984 willen dwelle—wolen dwellyn
last[e]—laste
986 haþ—MS. haþe
wenist þou—weenestow
987 þar recche—dar recke
988 awey—away
MANY BLESSINGS STILL REMAIN.
[CUM PRIMO POLO.]
Whan phebus The stars pale before the light of the rising sun. þe sonne bygynneþ to spreden his clerenesse
with rosene chariettes. þan þe sterre ydimmyd
paleþ hir white cheres. by þe flamus of þe sonne þat
ouer comeþ þe sterre lyȝt. ¶ Þis is to seyn whan þe [992]
sonne is risen þe day sterre wexiþ pale and lesiþ hir
lyȝt for þe grete bryȝtnesse of þe sonne. Westerly winds deck the wood with roses, but easterly winds cause their beauty to fade. ¶ Whan þe
wode wexeþ redy of rosene floures in þe first somer
sesoun þoruȝ þe breþe of þe wynde Zephirus þat wexeþ [996]
warme. ¶ Yif þe cloudy wynde auster blowe felliche.
þan goþ awey þe fayrnesse of þornes. Now the sea is calm, and again it is tempestuous. Ofte þe see is
clere and calme wiþoute moeuyng floodes. And ofte
þe horrible wynde aquilon moeueþ boylyng tempestes [1000]
and ouer whelweþ þe see. If all things thus vary, will you trust in transitory riches? ¶ Yif þe forme of þis worlde
is so [ȝeelde] stable. and yif it tourniþ by so many
entrechaungynges. wilt þou þan trusten in þe trublynge
fortunes of men. wilt þou trowen in flittyng goodes. [1004]
All here below is unstedfast and unstable. It is certeyne and establissed by lawe perdurable þat no
þing þat is engendred nys stedfast no stable.
989 his—hyr
990 þan—thanne
991 flamus—flambes