fol. 198rbIci comencent les unze peynes de enfern les queus Seynt Pool vist.textual note 1textual note 2
Plesttextual note 3 vus oyer une demaunde
Ke li Deable fist estraunge
De un cheytif peccheur.
Ke hors fu mys de grant tristur,
line5De mort en vie resuscite
Par la volunte de De.
“Unselytextual note 4 gost, hwat dostu here?
Thu were in helle myne vere.
Hwo haveth helle dure unloke,
line10That thu ert of pyne ibroke?”
Dunketextual note 5 respund le mort a lu
En le secle u il fu,
Cunte en ordre, e cunte e dist
Les .xi. peynes ke seynt Pol vist,
line15Des autres ke il an senty.
Un sul mot ne menty.
“Wiltutextual note 6 ihere me, Sathan,
Hw ich am of helle igan?
Wrmes habbeth my fleys ifreten,
line20And mine freond me habbeth foryeten.
Ich mon wes, as thu wel wost,
fol. 198vaAnd nu ich atextual note 7 wrecche gost.
In helle ich habbe yare ibeo,
That mon may on myn hewe iseo!
line25Of me, mon may forbysne taken
That wile his sunnes forsaken —
To wrothere heleexplanatory note 1 he wes ibore,
That for sunnes is forlore,
For the mon that her wrcheth swo
line30That his saule to helle go,textual note 8
In mo pyne he schal beo
Than foweles under heovene fleo!
Erest,textual note 9 ther beoth bernynde treon
No mon ne may herre iseon,
line35Ther the saulen beoth anhontextual note 10
That her habbeth sunnes idon
And nolden never to chireche gon.
Forthi, hi tholieth ther such won.explanatory note 2
Thickure hi hongeth her over al
line40Than don been in wynter stal.explanatory note 3explanatory note 4
Seththen,textual note 11 ther is on ouen ihat.
Seove deovlen thar stondeth at,
And the saulen underfoth,
And heom into the fure doth.
line45Thinges ther beoth al abuten
That mon auhte muchel duten:
Snou and is, and lyvred blod;explanatory note 5
Snaken and neddren stingeth for wodexplanatory note 6
Of that fur heo doth heom ther
line50And eft also hi weren er.
Hwich saule the ther cumeth to
Naveth heo never reste ne ro.
Heo wolde deye ac heo ne may —
fol. 198vbAc ther heom tyd beon alne way.
line55Swich pyne heo tholie schal
That wes of his fleysse to galexplanatory note 7
And nolde leten his fleysses wil,
Ac folewede al that wes unskil;
And ther heo tholyeth swich wondrawen,explanatory note 8
line60That her arereden unryhte lawen;
Thider cumeth the saulen ilome
That her demde false domes.
Mo saulen tholieth ther swich wo
Thene fysses swimme other fueles go!
line65Heo gredeth lude and wepeth sore,
Ac botetextual note 12 ne tyd heom never more.explanatory note 9
Atextual note 13 hwel of stele is further mo,
And berneth lihte and turneth o;
A thusend spoken beoth theron,
line70And pykes over al idon.
Ther schule the saulen beo todrawe
That her arereden unryhte lawe.explanatory note 10
Mo saulen tholieth ther sucche wowe
Thane be flothre in the snowe.explanatory note 11
line75Further,textual note 14 ther is a water wallinde hot,
That is deop and long and brod,
Blakkure than the swarte pich,
And stynketh so forholde lych
Of uych a wrm that atter bereth
line80Other hit stingeth other hit tereth.
Ifulled is that fule pool
That ever is hot and never cool.
Bisydes stondeth an feondes trume,
And wayteth hwennetextual note 15 the saules cume.
line85Heo hire awarieth al athrepexplanatory note 12
fol. 199raAl so wulves doth the scep.
Hwenne the feondes heom forleteth,
Snakes and neddren heom imeteth
And dreyeth heom into a wel
line90Ther heo tholyeth al unsel.
Hwenne heo habbeth so idon,
Eft hit beoth heom al fornon.explanatory note 13
Ne may he segge ‘waylawei’
That so schule pynes nyht and day.
line95Summe me may ther iseon
That stondeth up to heore kneon,
And summe to heore mydtheyh,
And summe to heore uvere breyh,
And summe riht to heore theth,
line100As he her his sunnes deth.
Bakbiteres weren theo
That stondeth up to heore kneo;
That wes heore other copynereexplanatory note 14
Stondeth up to heore swere;
line105And heo that her wedlac breketh,
To heore muthe the flod taketh;
He that is glad of othres harme
Stondeth up into than arme;
That spek in chirche that nes no god,
line110To his muthe taketh the flod;
That wreyeth his sibbe other him fled,
Abuven his eyen the flod geth;
That doth his wil that nys noht ryht,
Of him, ne may me iseo nowiht!
line115Hwo is wis bi me, beo war
That his saule ne cume thar,
For theyh the middenerd ago,
fol. 199rbHeore pyne ilesteth o.explanatory note 15
Vurthur,textual note 16 is a ful deop fen
line120Ful of wowares and of wymmen.
The stude is thustrore thene the nyht,
For ther ne cumeth never lyht,
And stinketh fulre thane the hund
For brunston walleth at the grund.
line125Ten thusend feondes and wel mo
Thar freteth heore tunge a two
And dreyeth ut heore brayn
Vor heo weren of gavele vayn;
Such is heore pyne ther,
line130Vor heo weren gavelers her.
Thennetextual note 17 beoth the wymmen further idonexplanatory note 16
That nowiht nabbeth heom upon —
Heom me drepeth myd the piche
As we brede with the spiche.
line135Neddren heore breosten suketh,
And snakes heore eyen luketh;
Hellehundes gnaweth heore feet,
And four feondes heom stondeth at,
For heo heore maydenhod lure
line140Er heo come to chireche dure,
And furduden heore istreonexplanatory note 17
That hit ne moste ifulled beon.
Heo hit wurpen hundes other swin.
Forthi, hi tholieth thar such pyn.explanatory note 18
line145Vurther,textual note 18 ther beoth wimmen and wapmen boexplanatory note 19
That feondes dreyeth al a two;
Hwenne hi beoth so todrawen,textual note 19
Gripes freteth heore mawen.
Half heo doth in o fur,
fol. 199vaAnd half into a froren mur;
line151And heore ineward, uych del —
Ne beo the tharm ne so smel —
Eft heo werpeth, al in al,
And wurcheth to that ilke gal.
line155Uvele, heo beoth ipyned ynouh,
That her duden with heom woh,
Other reveden wrecches heore lond,
And brohten heom to muchel scond,
He ne funde fader ne freond hom by.
line160Forthi, me drof hom of londe awy;
Of heom hi token unriht mol!
Forthi, hi drayeth myd such sol.explanatory note 20explanatory note 21
Vurther,textual note 20 ther is o wateres flod
That is ymeynd al with blod;
line165A thusentextual note 21 saulen ther beoth bi
Sore ofthurst and ful hungri.
In fure hi berneth altextual note 22 awey,
And so doth that water, nyht and day.
Ne moten heo biden never o sope,
line170Nabben heo never so muche hope.
Such pine hi habbeth imet,
That breken the hesten that weren iset
In Holy Chirche over al.
Forthi, hi pleyeth myd such bal.explanatory note 22explanatory note 23
line175Vurther,textual note 23 ther beoth olde men
That among neddren habbeth heore den;textual note 24
Heom heo tostyngeth uychon,
And freteth heore fleys to the bon,
And neddren suketh heore brayn
fol. 199vbAnd creopeth ut and in ayeyn.
line181Summe beoth furbrend and summe ifrore,
And alle the bones beoth todrore.
Hwenne hi beoth ifrete uychon,
Eft hi beoth al in on,
line185Noht for to wenden heom from,
Ac for eft tholie that wrecchedom.
Heo woneth and groneth day and nyht,
Ac hit ne helpeth heom nowiht,
For heo nolden beon ischrivenexplanatory note 24
line190The hwile that hi mosten lyven.
Four deofle heom stondeth bi,
That pyneth heom ful reuly.
Unsely men, hwi neren hi war
The hwile that hi lyveden her?
line195Hwi nolden heo don for him no god
That heom lesede wyth his blod,
And yef us hus and lond and wif,
And wit and wisdom and joye and lyf,
And al that wes in worlde god?
line200And non of heom hit ne understod;
Heo nolden noht thenche theron,
Ne povre wrecches no god don.
Heo wenden hit scholde lesten o.
Forthi heo beoth in suche wo!
line205Preostes heste ne Godes lay
Ne heolden hi noht bi heore day,
Ac trichurs and lyeres, and les
That weren her — wo is ham thes!explanatory note 25
Ne wenden heo nevermore beon ded,
fol. 200raFor that wes thes feondes red,
line211Ac ever as heo lyveden lengur,
So here pynen were strengur.
Heo beoth iput in thilke trume
That ne levede nouht in Godes Sone,
line215Ne that Ihesuc wes iboren
Of that mayde that wes icoren
For to nymen that holy streon.
Wel wes himtextual note 25 that hit moste iseon.explanatory note 26
Intextual note 26helle is a deop gayhol;
line220Tharunder is a ful hot pol.
Ten thusend deoflen and wel mo
Ther doth the wrecche saulen wo,
That nymeth eaules and heom totereth.
Nis ther non that heom atdareth.explanatory note 27
line225Ho stondeth, thustrur thane the nyht,
Theo that demde Jesu Crist;
Nis non other pine so strong
As the stunch that heom is among.
An heyh tofore than hevene King,
line230Of heom ne speketh me nothing;
Ne dar no seynt heom bidde fore
Forthi heo beoth ever furlore.explanatory note 28explanatory note 29
Vurther,textual note 27 ther his onother put
That ne cumeth never undut;
line235Seove duren ther beoth on
The saulen for to underfon.
Lyhtliche me may cume therinne,
Ac up never for none gynne;
To so deop hit is wel neyh
fol. 200rbAs heovene is, from the eorthe, heyh.
line241Therinne goth soulen thikkure inouh
Than leves fallen of the bouh.
The put is hot at helle grunde.
Tharinne, is mony on hungri hund —
line245Mo hundes therinne beoth
Thane foweles under heovene fleoth —
And the lyun that wes so strong,
That al the worlde underfong
Er that he was ibrouht adun
line250With Cristes holy passyun.explanatory note 30
Therunder,textual note 28 is of iren a wal
That is of saulen ifuld al,
On heom is mony yrene beond,textual note 29
That is hatture thene the brond.
line255Therinne beoth the saulen idon
That weren biheaveded other anhon,
Other that so hedden isped
That leyentextual note 30 hedden in theovene bed,
Other weren mansed bi nomeexplanatory note 31
line260Forthi heo habbeth Godes grome.”explanatory note 32explanatory note 33
Ichtextual note 31 wile segge eu a soth:explanatory note 34
Hwoso hit halt, god hit him doth.
Hit is iwriten on the Bok,
For witnesse therof ich tok.
line265Theyh on hundred heveden iseten
Seoththe Kaymexplanatory note 35 wes biyeten,
And nyht and day heveden iwaked,
And teth and tunge of stel imaked,
And tolden of helle pyne o,textual note 32
fol. 200vaYet ther beoth a thusend mo!explanatory note 36
line271Hwose istextual note 33 wis beo ywar
That his saule ne cume thar!
Vor theyh hi greden evermo
Ne helph heom wurth o slo.explanatory note 37
line275Ac bidde we Crist that is us buve,explanatory note 38
For his swete moder luve,
Leve us suche werkes wurche
And so anuren Holy Chireche
Hwarthurh we beon iborewe,
line280And ibrouht ut of kare and seorewe.
Kitextual note 34 ces .xi. peynes escryvera;
Bon aventure ly avendra.explanatory note 39textual note 35
Hwosotextual note 36 wrot thes pynen ellevene,
His soule mote cumme te hevene
line285And pleye ther myd engles bryhte,
Ther heo beoth in hevene lyhte;
And nabbe he never Godes grome,
For Hug’ is his rihte nome,
And he is curteys and hendy.
line290Thi,explanatory note 40 god him lete wel endy.
Amen.explanatory note 41
fol. 198rbHere begin the eleven pains of hell that Saint Paul saw.
I ask that you please listen
To how the Devil had a dispute
With a miserable sinner.
He was released from great sorrow,
line5Raised from death into life
By the will of God.
“Miserable spirit, what are you doing here?
You were my companion in hell.
Who’s unlocked the door of hell,
line10Releasing you from pain?”
Then responds the dead to him
In the world where he was,
Recounts in order, describes and tells
The eleven pains that Saint Paul saw,
line15And others that he’d experienced.
Not a single word lies.
“Will you listen to me, Satan,
About how I’ve been freed from hell?
Worms have gnawed my flesh,
line20And my friends have forgotten me.
I was a man, as you well know,
fol. 198vaAnd now I’m a miserable spirit.
I’ve been in hell a long time,
As anyone can see by my hue!
line25In me, one may learn a lesson
So that he may give up his sins —
To destruction he will be borne,
Lost because of sins,
Because whoever behaves here
line30Such that his soul goes to hell,
He’ll be in pains more numerous
Than than the birds flying under heaven!
First, there are burning trees
Like none that one may see here,
line35Whereon are hung the souls
Who here have committed sins
And refused to ever go to church.
For that, they suffer there such woes.
There they hang in greater thickness
line40Than do bees in their winter’s hive.
Next, there is a hot furnace.
Seven devils stand at it,
With souls underfoot,
Tossing them into the fire.
line45There are things all around
That men fear greatly:
Snow and ice, and clotted blood;
Snakes and adders fiercely sting
Whoever’s thrown in that fire
line50And also those already there.
Whichever soul they attack there
Has never any rest or relief.
They want to die but can’t —
fol. 198vbWhat they get there is something else.
line55Such pain will they suffer
Who were of their flesh too lascivious
And wouldn’t control their flesh’s desire,
But followed all that was wrong;
There they suffer such miseries,
line60Who here enacted unjust laws;
Thither come often the souls
Who here judged false judgments.
More souls suffer there such woe
Than fish swim or birds fly!
line65They cry out loudly and weep hard,
But remedy helps them nevermore.
A wheel of steel is further along,
And burns bright and turns perpetually;
A thousand spokes are on it,
line70And spikes set all over it.
Thereon will the souls be torn apart
Who here enacted unjust laws.
More souls suffer there such woe
Than are snowflakes in the snow.
line75Further on, there’s a river boiling hot,
Deep and long and broad,
Blacker than swarthy pitch,
And stinking like an overripe corpse
With poisonous worms that
line80Sting it or tear at it.
Befouled is that foul pool
That’s always hot and never cool.
Beside it stands a devil’s troop,
Awaiting when the souls come.
line85They strangle them in flocks
fol. 199raJust as wolves do sheep.
When the fiends let go of them,
Snakes and adders come upon them
And draw them into a well
line90Where they suffer terribly.
After this has been done to them,
It happens to them again and again.
He cannot utter ‘waylaway’
Who suffers such pains night and day.
line95There are some seen there
Who stand up to their knees,
And some to their thighs,
And some to their upper brows,
And some right to their teeth,
line100Just as he committed his sins here.
Backbiters were they
Who stand up to their knees;
Those who were whores or paramours
Stand up to their necks;
line105And those who broke wedlock,
To their mouths receive the river;
He who’s glad of others’ harm
Stands up to his arms;
He who speaks idly in church,
line110To his mouth receives the river;
He who accuses or abandons his brother,
The river goes above his eyes;
He who willfully does what’s not right,
Of him, one sees nothing at all!
line115Whoever seeks wisdom from me, beware
That his soul never come there,
For even if the world passes away,
fol. 199rbTheir pain lasts forever.
Further on, is a very deep swamp
line120Full of wooers and women.
The place is darker than night,
For light never comes there,
And stinks fouler than a mongrel
Because brimstone wells from the ground.
line125Ten thousand fiends and even more
There chew their tongues in two
And draw out their brains
For they were desirous of tribute;
Such is their pain there,
line130For they were usurers here.
The women are placed further on
Having nothing at all on them —
They baste them with pitch
As we roast meat with grease.
line135Adders suck their breasts,
And snakes close up their eyes;
Hellhounds gnaw their feet,
And four fiends stand near them,
Because they lost their virginity
line140Before they came to the church door,
And destroyed their offspring
So that it couldn’t be baptized.
They cast it out to hounds or swine.
For that, they suffer there such pain.
line145Further on, there are women and men
Being split in two by fiends;
As they are drawn in such a manner,
Vultures devour their stomachs.
They throw half into a fire,
fol. 199vaAnd half into a frozen marsh;
line151And their innards, every bit —
No matter how small is their gut —
They cast out likewise, all in all,
And similarly treat the gall bladder.
line155Vilely, they’re made to suffer plenty,
Whoever here caused woe with them,
Or stole from poor wretches their land,
And brought them to great disgrace,
Those who were fatherless and friendless.
line160For that, they drove them off their land;
From them they took an unjust tribute!
For that, they are gutted so filthily.
Further on, there’s a watery stream
That’s all mixed with blood;
line165Therein are a thousand souls
Desperately thirsty and very hungry.
All of them always in fire burn,
And so does that water, night and day.
They may never expect a sip,
line170Nor do they ever have any hope.
Such pain are they in,
Who broke the commandments set
In Holy Church over everyone.
For that, they play with so much sorrow.
line175Further on, there are old men
Who dwell among adders;
They sting every one of them,
And gnaw their flesh to the bone,
And adders suck their brains
fol. 199vbAnd crawl out and in again.
line181Some are burning, some freezing,
And all the bones have fallen apart.
When they’ve been all consumed,
Again they join all into one,
line185Not in order to leave them,
But to suffer again that wretchedness.
They lament and groan day and night,
But it doesn’t help them at all,
For they wouldn’t be shriven
line190When they were alive.
Four devils stand near them,
Torturing them grievously.
Wretched men, why weren’t they wary
While they lived here?
line195Why wouldn’t they do good for him
Who delivered them with his blood,
And gave us house and land and wife,
And wit and wisdom and joy and life,
And all that was good in the world?
line200Yet none of them understood it;
They wouldn’t consider that,
Or do good for poor wretches.
They thought it’d last forever.
For that, they’re in such woe!
line205Neither priests’ words nor God’s law
Restrained them in their day,
But these traitors and liars, who
Were false here — woe to them!
They never thought about being dead,
fol. 200raFor so did these fiends advise them,
line211But the longer they lived here,
The stronger were their pains.
They’re put in that same troop
That didn’t believe in God’s Son,
line215Nor that Jesus was born
Of that maid who was chosen
To bear that holy offspring.
Fortunate was he who understood that.
In hell there’s a deep dungeon;
line220Under it is a very hot pool.
Ten thousand devils and even more
Torture there the wretched souls,
Taking awls and tearing them to pieces.
No one there escapes their notice.
line225There stand, darker than night,
Those who judged Jesus Christ;
There’s no other pain so strong
As the stench that’s among them.
On high before heaven’s King,
line230They never speak of them;
No saint dares intercede for them
Because they’re forever lost.
Further on, there’s another pit
That never becomes unshut;
line235Seven doors are on it
To receive the souls.
Easily may they come therein,
But never go back up, by any trick;
It’s well nigh as deep
fol. 200rbAs, from the earth, heaven is high.
line241Therein go souls much more thickly
Than leaves fall off the branch.
The pit is hot at hell’s floor.
In it, there are many hungry hounds —
line245There are in it more hounds
Than are birds flying under heaven —
And the lion that was so strong,
That appropriated all the world
Before he was conquered
line250By Christ’s holy passion.
Down below, there’s an iron-walled enclosure
Entirely full of souls,
With many iron bands on them,
Hotter than a branding-iron.
line255In there are consigned the souls
Who were beheaded or hung,
Or who’d gone about
Lying in a bed of thieves,
Or were excommunicated by name
line260For they received God’s anger.”
I’ll tell you the truth:
Whoever obeys, it does him good.
It’s written in the Bible,
Of which I give witness.
line265Even if a hundred men had sat
Since the birth of Cain,
And stayed awake night and day,
With teeth and tongues of steel,
And spoke always of hell’s pains,
fol. 200vaThere’d still be a thousand more!
line271Whoever’s wise should beware
That his soul not come there!
Even if they were to cry out forever
It wouldn’t help them even a bit.
line275So let’s pray to Christ above us,
For love of his blessed mother,
To allow us to perform such works
And thus honor Holy Church
So that we may be saved,
line280And brought out of care and sorrow.
Here are written the eleven pains;
Have good fortune by it.
He who wrote these eleven pains,
May his soul come to heaven
line285And play there with bright angels,
Where they’re in heaven’s light;
And may he never have God’s anger,
For Hugh is his true name,
And he is courteous and kind.
line290For that, may his ending be good.
Amen.