Anamalit was the felde with all colouris,
The perly droppis schuke in silvir schouris ;
Quhill all in balme did branch and levis flete1,
To part fra Phebus did Aurora grete2;
Hir cristall teris I saw hyng on the flouris
Quhilk he for lufe all drank up with his hete.
For mirth of May, wyth skippis and wyth hoppis,
The birdis sang upon the tender croppis,
With curiouse notis, as Venus chapell clerkis ;
The rosis yong, new spreding of their knoppis
War powderit brycht with hevinly beriall droppis
Throu bemes rede, birnyng as ruby sperkis ;
The skyes rang for schoutyng of the larkis.
THE DANCE OF THE SEVIN DEIDLY SYNNIS.
Of Februar the fyiftene nycht,
Full lang befoir the dayis lycht,
I lay in till a trance;
And than I saw baith Hevin and Hell:
Me thocht, amangis the feyndis fell,
Mahoun gart cry ane Dance
Off Schrewis that were nevir schrevin,
Aganis the feist of Fasternis evin 5
To mak thair observance ;
He bad gallandis ga graith a gyiss
And kast up gamountis' in the Skyiss
As varlotis dois in France.
Quhill preistis come in with bair schevin nekkis,
Than all the Feyndis lewche, and made gekkis 10,
Blak-belly and Bawsy-Broun.
Lat sé, quoth he, now quha begynnis,
With that the fowll Sevin Deidly synnis
Begowth to leip at anis.
And first of all in Dance was Pryd,
With hair wyld bak, and bonet on syd,
Lyk to mak vaistie1 wanis 2;
And round abowt him, as a quheill,
Hang all in rumpillis to the heill
His kethat" for the nanis :
Mony prowd trumpour with him trippit
Throw skaldand fyre, ay as thay skippit
Thay gyrnd with hyddous granis".
Than Yre come in with sturt and stryfe;
His hand wes ay upoun his knyfe,
He brandeist lyk a beir:
Bostaris, braggaris, and barganeris,
Eftir him passit in to pairis,
All bodin in feir of weir
In jakkis, and scryppis and bonettis of steill
Thair leggis wer chenyeit to the heill,
Frawart was their affeir:
Sum upoun uder with brandis beft",
Sum jagit uthers to the heft
With knyvis that scherp cowd scheir.
Nixt in the Dance followite Invy,
Fild full of feid and fellony,
Hid malyce and dispyte.
For pryvie hatrent that tratour trymlit;
Nixt him in Dans come Cuvatyce
Rute of all evill, and grund of vyce,
That nevir cowd be content :
Catyvis, wrechis, and ockeraris',
Hud-pykis 2, hurdaris 3, and gadderaris *,
All with that warlo went :
Out of thair throttis thay schot on udder
Hett moltin gold, me thocht, a fudder
Feyndis fild thame new up to the thrott
With gold of allkin prent.
Syne Sweirnes, at the secound bidding,
Come lyk a sow out of a midding,
Full slepy wes his grunyie 10,
Mony sweir bumbard belly huddroun",
Mony slute daw 12, and slepy duddroun
Him servit ay with sounyie1a.
He drew thame furth in till a chenyie
And Belliall with a brydill renyie
Evir lascht thame on the lunyie 15 :
In Dans thay war so slaw of feit,
Thay gaif thame in the fyre a heit,
And made them quicker of counyie ".
Than Lichery, that lathly corse,
Came berand1 lyk a bagit horse,
And Ydilness did him leid;
Thair wes with him ane ugly sort,
And mony stynkand fowll tramort
That had in syn bene deid:
Quhen they were enterit in the Dance,
Thay wer full strenge of countenance,
Lyke tortchis byrnand reid,
properly of 128 lbs. weight.
6 wild-fire. 7 emptied. 8 of all kinds.
10 grunt. "heavy tun-bellied sloven. 12 slothful wench. 16 apprehension. snorting. corpse.
Than the fowll monstir Gluttony
Of wame unsasiable and gredy,
To Dance he did him dress :
Him followit mony fowll drunckart,
With can and collep1, cop and quart,
In surffet and excess;
Full mony a waistless wally-drag 2,
With wamis unweildable, did furth wag,
In creische that did incress :
Drynk! ay thay cryit with many a gaip,
The Feyndis gaif thame hait leid to laip*
Thair leveray 5 wes na less.
Na menstrallis playit to thame but dowt,
For gle-men thair wer haldin owt,
Be day, and eik by nycht:
Except a menstrall that slew a man,
Swa till his heretage he wan,
And enterit by breif of richt.
Than cryd Mahoun for a Heleand Padyane".
Syne ran a Feynd to feche Makfadyane,
Far northwart in a nuke;
Be he the Correnoch had done schout,
Ersche men so gadderit him abowt,
In Hell grit rowme thay tuke;
Thae tarmegantis, with tag and tatter,
Full lowd in Ersche begowth to clatter
And rowp lyk revin and ruke.
The Devil sa devt wes with thair yell,
That in the depest pot of hell,
He smorit 10 thame with smuke.
FROM 'THE LAMENT FOR THE MAKARIS QUHEN
HE WAS SEIK.'
I that in heill1 wes and glaidness,
Am trublit now with gret seikness,
And feblit with infirmitie;
Timor Mortis conturbat me.
Our plesance heir is all vane glory
This fals Warld is bot transitory
The flesche is brukle 2, the Feynd is slé;
Timor Mortis conturbat me.
The stait of Man dois change and vary
Now sound, now seik, now blyth, now sary,
Now dansand mirry, now like to die;
Timor Mortis conturbat me.
No Stait in Erd heir standis sicker,
As with the wynd wavis the wickir3,
So wavis this warldis vanité ;
Timor Mortis conturbat me.
Unto the Deid gois all Estaitis
Princis, Prellattis, and Potestaitis,
Baith riche and puire of all degré ;
Timor mortis conturbat me.
He takis the knychtis in to feild,
Anarmit under helme and scheild,
Victour he is at all mellie";
Timor Mortis conturbat me.
I see that Makaris amang the laif
Playis heir thair padyanis, syne gois to graif;
Spairit is nocht thair faculté ;
Timor Mortis conturbat me.
|