Obrázky na stránke
PDF
ePub

FROM THE PROLOGUE TO 'THe Dreme.'

Efter that I the lang wynteris nycht

Had lyne walking1, in to my bed, allone,
Throuch hevy thocht, that no way sleip2 I mycht,
Rememberyng of divers thyngis gone:

So, up I rose, and clethit me anone;
Be this, fair Tytane with his lemis3 lycht
Ouer all the land had spred his baner brycht.

With cloke and hude I dressit me belyve*,

With dowbyll schone, and myttanis on my handis;
Howbeit the air was rycht penetrative,

5

Yit fure I furth, lansing ouirhorte the landis,
Toward the see, to schorte me on the sandis;
Because unblomit was baith bank and braye,
And so, as I was passing be the waye,

I met dame Flora, in dule weid dissagysit",
Quhilk into May wes dulce, and delectabyll;
With stalwart stormis, hir sweitnes wes supprisit;
Hir hevynlie hewis war turnit into sabyll,

8

Quhilkis umquhile war to luffaris amiabyll.
Fled frome the froste, the tender flouris I saw,
Under dame Naturis mantyll, lurking law.

[blocks in formation]

Pensyve in hart, passing full soberlie

Unto the see, fordward I fure anone;

The see was furth, the sand wes smooth and drye;
Then up and doune I musit myne allone,
Tyll that I spyit ane lyttill cave of stone,
Heych in ane craig: upwart I did approche.
But tarying, and clam up in the roche:

1 waking.

2 Observe the use of ei for several southern vowel-sounds.

[blocks in formation]

And purposit, for passing of the tyme,
Me to defend from ociositie

With pen and paper to register in ryme
Sum mery mater of Antiquitie :

Bot Idelnes, ground of iniquitie,

Scho maid so dull my spreitis, me within,
That I wyste nocht at quhat end to begin.

But satt styll in that cove, quhare I mycht see
The wolteryng of the wallis1 up and down;
And this fals Warldis instabylytie

Unto that see makkand' comparisoun,
And of this Warldis wracheit variatioun
To thame that fixis all thair hole intent,
Consideryng quho most had suld most repent.

So, with my hude my hede I happit warme,
And in my cloke I fauldit boith my feit;

I thocht my corps with cauld suld tak no harme,
My mittanis held my handis weill in heit;
The skowland craig me coverit frome the sleit :
Thare styll I satt, my bonis for to rest,
Tyll Morpheus, with sleip, my spreit opprest.

So throw the bousteous blastis of Eolus,
And throw my walkyng on the nycht before,
And throw the seyis movyng marvellous
Be Neptunus, with mony route and rore,
Constrainit I was to sleip, withouttin more:
And quhat I dremit, in conclusion

I sall you tell, ane marvellous Visioun.

waves.

Northern participial form.

8 boisterous.

FROM THE TESTAMENT AND COMPLAYNT OF THE PAPINGO.'

Kyng James the First, the patroun of prudence,

Gem of ingyne1, and peirll of polycie,

Well of Justice, and flude of eloquence,

Quhose vertew doith transcende my fantasie

For tyll discryve; yit quhen he stude most hie

Be fals exhorbitant conspiratioun

That prudent Prince was piteouslie put down.
Als, James the Secunde, roye of gret renoun,
Beand in his superexcelland glore,

Throuch reakless schuttyng of one gret cannoun
The dolent deith, allace! did hym devore.

One thyng thare bene, of quhilk I marvell more,
That Fortune had at hym sic mortall feid2
Throuch fyftie thousand, to waill him by the heid.
My hart is peirst with panes, for to pance*,
Or wrytt, that courtis variatioun

Of James the Third, quhen he had governance,
The dolour, dreid, and desolatioun,
The change of court and conspiratioun ;
And quhou that Cochrane, with his companye,
That tyme in courte clam so presumpteouslye.

[blocks in formation]

Allace! quhare bene that rycht redoutit roye,

That potent prince, gentyl King James the Feird"?

I pray to Christe his saule for to convoye :

6

Ane greater nobyll rang nocht in to the eird.

O Atropus! warye' we maye thy weird;

For he wes myrrour of humylitie,

Lode sterne and lampe of liberalytie.

And of his court, throuch Europe sprang the fame,
Of lustie Lordis and lufesum Ladyis ying,
Tryumphand tornayis, justyng, and knychtly game,
With all pastyme, accordyng for ane kyng:
He wes the glore of princelie governyng,

[blocks in formation]

Quhilk, throuch the ardent lufe he had to France,
Agane Ingland did move his ordinance1.

Of Floddoun Feilde the rewyne to revolve,
Or that most dolent daye for tyll deplore,
I nyll, for dreid that dolour yow dissolve,
Schaw how that prince, in his tryumphand glore,
Distroyit was, quhat nedeith proces more?
Nocht be the vertew of Inglis ordinance
Bot, be his awin wylfull mysgovernance.

FROM 'ANE SATYRE OF THE THREI ESTAITIS.' Veritie.

For our Christ's saik, I am richt weill content To suffer all thing that sall pleis his grace, Howbeit, ye put ane thousand till torment, Ten hundreth thowsand sall ryse into thair place. [Veritie sits down on hir knies and sayis:]

Yet up, thow slepis all too lang, O Lord,

And mak sum ressonabill reformatioun,

On thame that dois tramp down thy gracious word, And hes ane deidlie indignatioun,

At them, quha maks maist trew narratioun : Suffer me not, Lord, mair to be molest,

Gude Lord, I mak the supplicatioun,

With thy unfriends let me nocht be supprest.

[blocks in formation]

My patent pardouns, ye may se,
Cum fra the Cane of Tartarei,
Weill seald with oster schellis;
Thocht ye have na contritioun,
Ye sall have full remissioun,

With help of buiks and bellis.
Heir is ane relict, lang and braid,
Of Fine Macoull the richt chaft blaid",

1

array.

With teith and al togidder:

2 Finn Maccoll.

3 jaw-bone.

Of Colling's cow, heir is ane horne,
For eating of Mackonnal's corne
Was slain into Baquhidder.

Heir is ane coird, baith great and lang,
Quhilk hangit Johne the Armistrang :
Of gude hemp soft and sound:
Gude, halie peopill, I stand for'd,
Quha ever beis hangit with this cord
Neids never to be dround.

The culum of Sanct Bryd's kow,

The gruntill of Sanct Antonis sow,

Quhilk buir his haly bell;

Quha ever he be heiris this bell clinck,

Gif me ane ducat for till drink,

He sall never gang to hell.

[blocks in formation]

3

Marie! I lent my gossop my mear to fetch hame coills',
And he hir drounit into the Querrell hollis ';
And I ran to the Consistorie, for to pleinze,
And thair I happinit amang ane greidie meinze".
Thay gave me first ane thing thay call Citandum,
Within aucht dayis, I gat bot Lybellandum,
Within ane moneth, I gat ad Opponendum
In half ane yeir I gat Interloquendum,

And syne, I gat, how call ye it? ad Replicandum.
Bot, I could never ane word yit understand him;
And than, they gart me cast out many plackis,
And gart me pay for four-and-twentie actis :
Bot, or thay came half gait to Concludendum
The Feind ane plack was left for to defend him.
Thus, thay post-ponit me twa yeir, with thair traine,
Syne, Hodie ad octo, bad me cum againe,
And than, thir ruiks, thay roupit' wonder fast,
For sentence silver, thay cryit at the last.

Of Pronunciandum they maid me wonder faine;

Bot I got never my gude gray meir againe.

[blocks in formation]
« PredošláPokračovať »