Widu on willan, 110 115 Nis nu ofer eorthan 135 140 166 A lioness may be such A tame and winsome beast, But if she taste of gore Let it not be thought That she will then be mild, In earnest break her chain Will first her keeper bite, And then all else beside, All she can find will seize, So the wood finches too Though timely tamed they be, However train'd and taught But wilder evermore They will not leave the wood, Though by their trainers, as of yore, , Enticed by tempting food; So merry seem the trees All winsome then is found The wide weald sounding strong Stunning one's ears with noise Thus too, every tree, Grown high in its own soil, Though thou shalt bend its boughs to be Bow'd to the earth with toil, Let go, it upward flies At its free will to rise. Thus also, when the sun, Great candle of the world, After the mid-day down doth run To unknown darkness hurld, Again she brings to earth Bright morn's North Eastern birth. Upward, she ever goes, Up, to her highest place: And strives with all its might To take its nature's right. Over this wide earth And safely there find rest In God Almighty blest. Over this wide world So turning to be seen As it before hath been : Right round it turns amain; And, as it was before, XIV. THE EMPTINESS OF WEALTH. Quamvis fluente dives auri gurgite-Non expleturas cogat avarus opes, 10 Wuhte thon mare Hord-gestreona, Thonne he hither brohte. 20 cera thusend ? Theah thes middan geard. And this manna cyn, Sy under sunnan, Tha se Wisdom tha this lioth asungen hæfde, tha ongan he eft spellian and ewæth. What is a man the better A man of worldly mould, Of richest gems and gold, Though all this middle earth be Beneath his wealdom thrown, And men and all their worth be South East and West his own, He cannot of such treasure Away with him take aught, Nor gain a greater measure Than in his mind he brought. Wisdom having sung this lay, Though Nero now himself, that evil king Unrighteous, in his new and glittering robe Deck'd wonderfully for apparelling With gold and gems and many a brightsome thing, Seem'd to be greatest of this earthly globe, Yet to the wise man was he full of crime Loathly and worthless in his life's daytime : And though this fiend his darlings would reward With gifts of rank, my mind I cannot bring To see why he to such should grace afford : Yet if some whiles a foolish king or lord Will choose the simple all the wise above, A fool himself to be by fools ador'd, How should a wise man reckon on his love ? a Se the wille anwald agon, age, Anwald innan : 5 10 15 Theah him eall sie, Thes middan geard, Swa swa mere-streamas 30 |