Come forth a-noon / my lady & Princesse 3e most al-so / go vp-on this daunce
Nowt mai a-vaile / 3owre grete straungenesse
Nowther 3owre beaute / ne 3owre grete plesaunce 3owre riche a-rai / ne 3owre daliaunce
That somme-tyme cowde / so many holde on honde
In loue / for al 3owre dowble variaunce 3e mote as now / this foting vnderstonde.
a-noon: at once
3owre grete straungenesse: your great reserve
A-rai: array, clothing, daliaunce: frivolous conversation somme-tyme cowde: formerly could
The Lady answereth
Allas I see / ther is noon other bote
Dethe hathe yn erthe / no ladi ne maiestresse
And on his daunce / 3itte moste I nedes fote
For ther [n]is quene / Countesse ne duchesse
Flouryng in beaute / ne yn feirnesse
That she of dethe / mote dethes trace sewe
For to 3owre beaute / & counterfete fresshnesse
Owre rympled age / seithe farewel adiewe.
Allas: Alas, bote: remedy
3itte: yet
That: But that, sewe: follow
rympled: wrinkled
There were no women in the Danse Macabre in Paris,
so the lady of great estate (in some books known as the princess) was added by Lydgate.
It has been suggested that the reason that we don't see a empress or queen in the English dance of death is that
back in 1425, Henry VI was only 4 years old and not yet "betrothed".
On the other hand Lydgate didn't have any qualms about letting a king
appear, even though this person is clearly an adult male and not a 4 years old infant.
Medieval dances of death
St. Paul's, London