Where are those who were before us?

Ubi sunt qui ante nos fuerunt?*

Where are they that were before us,
who led hounds and carried hawks,
and owned fields and woods?
The rich ladies in their bedrooms,
who wore gold in their tresses
with their bright crosses--

who ate and drank, and were glad together;
their life was all full of games,
men knelt before them;
they bore their rank well;
and in a twinkling of an eye
their souls were lost.

Where is that laughing and that song,
that trailing and that proud going,
the hawks and the hounds?
All that joy is gone away,
that "well" has come to "wellaway,"
to many hard hours.

Their paradise they took here,
and now they lie in hell forever
the fire burns forever.
Long is forever, and long is o,
Long is why, and long is woe;
They will never escape from there....

   --Middle English poem by an unknown author

*[Where are those who were before us?]

Were beth they that biforen us weren,
houndes ladden and havekes beren,
and hadden feld and wode?
The riche levedies in hoere bour,
that wereden gold in hoere tressour,
with hoere brightte rode;

eten and drounken, and maden hem glad;
hoere lif was al with gamen i-lad,
men kneleden hem biforen;
they beren hem wel swithe heye;
and in a twincling of an eye
hoere soules weren forloren.

Were is that lawhing and that song,
that trayling and that proude gong,
tho havekes and tho houndes?
Al that joye is went away,
that wele is comen to weylaway,
to manye harde stoundes.

Hoere paradis they nomen here,
and nou they lyen in helle i-fere;
the fuir hit brennes hevere:
long is ay, and long is o,
long is wy, and long is wo;
thennes ne cometh they nevere.