Crucifixus pro vobis Attributed
to John Skelton
Woefully arrayed, arrayed
= afflicted
My blood, man,
For thee ran,
It may not be nay’d; nay’d = denied
My body, blo and wan, blo and wan =
black and blue
Woefully
arrayed.
Behold me, I pray thee, with
thy whole reason.
And be not so hard-hearted, and for this encheason encheason = cause
Sith I for thy soul sake was slain in good season, sith = since
Beguiled and betrayed by Judas’ false treason: treason = treachery
Unkindly entreated,
With sharp cord sore freted,
The Jewes me threted: threted = threatened
They mowed, they grinned, they scorned me, mowed = grimaced
Condemned to death, as thou mayest see.
Woefully arrayed.
Thus naked am I nailed, O man, for thy sake!
I love thee, then love me.
Why sleepest thou? Awake!
Remember my tender heart-root for thee brake,
With
paines my veines constrained to crake: crake = crack
Thus tugged to and fro,
Thus wrapped all in woe,
Whereas never man was so,
Entreated
thus in most cruel wise,
Was like a man offered in sacrifice.
Woefully arrayed.
Of
sharp thorn I have worn a crown on my head,
So
pained, so strained, so rueful, so red,
Thus
bobbed, thus robbed, thus for thy love
dead, bobbed = beaten
Unfeigned
I deigned my blood for to shed:
My feet and handes sore
Thy sturdy nailes
bore:
What might I suffer more
Than
I have done, O man, for thee?
Come
when thou list, welcome to me! list = wilt
Woefully arrayed.
Of record thy good Lord I have been and shall be:
I
am thine, thou art mine, my brother I call thee.
Thee
love I entirely – see what is befallen me!
Sore
beating, sore threating, to make thee, man, all free:
Why art thou unkind?
Why hast not me in mind?
Come yet and thou shalt find
Mine
endless mercy and grace –
See
how a spear my heart did race. race = torture
Woefully arrayed.
Dear brother, none other thing I of thee desire
But
give me thine heart free to reward mine hire: hire = service
I
wrought thee, I bought thee from eternal fire:
I
pray thee array thee toward my high
empire array = prepare
Above the orient
Whereof I am regent,
Lord God omnipotent,
With
me to reign in endless wealth:
Remember,
man, thy soules health.
Woefully arrayed,
My blood, man,
For thee ran,
It may not be nay’d;
My body, blo and wan.
Woefully
arrayed.