Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, A BESTIARY: THE SERPENT, by ANONYMOUS


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

A BESTIARY: THE SERPENT, by                    
First Line: A worm thro' the world doth go
Last Line: What was given us from on high / let us hold it worthily
Subject(s): Animals;snakes; Serpents;vipers


I

A WORM thro' the world doth go,
Full well men that same they know,
Adder, by name is he --
Thus he renewed shall be;
When his strength, it begins to break,
And old age doth him overtake,
He fasteth, for days full ten,
Till his skin, it loosens then,
He is lean, and weak also,
And scarce on his way may go.
Crippled, he creeps on his way,
And thus doth his craft display;
A stone with a hole seeks he,
And narrow that hole must be,
Thro' the hole he his way doth find,
But his skin, he leaves behind,
In the flesh he comes forth that day;
Water-ward makes his way,
As he drinketh there, to wit,
He the venom forth doth spit
That bred in his breast hath been
From his birth-time, so I ween,
And when he his fill hath ta'en
Then is he renewed again.

II

When the Adder hath shed his skin,
Is of poison purged within,
If a naked man he spy
Then he will not go anigh,
But fast from his face will flee
As if he a fire should see.
If a clothed man he behold,
Straightway he waxeth bold,
And reareth him up on high,
To harm him readily,
To harm him, or e'en to slay,
Is he ready, if so he may.
And save the man valiant be,
And defend himself worthily,
With the Worm is fain to fight,
And doth him attack forthright,
'Gainst the Adder defence shall wield,
And make of his body shield,
In this wise to shield his head --
For his limbs he hath little dread --
Scarce his life he may hold that stead.

Significatio

Ye Christian men know now
What ye each to Christ did vow,
There, at the kirk door fair,
Such time as ye christened were.
Thou didst vow to believe His saw,
And to love His holy law,
To hold with heart and hand
To Holy Church's command,
If thou hast broken this vow
Then feeble and failing thou,
And forfeit, I trow, thy share
In the endless Life, and fair.
Art waxen too old for Bliss
As this Worm of the world it is!
Thou must, so I tell thee true,
Like the Adder, thyself renew,
Thou hast need thereof no less --
Confirm thee in steadfastness,
In virtue, and all good deed,
And help the poor man in need,
Whenever they meet with thee.
Think not thou shalt worthy be
To walk with thy head on high,
And thy glances toward the sky;
As ye walk among men, be seen
Gentle, and mild of mien,
And I rede thee, beware of pride,
And all other vice beside;
And see that thou ever pray
Alike by night and by day,
That Mercy may be thy meed,
And pardon for thy misdeed.
This life, it betokens withal
The path that the Adder doth crawl,
And this is the hole in the stone
Thro' which thou must pass anon;
Thou must free thee from this, thy sin,
As the Worm he doth from his skin,
Then unto God's house draw near;
The Gospel thou there shalt hear
To the soul is refreshing drink,
And the quenching of sin, I think.
The tale of thy sins alway
To the priest in shrift shalt say,
Thus the filth from thy breast be cast,
And the covenant holden fast,
In this thine heart aright
Which thou didst aforetime plight.
Thus shalt thou be young and new;
To thy forward be thou true,
And the Devil, he needs thee not,
He may do thee no harm, I wot,
He shall flee from before thee there
As the Worm from him that is bare.
With the clothed man the Adder is bold,
And the Devil on sins hath hold;
And the man who is sinful yet
With his wiles doth he oft beset.
For ever against mankind
Hatred he bears in mind
If leave unto him be given
From Him, yea, Our Lord in Heaven,
To do to us mischief sore
As he did to our sires of yore.
So put we our body in bale,
To the soul shall it much avail;
What was given us from on high
Let us hold it worthily.





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