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¹ Yt anoieth my soule of my lijf; Y schal lete my speche ayens me, Y schal speke in the bitternesse of my soule.² Y schal seie to God, Nyle thou condempne me; schewe thou to me, whi thou demest me so.³ Whether it semeth good to thee, if thou `falsli chalengist and oppressist me, the werk of thin hondis; and if thou helpist the counsel of wickid men?<sup>4</sup> Whethir fleischli iyen ben to thee, ethir, as a man seeth, also thou schalt se?<sup>5</sup> Whether thi daies ben as the daies of man, and `thi yeeris ben as mannus tymes;⁶ that thou enquere my wickidnesse, and enserche my synne?⁷ And wite, that Y haue do no `wickid thing; sithen no man is, that may delyuere fro thin hond?

⁸ Thin hondis han maad me, and han formed me al in cumpas; and thou castist me doun so sodeynli.⁹ Y preye, haue thou mynde, that thou madist me as cley, and schalt brynge me ayen in to dust.¹⁰ Whether thou hast not mylkid me as mylk, and hast cruddid me togidere as cheese?¹¹ Thou clothidist me with skyn and fleisch; thou hast ioyned me togidere with boonys and senewis.¹² Thou hast youe lijf and mercy to me, and thi visiting hath kept my spirit.¹³ Thouy thou helist these thingis in thin herte, netheles Y woot, that thou hast mynde of alle thingis.

¹⁴ If Y dide synne, and thou sparidist me at an our; whi suffrist thou not me to be cleene of my wickidnesse?¹⁵ And if Y was wickid, wo is to me; and if Y was iust, Y fillid with turment and wretchidnesse `schal not reise the heed.<sup>16</sup> And if Y reise `the heed for pride, thou schalt take me as a lionesse; and thou turnest ayen, and turmentist me wondirli.¹⁷ Thou gaderist in store thi witnessis ayens me, and thou multipliest thin yre, `that is, veniaunce, ayens me; and peynes holden knyythod in me.<sup>18</sup> Whi hast thou led me out of the wombe? `And Y wolde, that Y were wastid, lest an iye `schulde se me.<sup>19</sup> That Y hadde be, as if Y were not, and `were translatid, ethir borun ouer, fro the wombe to the sepulcre.²⁰ Whether the fewnesse of my daies schal not be endid in schort? Therfor suffre thou me, that Y biweile `a litil my sorewe,²¹ bifor that Y go, and turne not ayen, to the derk lond, and hilid with the derknesse of deth, to the lond of wrecchidnesse and of derknessis;²² where is schadewe of deeth, and noon ordre, but euerlastynge hidousnesse dwellith.