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DEUS In altissimis habito,
In the heghest hevyn my hame have I,
Eterne mentis et ego,
Withoutyn ende aylastandly.
Sen I have wroght thire worldys wyde,
Hevyn and ayre and erthe also,
My hegh Godhede I will noght hyde
All yf sume foles be fallyn me fro.
When thai assent with syn of pride
Up for to trine my trone unto,
In hevyn thai myght no lengger byde
But wyghtly went to wone in wo;
And sen thai wrange have wroght,
My lyk ys to lat tham go
To suffir sorowe onsoght
Syne thai have servid so.
Thare mys may never be amendid
Sen thai asent me to forsake,
For all there force non sall thame fende
For to be fendys foule and blake.
And tho that lykys with me to lende
And trewly tent to me will take
Sall wonne in welth withoutyn ende
And allway wynly with me wake.
Thai sall have for thare sele
Solace that never sall sclake.
This warke methynkys full wele,
And more now will I make.
Syne that this world es ordand evyn,
Furth well I publysch my power.
Noght by my strenkyth but by my stevyn
A firmament I byd apere.
Emange the waterris, lyght so levyn,
There cursis lely for to lere,
And that same sall be namyd hewvyn
With planitys and with clowdis clere.
The water I will be set
To flowe both fare and nere,
And than the firmament
In mydis to set thame sere.
The firmament sal nought move,
But be a mene, thus will I mene,
Ovir all the worlde to halde and hove,
And be tho tow wateris betwyne.
Undir the hevyn, and als above
The wateris serly sall be sene,
And so I wille my post prove
By creaturis of kyndis clene.
This warke his to my pay
Righit will, withoutyn wyne.
Thus sese the secunde day
Of my doyingys bydene.
Moo sutyll werkys assesay I sall
For to be set in service sere:
All the waterris grete and smalle
That undir hevyne er ordande here,
Gose togedir and holde yow all
And be a flode festynde in fere
So that the erthe, both downe and dale,
In drynesch playnly may apere.
The drynes “lande” sall be
Namyd, bothe ferre and nere,
And then I name the “se”
Geddryng of wateris clere.
The erthe sall fostyr and furthe bryng
Buxsumly, as I wyle byde,
Erbys and also othyr thyng
Well for to wax and worthe to wede.
Treys also tharon sall spryng
With braunchis and with bowis on brede,
With flouris fayr on heght to hyng
And fruth also to fylle and fede.
And thane I will that thay
Of themselfe have the sede
And mater that thay may
Be lastande furth in lede.
And all ther materis es in mynde
For to be made of mekyl might,
And to be kest in dyveris kynde
So for to bere sere burguns bright.
And when ther frutys is fully fynde
And fayrest semande unto syght,
Thane the wedris wete and wynde
Oway I will it wende full wyght,
And of there sede full sone
New rotys sall ryse upright.
The third day thus is done:
Thire dedis er dewly dyght.
Now sene the erthe thus ordand es,
Mesurid and made by myn assent,
Grathely for to growe with gres
And wedis that sone away bese went,
Of my gudnes now will I ges
So that my werkis no harmes hent,
Two lyghtis, one more and one lesse,
To be fest in the firmament:
The more light to day
Fully suthely sall be sent;
The lesse lyght allway
To the nyght sall take entent.
Thir figuris fayre that furth er fun
Thus on sere sydys serve thai sall:
The more lyght sall be namid the son,
Dymnes to wast be downe and be dale.
Erbis and treys that er bygune:
All sall he governe, gret and smale.
With cald yf thai be closid or bun,
Thurgh hete of the sun thai sal be hale.
Als thei have honours
In alkyn welth to wale,
So sall my creaturis
Evir byde withoutyn bale.
The son and the mone on fayre manere
Now grathly gange in your degré;
Als ye have tane youre curses clere
To serve furth loke ye be fre,
For ye sall set the sesons sere
Kyndely to knowe in ilke cuntré,
Day fro day, and yere fro yere,
By sertayne signes suthly to se.
The hevyn sall be overhyld
With sternys to stand plenté.
The furth day his fulfillid:
This werke well lykys me.
Now sen thir werkis er wroght with wyne,
And fundyn furth be firth and fell,
The see now will I set within
Whallis whikly for to dewell,
And othir fysch to flet with fyne,
Sum with skale and sum with skell,
Of diveris materis more and myn,
In sere maner to make and mell.
Sum sall be meke and milde
And sum both fers and fell:
This world thus will I eke
Syn I am witt of well.
Also up in the ayre on hyght
I byd now that thore be ordande
For to be foulis fayre and bright,
Dewly in thare degre dwelland,
With fedrys fayre to frast ther flight
For stede to stede whore thai will stande,
And also leythly for to lyght
Whoreso thame lykis in ilke a londe.
Thane fysch and foulis sere
Kyndely I you commande
To meng on youre manere
Both be se and sande.
This materis more yitt will I mende
So for to fulfill my forthoght
With diveris bestis in lande to lende,
To brede and be with bale furth brught.
And with bestis I wille be blende
Serpentis to be sene unsoght
And wormis upon thaire wombis sall wende
To won in erth and worth to noght.
And so it sall be kende
How all that eme is oght,
Begynnyng, mydes, and ende
I with my worde hase wrothe.
For als I byde bus all thyng be
And dewly done als I will dresse,
Now bestys ar sett in sere degré
On molde to move, both more and lesse.
Thane foulis in ayre and fische in see
And bestis on erthe of bone and flesch,
I byde ye wax furth fayre plenté
And grathly growes, als I yow gesse.
So multiply ye sall
Ay furth in fayre processe:
My blyssyng have ye all.
The fift day endyd es.
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(see note); (t-note)
home
Since; there
fools (misguided ones)
ascend
step up; throne; (see note)
abide; (t-note)
immediately; live
wrong (error)
desire (implying will)
error; rectified; (see note)
agreed
defend
remain; (t-note)
give heed to my will
live
profitably; keep watch
profit
slacken
ordained
strength; voice; (see note)
Among; light so bright
courses truly to discover
planets
midst; them separately
(see note); (t-note)
mean (intermediate space); order
be positioned
those two
separately
power
by nature
is; recompense
well; doubt
ends
now
More subtle; attempt
independently
are ordained
linked together
hill; valley
dry land
sea
Gathering
bring forth
Obediently; bid
Herbs
to be fruitful; worthy to be clad
Trees; (t-note)
branches; boughs extended
flowers; hang; (t-note)
fruit; feed (nourish)
seed
substance
in that place (where planted)
(t-note)
great
cast; diverse species
differing blossoms
ripe
appearing
weather’s rain
Away; go; quickly
seed
roots
named
planned
(see note)
Truly; grass
be gone
intend
experience
(t-note)
set (firmly)
give (its) attention
forth are found; (t-note)
different
Dimness to lessen on hill
bound
healthy
gifts; (t-note)
well-being; select
sorrow
sun; moon
appropriately go [forth]
taken; courses
forth (from now on)
different seasons; (t-note)
each country
definitive; truly; (see note)
ornamented
stars
fourth; is
joy
founded forth by forest and hill
sea
Whales actively
swim; fins; (see note)
shell
many ways; mingle
fierce; ferocious
increase
well of wit (i.e., wise)
there; ordained
(t-note)
feathers; enable
where
with ease to alight
every
Then; various
Consistent with [your] natures
mingle (i.e., copulate); own way
improve
assign
breed; pain forth brought
mixed
(see note)
snakes; bellies; go
live; be without value; (t-note)
known
all that is required
middle
wrought
must
ordain
beasts; diverse
the earth
(t-note)
multiply; (see note)
forthwith increase; intend
(t-note)
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