‘O ladyis fair of Troy and Grece, attend | |
My miserie, quhilk nane may comprehend, | |
My frivoll fortoun, my infelicitie, | |
My greit mischeif, quhilk na man can amend. | |
5 | Be war in tyme, approchis neir the end, |
And in your mynd ane mirrour mak of me: | |
As I am now, peradventure that ye | |
For all your micht may cum to that same end, | |
Or ellis war, gif ony war may be. | |
10 | ‘Nocht is your fairnes bot ane faiding flour, |
Nocht is your famous laud and hie honour | |
Bot wind inflat in uther mennis eiris; | |
Your roising reid to rotting sail retour; | |
Exempill mak of me in your memour, | |
15 | Quhilk of sic thingis wofull witnes beiris. |
All welth in eird, away as wind it weiris; | |
Be war thairfoir, approchis neir the hour: | |
Fortoun is fikkill quhen scho beginnis and steiris!’ | |
Thus chydand with hir drerie destenye, | |
20 | Weiping scho woik the nicht fra end to end; |
Bot all in vane – hir dule, hir cairfull cry, | |
Micht not remeid nor yit hir murning mend. | |
Ane lipper lady rais and till hir wend, | |
And said: ‘Quhy spurnis thow aganis the wall | |
25 | To sla thyself and mend nathing at all? |
‘Sen thy weiping dowbillis bot thy wo, | |
I counsall the mak vertew of ane neid; | |
Go leir to clap thy clapper to and fro, | |
And leif efter the law of lipper leid.’ | |
30 | Thair was na buit, bot furth with thame scho yeid |
Fra place to place, quhill cauld and hounger sair | |
Compellit hir to be ane rank beggair. | |
That samin tyme, of Troy the garnisoun, | |
Quhilk had to chiftane worthie Troylus, | |
35 | Throw jeopardie of weir had strikken doun |
Knichtis of Grece in number mervellous; | |
With greit tryumphe and laude victorious | |
Agane to Troy richt royallie thay raid | |
The way quhair Cresseid with the lipper baid. | |
40 | Seing that companie, all with ane stevin |
Thay gaif ane cry, and schuik coppis gude speid; | |
Said: ‘Worthie lordis, for Goddis lufe of hevin, | |
To us lipper part of your almous deid!’ | |
Than to thair cry nobill Troylus tuik heid, | |
45 | Having pietie, neir by the place can pas |
Quhair Cresseid sat, not witting quhat scho was. | |
Than upon him scho kest up baith hir ene – | |
And with ane blenk it come into his thocht | |
That he sumtime hir face befoir had sene. | |
50 | Bot scho was in sic plye he knew hir nocht; |
Yit than hir luik into his mynd it brocht | |
The sweit visage and amorous blenking | |
Of fair Cresseid, sumtyme his awin darling. | |
Na wonder was, suppois in mynd that he | |
55 | Tuik hir figure sa sone – and lo, now quhy: |
The idole of ane thing in cace may be | |
Sa deip imprentit in the fantasy | |
That it deludis the wittis outwardly, | |
And sa appeiris in forme and lyke estait | |
60 | Within the mynd as it was figurait. |
Ane spark of lufe than till his hart culd spring | |
And kendlit all his bodie in ane fyre: | |
With hait fewir, ane sweit and trimbling | |
Him tuik, quhill he was reddie to expyre; | |
65 | To beir his scheild his breist began to tyre; |
Within ane quhyle he changit mony hew, | |
And nevertheless not ane ane uther knew. | |
For knichtlie pietie and memoriall | |
Of fair Cresseid, ane gyrdill can he tak, | |
70 | Ane purs of gold, and mony gay jowall, |
And in the skirt of Cresseid doun can swak; | |
Than raid away and not ane word he spak, | |
Pensive in hart, quhill he come to the toun, | |
And for greit cair oftsyis almaist fell doun. | |
75 | The lipper folk to Cresseid than can draw |
To se the equall distributioun | |
Of the almous, bot quhen the gold thay saw, | |
And said; ‘Yone lord hes mair affectioun, | |
80 | However it be, unto yone lazarous |
Than to us all; we knaw be his almous.’ | |
‘Quhat lord is yone,’ quod scho, ‘have ye na feill, | |
Hes done to us so greit humanitie?’ | |
‘Yes,’ quod a lipper man, ‘I knaw him weill; | |
85 | Schir Troylus it is, gentill and fre.’ |
Quhen Cresseid understude that it was he, | |
Stiffer than steill thair stert ane bitter stound | |
Throwout hir hart, and fell doun to the ground. | |
Quhen scho ovircome, with siching sair and sad, | |
90 | With mony cairfull cry and cald ochane: |
‘Now is my breist with stormie stoundis stad, | |
Wrappit in wo, ane wretch full will of wane!’ | |
Than swounit scho oft or scho culd refrane, | |
And ever in hir swouning cryit scho thus; | |
95 | ‘O fals Cresseid and trew knicht Troylus! |
‘Thy lufe, thy lawtie, and thy gentilnes | |
I countit small in my prosperitie, | |
Sa elevait I was in wantones, | |
And clam upon the fickill quheill sa hie. | |
100 | All faith and lufe I promissit to the |
Was in the self fickill and frivolous: | |
O fals Cresseid and trew knicht Troilus! | |
‘For lufe of me thow keipt gude continence, | |
Honest and chaist in conversatioun; | |
105 | Of all wemen protectour and defence |
Thou was, and helpit thair opinioun; | |
My mynd in fleschelie foull affectioun | |
Was inclynit to lustis lecherous: | |
Fy, fals Cresseid! O trew knicht Troylus! | |
110 | ‘Lovers be war and tak gude heid about |
Quhome that ye lufe, for quhome ye suffer paine. | |
I lat yow wit, thair is richt few thairout | |
Quhome ye may traist to have trew lufe agane; | |
Preif quhen ye will, your labour is in vaine. | |
115 | Thairfoir I reid ye tak thame as ye find, |
For thay ar sad as widdercok in wind. | |
‘Becaus I knaw the greit unstabilnes, | |
Brukkill as glas, into my self, I say, | |
Traisting in uther als greit unfaithfulnes, | |
120 | Als unconstant, and als untrew of fay – |
Thocht sum be trew, I wait richt few ar thay; | |
Quha findis treuth, lat him his lady ruse! | |
Nane but myself as now I will accuse.’ | |
Quhen this was said, with paper scho sat doun, | |
125 | And on this maneir maid hir testament: |
‘Heir I beteiche my corps and carioun | |
With wormis and with taidis to be rent; | |
My cop and clapper, and myne ornament, | |
And all my gold the lipper folk sall have | |
130 | Quhen I am deid, to burie me in grave. |
‘This royall ring set with this rubie reid, | |
Quhilk Troylus in drowrie to me send, | |
To him agane I leif it quhen I am deid, | |
To mak my cairfull deid unto him kend. | |
135 | Thus I conclude schortlie, and mak ane end: |
My spreit I leif to Diane, quhair scho dwellis, | |
To walk with hir in waist woddis and wellis. | |
‘O Diomeid, thou hes baith broche and belt | |
Quhilk Troylus gave me in takning | |
140 | Of his trew lufe!’ and with that word scho swelt. |
And sone ane lipper man tuik of the ring, | |
Syne buryt hir withouttin tarying; | |
To Troylus furthwith the ring he bair, | |
And of Cresseid the deith he can declair. | |
145 | Quhen he had hard hir greit infirmitie, |
Hir legacie and lamentatioun, | |
And how scho endit in sic povertie, | |
He swelt for wo and fell doun in ane swoun; | |
For greit sorrow his hart to brist was boun; | |
150 | Siching full sadlie, said, ‘I can no moir – |
Scho was untrew and wo is me thairfoir.’ | |
Sum said he maid ane tomb of merbell gray, | |
And wrait hir name and superscriptioun, | |
And laid it on hir grave quhair that scho lay, | |
155 | In goldin letteris, conteining this ressoun: |
‘Lo, fair ladyis! Cresseid of Troyis toun, | |
Sumtyme countit the flour of womanheid, | |
Under this stane, lait lipper, lyis deid.’ | |
Now, worthie wemen, in this ballet schort, | |
160 | Maid for your worschip and instructioun, |
Of cheritie, I monische and exhort, | |
Ming not your lufe with fals deceptioun. | |
Beir in your mynd this schort conclusioun | |
Of fair Cresseid, as I have said befoir. | |
165 | Sen scho is deid, I speik of hir no moir. |
I that in heill wes and gladnes | |
Am trublit now with gret seiknes | |
And feblit with infermité; | |
Timor mortis conturbat me. | |
5 | Our plesance heir is all vane glory, |
This fals warld is bot transitory, | |
The flesch is brukle, the Fend is sle; | |
Timor mortis conturbat me. | |
The stait of man dois change and vary, | |
10 | Now sound, now seik, now blith, now sary, |
Now dansand mery, now like to dee; | |
Timor mortis conturbat me. | |
No stait in erd heir standis sickir; | |
As with the wynd wavis the wickir | |
15 | Wavis this warldis vanité; |
Timor mortis conturbat me. | |
On to the ded gois all estatis, | |
Princis, prelotis and potestatis, | |
Baith riche and pur of al degré; | |
20 | Timor mortis conturbat me. |
He takis the knychtis in to feild | |
Anarmyt undir helme and scheild, | |
Victour he is at all mellé; | |
Timor mortis conturbat me. | |
25 | That strang unmercifull tyrand |
Takis on the moderis breist sowkand | |
The bab full of benignité; | |
Timor mortis conturbat me. | |
He takis the campion in the stour, | |
30 | The capitane closit in the tour, |
The lady in bour full of bewté; | |
Timor mortis conturbat me. | |
He sparis no lord for his piscence, | |
Na clerk for his intelligence; | |
35 | His awfull strak may no man fle; |
Timor mortis conturbat me. | |
Art-magicianis and astrologgis, | |
Rethoris, logicianis and theologgis – | |
40 | Timor mortis conturbat me. |
In medicyne the most practicianis, | |
Lechis, surrigianis and phisicianis, | |
Thame self fra ded may not supplé; | |
Timor mortis conturbat me. | |
45 | I se that makaris amang the laif |
Playis heir ther pageant, syne gois to graif; | |
Sparit is nought ther faculté; | |
Timor mortis conturbat me. | |
He has done petuously devour | |
50 | The noble Chaucer, of makaris flour, |
The Monk of Bery, and Gower, all thre; | |
Timor mortis conturbat me. | |
The gude Syr Hew of Eglintoun | |
And eik Heryot, and Wyntoun | |
55 | He has tane out of this cuntré; |
Timor mortis conturbat me. | |
That scorpion fell has done infek | |
Maister Johne Clerk and James Afflek | |
Fra balat making and trigidé; | |
60 | Timor mortis conturbat me. |
Holland and Barbour he has berevit; | |
Allace, that he nought with us levit | |
Schir Mungo Lokert of the Le; | |
Timor mortis conturbat me. | |
Clerk of Tranent eik he has tane | |
That maid the anteris of Gawane; | |
Schir Gilbert Hay endit has he; | |
Timor mortis conturbat me. | |
He has Blind Hary and Sandy Traill | |
70 | Slane with his schour of mortall haill |
Quhilk Patrik Johnestoun myght nought fle; | |
Timor mortis conturbat me. | |
He has reft Merseir his endite | |
That did in luf so lifly write, | |
75 | So schort, so quyk, of sentence hie; |
Timor mortis conturbat me. | |
He has tane Roull of Aberdene | |
And gentill Roull of Corstorphin – | |
Two bettir fallowis did no man se; | |
80 | Timor mortis conturbat me. |
In Dunfermelyne he has done roune | |
With Maister Robert Henrisoun; | |
Schir Johne the Ros enbrast has he; | |
Timor mortis conturbat me. | |
85 | And he has now tane last of aw |
Gud gentill Stobo and Quintyne Schaw | |
Of quham all wichtis has peté; | |
Timor mortis conturbat me. | |
Gud Maister Walter Kennedy | |
90 | In poynt of dede lyis veraly – |
Gret reuth it wer that so suld be; | |
Timor mortis conturbat me. | |
Sen he has all my brether tane | |
He will naught lat me lif alane; | |
95 | On forse I man his nyxt pray be; |
Timor mortis conturbat me. | |
Sen for the ded remeid is none, | |
Best is that we for dede dispone, | |
Eftir our deid that lif may we; | |
100 | Timor mortis conturbat me. |
Done is a battell on the dragon blak; | |
Our campioun Chryst confoundit hes his force: | |
The yettis of hell ar brokin with a crak, | |
The signe triumphall rasit is of the croce, | |
5 | The divillis trymmillis with hiddous voce, |
The saulis ar borrowit and to the bliss can go, | |
Chryst with his blud our ransonis dois indoce: | |
Dungin is the deidly dragon Lucifer, | |
10 | The crewall serpent with the mortall stang, |
Quhilk in a wait hes lyne for us so lang | |
Thinking to grip us in his clowis strang; | |
The mercifull lord wald nocht that it wer so, | |
15 | He maid him for to felye of that fang: |
Surrexit Dominus de sepulchro. | |
He for our saik that sufferit to be slane | |
And lyk a lamb in sacrifice wes dicht | |
Is lyk a lyone rissin up agane | |
20 | And as a gyane raxit him on hicht; |
Sprungin is Aurora radius and bricht, | |
On loft is gone the glorius Appollo, | |
The blisfull day depairtit fro the nycht: | |
Surrexit Dominus de sepulchro. | |
25 | The grit victour agane is rissin on hicht |
That for our querrell to the deth wes woundit; | |
The sone that wox all paill now schynis bricht, | |
And dirknes clerit, our fayth is now refoundit; | |
The knell of mercy fra the hevin is soundit, | |
30 | The Cristin ar deliverit of thair wo, |
The Jowis and thair errour ar confoundit: | |
Surrexit Dominus de sepulchro. | |
The fo is chasit, the battell is done ceis, | |
The presone brokin, the jevellouris fleit and flemit; | |
35 | The weir is gon, confermit is the peis, |
The fetteris lowsit and the dungeoun temit, | |
The ransoun maid, the presoneris redemit; | |
The feild is win, ourcumin is the fo, | |
Dispulit of the tresur that he yemit: | |
40 | Surrexit Dominus de sepulchro. |
In to thir dirk and drublie dayis | |
Quhone sabill all the hevin arrayis, | |
With mystie vapouris, cluddis and skyis | |
Nature all curage me denyis | |
5 | Off sangis, ballattis and of playis. |
Quhone that the nycht dois lenthin houris | |
With wind, with haill and havy schouris, | |
My dulé spreit dois lurk for schoir; | |
My hairt for langour dois forloir | |
10 | For laik of Symmer with his flouris. |
I walk, I turne, sleip may I nocht, | |
I vexit am with havie thocht; | |
This warld all ovir I cast about, | |
And ay the mair I am in dout | |
15 | The mair that I remeid have socht. |
I am assayit on everie syde; | |
Despair sayis, ‘Ay in tyme provyde | |
And get sum thing quhairon to leif, | |
Or with grit trouble and mischeif | |
20 | Thow sail in to this court abyd.’ |
Than Patience sayis, ‘Be not agast; | |
Hald Hoip and Treuthe within the fast | |
And lat Fortoun wirk furthe hir rage, | |
Quhome that no rasoun may assuage | |
25 | Quhill that hir glas be run and past.’ |
And Prudence in my eir sayis ay, | |
‘Quhy wald thow hald that will away? | |
Or craif that thow may have mo space, | |
Thow tending to ane uther place | |
30 | A journay going everie day?’ |
And than sayis Age, ‘My freind, cum neir | |
And be not strange, I the requeir; | |
Cum brodir, by the hand me tak; | |
Remember thow hes compt to mak | |
35 | Off all thi tyme thow spendit heir.’ |
Saying, ‘Thir oppin sail the abyd; | |
Albeid that thow wer never sa stout, | |
Undir this lyntall sail thow lowt – | |
40 | Thair is nane uther way besyde.’ |
For feir of this all day I drowp: | |
No gold in kist nor wyne in cowp, | |
No ladeis bewtie nor luiffis blys | |
May lat me to remember this, | |
45 | How glaid that ever I dyne or sowp. |
Yit quhone the nycht begynnis to schort | |
It dois my spreit sum pairt confort | |
Off thocht oppressit with the schowris; | |
Cum lustie Symmer with thi flowris, | |
50 | That I may leif in sum disport. |
Be this was said a grondyn dart leit he glide | |
And persit the boss hill as the braid syde | |
Furth at the ilke port wyndis brade in a rout | |
And with a quhirl blew all the erth about | |
5 | Thai ombeset the seys bustuusly |
Quhil fra the deip til every cost fast by | |
The huge wallis weltris apon hie, | |
Rollit at anys with storm of wyndis thre | |
Eurus, Nothus, and the wynd Affricus | |
10 | Quhilkis est, south, and west wyndis hait with us. |
Sone efter this of men the clamour rayss, | |
The takillis, graslis, cabillis can fret and frays | |
Swith the clowdis hevyn, son, and days lycht | |
Hyd and byreft furth of the Troianys sycht. | |
15 | Dyrknes as nycht beset the seys about |
The firmament gan rummyling rair and rout | |
The skyis oft lychtnyt with fyry levin | |
And, schortly bath ayr, sey, and hevin | |
And every thing mannasit the men to de, | |
20 | Schawand the ded present tofor that e. |
The opposit held of hys chymmys hie, | |
Cleir schynand bemys, and goldyn symmyris hew, | |
In laton cullour alteryng haill of new, | |
5 | Kythyng no syng of heyt be hys vissage, |
So neir approchit he his wyntir stage; | |
Reddy he was to entyr the thrid morn | |
In clowdy skyis undre Capricorn; | |
All thocht he be the hart and lamp of hevyn, | |
10 | Forfeblit wolx hys lemand gylty levyn, |
Throu the declynyng of hys large round speir. | |
The frosty regioun ryngis of the yer, | |
The tyme and sesson bittir, cald and paill, | |
Tha schort days that clerkis clepe brumaill, | |
15 | Quhen brym blastis of the northyn art |
Ourquhelmyt had Neptunus in his cart, | |
And all to-schaik the levis of the treis, | |
The rageand storm ourweltrand wally seys. | |
Ryveris ran reid on spait with watir browne, | |
20 | And burnys hurlys all thar bankis downe, |
And landbrist rumland rudely with sik beir, | |
So lowd ne rumyst wild lyoun or ber; | |
Fludis monstreis, sik as meirswyne or quhalis, | |
Fro the tempest law in the deip devalis. | |
25 | Mars occident retrograde in his speir, |
Provocand stryfe, regnyt as lord that yer; | |
Rany Oryon with his stormy face | |
Bewavit oft the schipman by hys race; | |
Frawart Saturn, chill of complexioun, | |
30 | Throu quhais aspect darth and infectioun |
Beyn causyt oft, and mortal pestilens, | |
Went progressyve the greis of his ascens; | |
And lusty Hebe, Junoys douchtir gay, | |
Stude spulyeit of hir office and array. | |
35 | The soyl ysowpit into watir wak, |
The firmament ourcast with rokis blak, | |
The grond fadyt, and fawch wolx all the feildis, | |
Montane toppis slekit with snaw ourheildis; | |
On raggit rolkis of hard harsk quhyn-stane | |
40 | With frosyn frontis cauld clynty clewis schane. |
Bewté was lost, and barrand schew the landis, | |
With frostis hair ourfret the feldis standis. | |
Seir bittir bubbis and the schowris snell | |
Semyt on the sward a symylitude of hell, | |
45 | Reducyng to our mynd, in every sted, |
Gousty schaddois of eild and grisly ded. | |
Thik drumly skuggis dyrknyt so the hevyn, | |
Dym skyis oft furth warpit feirfull levyn, | |
Flaggis of fire, and mony felloun flaw, | |
50 | Scharpe soppys of sleit and of the snypand snaw. |
The dolly dichis war all donk and wait, | |
The law vallé flodderit all with spait, | |
The plane stretis and every hie way | |
Full of floschis, dubbis, myre and clay. | |
55 | |
Browne muris kythit thar wysnyt mossy hew, | |
Bank, bra and boddum blanchit wolx and bar. | |
For gurl weddir growit bestis hair. | |
The wynd maid waif the red wed on the dyke, | |
60 | Bedowyn in donkis deip was every sike. |
Our craggis and the front of rochis seir | |
Hang gret ische-schouchlis lang as ony speir. | |
The grond stud barrant, widderit, dosk or gray, | |
Herbis, flowris and gersis wallowyt away. | |
45 | Woddis, forrestis, with nakyt bewis blowt, |
Stude stripyt of thar weid in every howt. | |
So bustuusly Boreas his bugill blew, | |
The deyr full dern doun in the dalis drew; | |
Smale byrdis, flokkand throu thik ronys thrang, | |
70 | In chyrmyng and with cheping changit thar sang, |
Sekand hidlis and hyrnys thame to hyde | |
Fra feirfull thuddis of the tempestuus tyde; | |
The watir lynnys rowtis, and every lynd | |
Quhislit and brayt of the swouchand wynd. | |
75 | Puyr lauboraris and bissy husband men |
Went wait and wery draglit in the fen. | |
Lurkis undre le of bankis, woddis and bromys; | |
And other dantit grettar bestiall, | |
80 | Within thar stabillis sesyt into stall, |
Sik as mulis, horssis, oxin and ky, | |
Fed tuskyt barys and fat swyne in sty, | |
Sustenyt war by mannys governance | |
On hervist and on symmeris purvyance. |
(1553)