surrexit Dominus de sepulchro.
Finis quod Dunbar.
Cite this poem
MLA
Dunbar, William. “Done is a Battell on the Dragon Blak.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/dunbar/40/.
Chicago
Dunbar, William. “Done is a Battell on the Dragon Blak.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/dunbar/40/.
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