Thursday, November 15, 2018

Mary Magdalens Blushe

The signes of shame that stayne my blushinge face
Rise from the feelinge of my ravinge fittes
Whose joy annoy whose guerdon is disgrace
Whose sollace flyes whose sorowe never flittes
Bad seede I sow'd worse fruit is now my gayne [5]
Soon Dying mirth begatt long living payne.

Now pleasure ebbes revenge beginns to flowe
One day doth wrecke the Wrath that many wrought
Remorse doth teach my guilty thoughtes to knowe
Howe cheape I sould that Christ so dearely bought [10]
Faults long unfelt doth conscyence now bewraye
Which cares must cure and teares must washe awaye

All ghostly dints that grace at me did dart
Like stubborne rock I forced to recoyle
To other flightes an ayme I made my hart [15]
Whose woundes then welcome now have wrought my foyle
Woe worth the bowe woe worth the Archers might
That drave such arrowes to the marke so right

To pull them out to leave them in is deathe
One to this world one to the worlde to come [20]
Woundes may I weare, and draw a doubtfull breath
But then my Woundes will worke a dreadfull Dome
And for a world whose pleasures passe awaye
I loose a world whose joyes are paste decaye.

O sence o soule o had o hoped blisse [25]
You woe you weane you draw you drive me backe
Your crosse-encountring, like their combate is
That never end but with some deadly wracke
When sence doth wynne the soule doth loose the field
And present happ makes future hopes to yelde.[30]

O heaven lament sense robbeth thee of Sayntes
Lament o soules sense spoyleth yow of grace
Yet sence doth scarce deserve these hard Complaynts
Love is the theefe sence but the entringe place
Yett graunt I must sence is not free from Synne [35]
For theefe he is that theefe admitteth in.

Mary Magdalene washes Christ's feet. JJ Tissot. Brooklyn Museum


Notes

[l2] fittes: fit - a painful, terrible,experience. In 16th cent. occasionally: A mortal crisis; a bodily state (whether painful or not) that betokens death.

[l3]  annoy: noun. A mental state akin to pain arising from the involuntary reception of impressions, or subjection to circumstances, which one dislikes; disturbed or ruffled feeling; discomfort, vexation, trouble. In earlier times often = modern French ennui; in later usage expressing more active feeling of discomfort. 1675   T. Brooks Golden Key 206   His Cross our Comfort; his annoy, our endless joy.

[l3] guerdon: A reward, requital, or recompense. 1600   Shakespeare Much Ado about Nothing v. iii. 5   Death in guerdon of her wronges, Giues her fame which neuer dies.

[l9] wrecke: wreak - To visit (a fault, misdeed, evil action) with punishment;1596   Spenser Second Pt. Faerie Queene vi. ii. sig. Aa5v   There gan he..With bitter wracke To wreake on me the guilt of his owne wrong.

[l10] sould that: 'sold that which'. 

[l11] bewraye: To divulge or reveal (secrets) prejudicially. 1599   Shakespeare et al. Passionate Pilgrime (new ed.) sig. D4   Yet will she blush..To heare her secrets so bewraid. 

[l13] dints: blows, attacks. 1579   Spenser Shepheardes Cal. Nov. 104   Such pleasaunce now displast by dolors dint.

[l16] foyle:  A repulse, defeat in an onset or enterprise; A disgrace, stigma. Obsolete.

[l17] Woe worth...woe worth: woe worth (a person or thing): may evil or misfortune beset (a person); may a curse be on (a person or thing). Frequently in woe worth the day (also time, etc.). Now arch. and rare.

[l25] had: referring to the past pleasure obtained through sensual sin, in contrast with hoped for joy to come in Heaven. Another reading is 'hap': an unfortunate event, mishap, mischance, in contrast with hoped for bliss.

[l26] woe: Read as 'woo' in some texts.

[l26] weane: weane - To detach or alienate (a person, his desires or affections) from some accustomed object of pursuit or enjoyment;

[l25-26]: There are two contrasting triplets here:
Sensuality (sinful pleasures of the flesh): past pleasures/you woo (seduce) and attract me...
Soul (the spiritual life): hoped for supernatural and eternal bliss/you ween (nourish) me and drive me back from the earthly, fleshly to the heavenly.

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