The Land of Cokaygne

1. Far over the sea, past the west of Spain
2. Is a land called Cokaygne.
3. There is no other land under heaven's domain
4. Of prosperity, of goodness, like it.
5. Though Paradise is delightful and beautiful,
6. Cokaygne is a fairer sight.
7. What is there in Paradise
8. But grass and flowers and green leaves?
9. Though there is joy and great pleasure,
10. There is no other food but fruit,
11. There is no hall, no bower, no bench,
12. Only water man's thirst to quench.
13. There are no men but two-
14. Elijah and Enoch also;
15. Men can only go about dolefully
16. Where men dwell no more.
17. In Cokaygne is food and drink
18. Without sorrow, trouble, and toil,
19. The food is excellent, the drink is clear,
20. At lunch, snack-time, and supper.
21. I tell the truth, without doubt,
22. There is no land on earth its equal;
23. Under heaven is no land, I am sure,
24. Of so much joy and bliss.
25. There is many a sweet sight;
26. All is day, there is never night.
27. There is no struggle nor strife,
28. There is no death, but forever life;
29. There is no lack of food or clothing,
30. There is no angry man or woman,
31. There is no serpent, wolf, nor fox,
32. Horse, nag, or ox,
33. There is no sheep or swine or goats
34. No, nor filth, la, God knows it,
35. Neither horse-breeding or stud,
36. The land is full of other goods.
37. There is no fly, flea, or louse,
38. In the cloth, in farmstead, in bed, or house;
39. There is no thunder, sleet, or hail,
40. No, nor vile serpent or snail,
41. Nor storm, rain, or wind.
42. There is no man or woman blind,
43. But also all is mirth, joy, and glee,
44. Well is he that may dwell there!
45. There are rivers great and fine
46. Of oil, milk, honey, and wine;
47. Water is used for nothing there
48. But for looking at and for washing.
49. There is all manner of fruit-
50. All is amusement and delight.

51. There is an extremely fair abbey
52. Of white monks and of grey.
53. There are bowers and halls;
54. All of pastry are the walls;
55. Of meat, of fish, and rich food,
56. The most savory that man might eat.
57. Cakes of flour make all the shingles
58. Of church, cloister, and hall.
59. The pinnacles are fat puddings-
60. Rich food for princes and kings.
61. Man may eat enough thereof,
62. All approved of and not sinfully
63. All is available to young and old,
64. To proud and fierce, meek and bold.
65. There is a cloister, fair and light,
66. Broad and long, of fair appearance.
67. All the pillars of that cloister
68. Are worked of crystal,
69. With their base and capital
70. Of green jasper and red coral.
71. In the meadow is a tree
72. Very delightful to see:
73. The root is ginger and galingale,
74. The branches are of setwall.
75. Choice mace is the flower,
76. The bark of sweet-smelling cinnamon,
77. The fruit gillyflower of good flavor.
78. Of cubebs there is no lack.
79. There are roses of red hue
80. And lilies delightful to see;
81. They wither neither day nor night.
82. This ought to be a sweet sight!
83. There are four walls in the abbey
84. Of treacle, and of healing potions,
85. Of balm, and also of spiced wine,
86. Ever running to good advantage-
87. In that spot, overflowing-
88. Precious stones, and gold.
89. There is sapphire and pearl,
90. Carbuncle and astrion,
91. Emerald, ligure, and chrysoprase,
92. Beryl, onyx, topaz,
93. Amethyst and chrysolite,
94. Chalcedony and hepatite.
95. There are many brownish-yellow birds,
96. Throstle, thrush, and nightingale,
97. Lark, and green woodpecker,
98. And other birds without count,
99. That never stop by their choice
100. To sing merrily day and night.

101. Yet I tell you more, to wit
102. The geese roasted on the spit
103. Fly to the abbey, God knows it,
104. And cry out, "Geese, all hot, all hot!"
105. They bring garlic, a great plenty,
106. And are the best-stuffed that man might see.
107. The larks-that is well-known-
108. Alight down to a man's mouth
109. Very well-prepared in a stew
110. Powdered with gillyflower and cinnamon.
111. There is no talk of need to get a drink
112. But one might take enough without stint.
113. When the monks go to mass,
114. All the windows are made of glass
115. Turned into bright crystal
116. To give the monks more light.
117. When the mass is said
118. And the books laid up,
119. The crystal turns back into glass
120. To the condition it earlier was.
121. The young monks each day
122. After eating go out to play:
123. There is neither hawk nor bird so swift
124. That can fly better through the sky
125. Than the monks in high spirits
126. With their sleeves and their hoods.
127. When the abbot sees them fly,
128. Then he considers for much glee;
129. But nevertheless gathers them together.
130. He calls for them to alight for evensong.
131. The monks light not down,
132. But fly farther in a rush.
133. When the abbot sees
134. That the monks from him flee,
135. He takes a maiden of the group
136. And turns up her white buttocks
137. And beats the tabours with his hand
138. To make the monks light to land.
139. When the monks see that,
140. To the maiden down they fly,
141. And go all about the wench,
142. And pat her all about the buttocks
143. And then after their work
144. Go meekly home to drink,
145. And go to their dinner-
146. A fine-looking procession.

147. Another abbey is there nearby-
148. Forsooth, a great nunnery,
149. Up a river of sweet milk,
150. Where there is a great plenty of silk.
151. When the summer's day is hot,
152. The young nuns take a remedy
153. And take themselves to the river,
154. Both with oars and with rudder.
155. When they are far from the convent,
156. They make themselves naked in order to play,
157. And leap down into the water
158. And go expertly to swim.
159. The young monks who see them:
160. They get ready, and fly forth,
161. And come to the nuns anon,
162. And each monk takes one for himself
163. And quickly carries away their prey
164. to the great grey abbey,
165. and teach the nuns a prayer
166. With a raised leg up and down.
167. The monk that would be a good stallion
168. And can set his hood aright,
169. He should have without difficulty
170. Twelve wives each year,
171. Al through right and not through grace,
172. In order to do himself solace,
173. And that monk that sleeps the best,
174. And gives his body to rest,
175. Of him it is hoped, God knows,
176. Soon to be the father abbot
177. Whoever would come to that land,
178. Full great penance he must do:
179. Seven years in swine's dung
180. He must wade, well I know it,
181. Completely up to the chin-
182. Before he can win that land.

183. Lordings good and courteous
184. May you never from the world go
185. Unless you encounter your chance
186. And fulfill that penance,
187. That you might see that land
188. And nevermore turn away
189. Pray we God so it must be!
190. Amen, by Saint Charity.

The Land of Cakes?

1. in an utterly unknown and uncharted direction; note that ModE articles have to be added

3. vnder heuenriche = common OE and ME image: heaven's arch, vault, ceiling, realm, etc.; also, nis = negative + is
5. Cokagyne an anti-Paradise, comic fantasy
10, 13, etc. bot/bote = but, usu. ModE "except"
12. manis = genitive ending; note word order-more flexible than ModE, which is good for the rhyme here and elsewhere
16. the Garden of Eden is empty
19. met = generic food, vs. ModE meat
20. Irish russin = afternoon snack: evidence for Irish provenance, along with a confusion of phonological and morphological dialect features (some Northern, Southern, Emidl, WMidl)
32-33. domesticated animals = manual labor
35. more symbols of manual work
46. milk and honey = Promised Land
50. game =amusement, ModE game, as in play
52. white and grey = Cisterican monks?

57. white wheat flour a luxury, as opposed to other grains

59. not Jello, but sausages
62 = not be guilty of gluttony
63. a classless paradise
64. echoes of "who shall inherit the earth"
65-100. standard description of Earthly Paradise-nothing parodic here
71. trees in Paradise are usually grafted-a mix of more than one: artifice? artificiality?
73. galingale = a spice
74. sedwale = a spice, also known as zedoary
77. gilofre = clove
78. cucubes = a spicy, peppery berry
84. triacle = medicine; also a jam-like spread
88. Paradise built on twelve symbolic gems
90. astriune = star sapphire?
102. here, the tone changes = paradise of sloth and sensuality
105. garlic = heats up the blood and inclines to lechery
114. medieval glass is not at all the transparent material it is today; it was very cloudy and opaque
126. comparing monks to angels? The monks are using their robes to fly
136. perhaps not a single-sex monastery? Such existed in the Middle Ages-not co-ed, but together but separate
137. get the joke?
145. collacione = collation, "a bringing together," a gathering of monks to hear a reading before Compline
150. nuns, of course, would not have worn silk
158. sleilich = "skillfully" is the primary meaning, but the word also slides into the sense of "deceitfully," as in modern sly (related to modern sleight); the nuns may swim well, but were doing so knowingly secretly, as it were?
168. a risque allusion?
173. sleep is a luxury in a monastery, when one had to say prayers every hour, even during the night
183. hend = primary meaning is "handy," "skillful," "convenient," "dexterous," sliding into clever in a deceitful way (see hende Nicolas in The Miller's Tale, who may be clever, but also uses his hands to good advantage all over Alisoun); secondary meaning is "pleasant," "courteous"-which is how some want to gloss it here