Poetry Archives

There be five things to a man’s desire:
Kine flesh, roof-tree, his own fire,
Clean cup of sweet wine from goat’s hide,
And through dark night one to lie beside.

Four things poor and homely be:
Hearth-fire, white cheese, own roof-tree,
True mead slow brewed with brown malt;
But a good woman is savour and salt.

Plow, shove deep through gray loam;
Hack, sword, hack for straw-thatch home;
Guard, buckler, guard both beast and human—
God, send true man his true woman!