Encountered this first many years ago as part a longer poem by David Young, back in one of
Conrad Hilberry's poetry classes at K. From a 13th Century poet...reminds me of Christopher
Smart's stuff. The English is pretty old but you can pick it apart and get most of the meaning.
And you've just gotta love the word wedrewardes.
The mon that the hare i-met
Ne shal him nevere be the bet,
Bot if he lei down on londe
That he bereth in his honde.
(Be hit staf, be hit bouwe),
And blesce him with his helbowe.
And mid wel goed devosioun
He shall saien on oreisoun
In the worshipe of the hare
Thenne mai he wel fare.
"The hare, the scotart,
The bigge, the bouchart,
The scotewine, the skikart,
The turpin, the tirart,
The wei-betere, the ballart,
The go-bi-dich, the soillart,
The wimount, the babbart,
The stele-awai, the momelart,
The evil-i-met, the babbart,
The scot, the deubert,
The gras-bitere, the goibert,
The late-at-hom, the swikebert,
The frendlese, the wodecat,
The brodlokere, the bromcat,
The purblinde, the fursecat,
The louting, the westlokere,
The waldenlie, the sid-lokere,
And eke the roulekere;
The stobhert, the long-here,
The strau-der, the lekere,
The wilde der, the lepere,
The shorte der, the lorkere,
The wint-swift, the sculkere,
The hare serd, the heg-roukere,
The deudinge, the deu-hoppere,
The sittere, the gras-hoppere,
The fitelfot, the foldsittere,
The cawel-hert, the wortcroppere,
The go-bi-ground, the sitte-stille,
The pintail, toure-tohulle;
The cove-arise,
The make-agrise,
The wite-wombe,
The go-mit-lombe,
The choumbe, the chaulart,
The chiche, the couart,
The make-fare, the breke-forwart,
The fnattart, the pollart,
(His hei nome is srewart);
The hert with the letherene hornes,
The der that woneth in the cornes,
The der that alle men scornes,
The der that no-mon ne-dar nemmen."
When thou havest al this i-said,
Thenne is the hare migtt alaid.
Thenne migtt thou wenden forth,
Est and west, and south and north,
Wedrewardes so mon wile,
The man that con ani skile.
Have nou godne dai, sire hare!
God the lete so wel fare,
That thou come to me ded,
Other in cive, other in bred! Amen!