And as I did awake of my sweving[1],
The ioyfull birdis merily did syng
For myrth of Phebus tendir bemës schene[2];
Swete war the vapouris, soft the morowing[3],
Halesum the vale, depaynt wyth flouris ying[4];
The air attemperit, sobir, and amene[5];
In quhite and rede was all the feld besene[6]
Throu Naturis nobil fresch anamalyng[7],
In mirthfull May, of eviry moneth Quene.
O reverend Chaucere, rose of rethoris[8] all,
As in oure tong ane flour[9] imperiall,
That raise[10] in Britane evir, quho redis rycht,
Thou beris of makaris[11] the tryúmph riall;
Thy fresch anamalit termës celicall[12]
This mater coud illumynit have full brycht;
Was thou noucht of oure Inglisch all the lycht,
Surmounting eviry tong terrestriall
Als fer as Mayis morow dois mydnycht?
O morall Gower, and Ludgate laureate,
Your sugurit lippis and tongis aureate[13]
Bene to oure eris cause of grete delyte;
Your angel mouthis most mellifluate[14]
Oure rude langage has clere illumynate,
And faire our-gilt[15] oure speche, that imperfýte
Stude, or[16] your goldyn pennis schupe[17] to wryte;
This ile before was bare, and desolate
Of rethorike, or lusty[18] fresch endyte[19].
[1.] dream [2.] bright [3.] morn [4.] young [5.] pleasant [6.] arrayed [7.] enamelling [8.] orators [9.] flower [10.] didst rise [11.] poets [12.] heavenly [13.] golden [14.] honeyed [15.] overgilt [16.] ere [17.] undertook [18.] pleasant [19.] composition
[CHAPTER VI]
THE SOUTHERN DIALECT
We have seen that the earliest dialect to assume literary supremacy was the Northern, and that at a very early date, namely, in the seventh, eighth, and ninth centuries; but its early documents have nearly all perished. If, with the exception of one short fragment, any of Cædmon’s poems have survived, they only exist in Southern versions of a much later date.