Back to Previous

The Ireland Prophecy

By Unknown
S m[u]sid in [m]i[n]des     [a]n[d] merk[e] [ther] a 
The tothe correctid     [ther] tides mikel tene
S sett by hymself     in set an I.
With [t]rayn they be tynt     trowe [þ]ow non oþer
Þese liouns bees lusked     and lased on sondir
And thair landes [l]ost     for longe tyme
Thair men shal be mangled     and mordred with moode
Without any mercy     robbed on rowe
Thair wodys shal be wasted     wit thow it wele
The donne dere in thaire denne     be dryven to þe dethe
Þair fforestes be foreyd     þair flockes awey ffett
Þair stedys shal be stroyed     and stoln fro þayr steddes
Þair castells shal be cnocked     thair knyghtes cast in care 
Þair tresore shal be trussed     and trilled with trayne
With brybory and with bragge     bost shal men blow
And mykyl tor[vell]e and tene     shal tyde in þat tyme
But þis bale and þis     boste blowyn til an ende.
Many a wy shal than wary     þat þis wo wrowghte
This liouns shal be leyd lowe     and þair lyf lost
Saf a lymme shal be left     in Alban[y] lande:
Many traynes shal be ta[l]d     hym for to tryne
And cast shal they queyntise     to cache hym in care
Gold gliterand shal go     þat g[o]m[e] to bigile
And clatter of a cosinage     to couer þeir cast.
Ȝit shal they mote of a mariage     if þat it myghte amende
And sette seeris selye     the sekerer for to seme.
Be þe li[s]pand lurdan     has lappid wele his lyes
Þair craft and thair quayntys     shal be kyd and knowe 
For Y shal never 7 monethes     se so I þe sure
Or ful bolde bernes     shal blede on a bent: 
Ther shal a wardeyn of werre     wyght for to welde
Fare to a fforest     with a fair fflocke
Agayn hym a gay man     with gliterand gere
With iii thousand     and feler I trowe;
Vn[nethes] shal he shyne     [for sha]de of þe mone
And he shal be logged on     a la[u]nd[es] ende
The Saxouns shal     sike sore whan þat syr comys
They shal banne þat hym bredde     bastardes [or] other.
B[o]t[he] h[o]nde [and] hewer     hew[enne] be[s] do[w]ne
The rooke and þe ragged tre     þe rede baner vnder
The fox and þe wyt rat     sore shal they whyne
The bere shal be baitid     þe schip shal be shent
The ratoun shal be raysed     and reft fro his rout
The stiroup shal be stroied     in his stronge stede
When a fawkoun shal flye northe with his fair fax
The bale of þe bestes     shal byde [with] þemself
They shal be [m]angled with metil     þat mercy non had
Their falshed and þair forcast     fully shal be fonden
Steppys [monne] be sta[f]ful     stondynge [of] blode
And furrows [monne] flow     many [a] felde over
[W]allys [monne] be wasted      of þe wyde townes
And woners in þe wonys     wyghtlye [monne] dye.
Whan Cadwall[is] name call[ed is]     þe corsed may drede
And Albany and Ermo[r]y     erlis vphale.
Þanne [b]ees rorrynge and rouþe     in þ[e] rich townes
To all [S]axons seede     sorow for ever
And the Scottes traytoures     þat þis tale made
But dye as doggys in a dyke     by the sandes isprad;
Therfor non [m]ake bost     but prese well þe ende.
When þis fawkoun flies northe     with his fair fax
Bryght-breneyd bernys     blythlye [monne] ryse
And weltyr ouer wa[w]es     [riche wede v]nder
Þe horned [bes] hewyn     for all hys hye helpe
The northe schal haue noye     but newe it shal sone.
There shal a dede man [a]ryse     dukys to deme
He schal seese oure sorowe     and righte shal he ripe;
Than shal no [iorne]man [iou]ke     in ioye for þe [s]o[n]ne
[But] he schal crepe into crybbe     for þe clere shad[e].
The Saxon hund shal eete     þe deseit þat he sewe
And all hys kyn shal be stroyed     in a lytel stounde
Hys helperys shal be thro[wne downe]     i[n] þarldom for euer
And þay þat in þat tyde     offys of hym bare 
Shal be treted as traytours     with tray and with tene.
Aftere [B]rut be ye bolde     bes þis reaume called
Bretayn as Merlyn     melis in hys sawe.
And þan þe sonne shal seke     ouer þe southe see
And wynne þat was[ted was]     remes
And seþen [shal he] conuerte     [þ]e cursed hethen:
Hys hand bes holy     I highte yow þe soothe.
And þane þe lely and þe lime     li[ng] shal togeþer
The dragon bees derworþe     wha[n] þat [day] comyth.
Of I R and L     m[onne] þat hend sprynge
A N and D     eethe [it] ys to [we]te;
Of all cristyn     crowne m[onne] he bere
And hethenesse m[onne] hooly     hoold a[t] h[is] wille.
Notes:

Original text dates c. 1450, by an unknown medieval author. Source language text is public domain.

 
“The Ireland Prophecy: Text and Metrical Context.”  edited by Eric Weiskott. Studies in Philology 114, no. 2, 2017.