O ye al whilk thattextual note 1 by me cummes and gothe,explanatory note 1who come and go
Attende and behold this warldes vanyté.world’s vanity
To lyke symylitude, be ye lefe or lothe,alike appearance loving or loathing
Sal ye cum for al your warldly prosperité.Shall come worldly
line5Thinne abydyng here is in no stabilité:Thine permanence
Yowthe sal passe and his verteus swageshall diminish
Deth sal cum and lyfe sal hafe passage.have
Why art thou so sett in prowde elacyon,arrogance
And with the desyres of worldly covetyse?covetousness
line10Why in wrathe has thou syche distrubacoundisturbance
With invyos swellyng of gret malyce?envious
Glotony usyng wher les wald suffyce?Gluttonous less would
Brynnyng in slomer and slawly in corayge,Burning in slumber slothful in desire
Or to be lycheros for al syche life has sone pasayge.explanatory note 2lecherous soon
line15Thogh gleteryng thou be as byrnysched gold bright,glittering burnished
None to thee lyke thee semes in lusty purtrature.handsome form
Ilk men byn stowte in his perfyte right,These bold their
Enformed with bewtes by nature,Developed beauties
And with strenth also to fortefye thi fygure.strength their
line20The day sal cum thou sal out of this warld wendeshall come go
Thi mortal fayte of thee sal make ane ende.an end
Wher is Salomon now with al his prudence,explanatory note 3Solomon
Or myghty Sampson, duk invyncybyll,explanatory note 4Sampson, duke
Tullyus the retrysciane with al his eloquence,explanatory note 5Cicero rhetorician
line25Or Arystotilexplanatory note 6 in witt moste sensybyll,Aristotle
Or this emprour Octavy mest pessybyll,explanatory note 7Octavian most peaceable
Or swete Jonathas ful amyabyll.explanatory note 8explanatory note 9Jonathan amiable
Wher bene thies clerkes so experte in clergy,are learned doctrine
Thies kynges and prynce myghty and stronge
line30Al ar thai gone and close with twynkillyng of ane ee.explanatory note 10buried an eye
Of this warldly joy the feste dures not longe.worldly feast endures
That joy is endyd as a schadow us emonge.shadow among
Here is no lastyng ese ne no tranquyllitéease
Bot labour, travell, and myche adversyté.travail
line35Remembyr thi selfe — here is no sykyr abydynge,secure dwelling
And se how this warld is so transitory.
Thou must departe, here is no long dwellynge
As Job says in his funerall obsequye,explanatory note 11sad funeral rites
In whos servyse thou may lerne to dye,footnote
line40Whos tretys is a perfyte evydencetreatise (book) complete
To schew what sal be after thine existence.
O erthly man, why rejoyces thou thee of gudes erthly,earthly possessions
Sen erthe sal to erth,explanatory note 12 what is thi cause?Since
Remembyr thi selfe on ilk syde verely.each truly
line45No chartyr may help, byll scrow, ne clawse,footnote
Thine abydyng here is bot a lytel pawsepause
It vanysches away and that hastelyquickly
Astextual note 2 teches experience dayly.experience teaches [us] daily
We that wer sum tyme in this wardles passaygeworld’s passage
line50War myghty strong and replete in rychesWere
Into powdyr we sal fall,explanatory note 13 be we novertextual note 3 so sayge,powder never so wise
Of wardly joy syche is the progresse.such
O barayne saule that is so witles,barren soul
That in the lyfes space cannot remembyr
line55Thi selfe, safe that sal be dust ilk membyr.except every limb
Why is thi hert so sett in gladnes?
For to wormes mete thou art grathed and made,worms’ food prepared
For erth is gifen to erth in sothfastnes,given in truth
The flesche is borne into dethe to be hade.
line60O wretchyd man, whi art thou so glad,
With syche daliaunce and fals elacoun?dalliance arrogance
Why wantes thou reson and discrecoun?lack
Man, remembyr of the dawnce of makabre,explanatory note 14Dance of Macabre
How lordes spritual and also temperall,spiritual and earthly lords
line65Yowthe nor age ther has none lyberté,freedom
Bot must passe be Dethes dedes mercyall.by Death’s merciful deeds
Wherfore lat it be oft in thi memoriall,let memory
For the tyme sal aproche hence for to wendeto go
And to a lyke semblande be broght to ende.semblance
line70When Deth sal smyte thee with his mercyal darte,strike (smite) merciful
By paynes strong throghe thi hert rote,heart’s root
Mynysteryng the poyntes of his sore arte,Administering activities painful
No help ne socour than nedes to mote.footnote
Resembyl this fygure, ther is none other boteremedy
line75And thi reward hafe, owther gode or yll,have either
When the tyme cummes ite veniteexplanatory note 15 to fulfyll.come and go
Who sum ever it be that by this cummes and gothe,
Stande and behold this litterall scriptureexplanatory note 16
And it se and over rede, be thou lefe or lothe,willing or unwilling
line80Thi wepyng teres fast sched in gode ure.good fortune
Thou art now as I was in warldly fygure;worldly form
I was as thou art, sum tyme be dayes olde.by
O pray ye al for me, I pray yow a thowsand-folde.ask