John Skelton. Excerpt from "Phyllyp Sparowe" - lines 386-431. [excerpt from Philip Sparowe]

lines 386-431

Lauda, anima mea, Dominum !
To wepe with me loke that ye come,
All manner of byrdes in your kynd ;
Se none be left behynde.
To mornynge loke that ye fall
With dolorous songes funerall,
Some to synge, and some to say,
Some to wepe, and some to pray,
Euery byrde in his laye.
The goldfynche, the wagtayle ;
The ianglynge iay to rayle,
The fleckyd pye to chatter
Of this dolorous mater ;
And robyn redbrest,
He shall be the preest
The requiem masse to synge,
Softly warbelynge,
With helpe of the red sparow,
And the chattrynge swallow,
This herse for to halow ;
The larke with his longe to ;
The spynke, and the martynet also ;
The shouelar with his brode bek ;
The doterell, that folyshe pek,
And also the mad coote,
With a balde face to toote ;
The feldefare, and the snyte ;
The crowe, and the kyte ;
The rauyn, called Rolfe,
His playne songe to solfe ;
The partryche, the quayle ;
The plouer with vs to wayle ;
The woodhacke, that syngeth chur
Horsly, as he had the mur ;
The lusty chauntyng nyghtyngale ;
The popyngay to tell her tale,
That toteth oft in a glasse,
Shal rede the Gospell at masse ;
The mauys with her whystell
Shal rede there the pystell.
But with a large and a longe
To kepe iust playne songe,
Our chaunters shalbe the cuckoue,
The culuer, the stockedowue,
With puwyt the lapwyng,
The versycles shall syng.

Source:
Skelton, John. The Poetical Works of John Skelton. Vol. I.
Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1866. 74-75.

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