The poems and fables of Robert Henryson ... Edited from the earliest manuscripts and printed texts by H. Harvey Wood |
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 | The poems and fables of Robert Henryson |  |
129
1
The nobilnes and grit magnificensof prince and lord, quhai list to magnifie,
his ancestre and lineall discens
Suld first extoll, and his genolegie,
So that his harte he mycht inclyne thairby
The moir to vertew and to worthiness,
herand reherss his elderis gentilness.
2
It is contrair the Lawis of natureA gentill man to be degenerat,
Nocht following of his progenitour
The worthe rewll, and the lordly estait;
A ryall rynk for to be rusticat
Is bot a monsture in comparesoun,
had in dispyt and full derisioun.
3
I say this be the grit lordis of grew,Quhich set thair hairt, and all thair haill curage,
Thair faderis steppis Justly to persew,
Eiking the wirschep of thair he lenage;
The anseane and sadwyse men of age
Wer tendouris to yung and Insolent,
To mak thame in all vertewis excellent.
4
Lyk as a strand, or watter of a spring,haldis the sapour of the fontell well,
So did in grece ilk Lord and worthy king,
of forbearis thay tuk knawlege and smell,
Among the quhilk of ane I think to tell;
Bot first his gentill generatioun
I sall reherss, with your correctioun.
130
5
Upone the mont of elecone,The most famouss of all arrabea,
A goddes dwelt, excellent in bewte,
gentill of blude, callit memoria;
Quhilk Jupiter that goddess to wyfe can ta,
And carnaly hir knew, and eftir syne,
apone a day bare him fair dochteris nyne.
6
The first in grew wes callit euterpe,In our language gud delectatioun;
The secound maid clippit melpomyne,
As hony sueit in modelatioun;
Thersycore is gud instructioun
of every thing—the thrid sister, I wiss,
Thus out of grew in latyne translait Is.
7
Caliope, that madin mervalouss,The ferd sistir, of all musik maistress,
and mother to the king schir orpheouss,
quhilk throw his wyfe wes efter king of traiss;
Clio, the fyift, that now is a goddess,
In Latyne callit meditatioun,
of everything that hes creatioun.
8
The sext sister is callit herato,quhilk drawis lyk to lyk in every thing;
The sevint lady was fair polimio,
quhilk cowth a thowsand sangis sueitly sing;
Talia syne, quhilk can our saulis bring
In profound wit and grit agilite,
Till undirstand and haif capacitie.
131
9
Urania, the nynt and last of all,In greik langage, quha cowth it rycht expound,
Is callit armony celestiall,
Reiosing men with melody and sound.
Amang thir nyne calliope wes cround,
And maid a quene be michty god phebuss,
off quhome he gat this prince schir orpheouss.
10
No wondir wes thocht he wes fair and wyse,gentill and gud, full of liberalitie,
his fader god, and his progenetryse
a goddess, finder of all armony:
quhen he wes borne scho set him on hir kne,
and gart him souk of hir twa paupis quhyte
The sueit lecour of all musik perfyte.
11
Incressand sone to manheid up he drew,off statur large, and frely fair of face;
[H]Is noble fame so far it sprang and grew,
Till at the last t[h]e michty quene of trace,
excelland fair, haboundand in richess,
a message send unto that prince so ying,
Requyrand him to wed hir and be king.
12
Euridices this lady had to name;and quhene scho saw this prince so glorius,
hir erand to propone scho thocht no schame,
with wordis sueit, and blenkis amorouss,
Said, ‘welcum, Lord and lufe, schir orpheuss,
In this provynce ye salbe king and lord!’
Thay kissit syne, and thus thay can accord.
132
13
Betuix orpheuss and fair erudices,fra thai wer weddit, on fra day to day
The low of lufe cowth kyndill and incress,
with mirth, and blythness, solace, and with play
off wardly Joy; allace, quhat sall I say?
Lyk till a flour that plesandly will spring,
quhilk fadis sone, and endis with murnyng.
14
I say this be erudices the quene,quhilk walkit furth in to a may mornyng,
Bot with a madyn, untill a medow grene,
To tak the air, and se the flouris spring;
quhair in a schaw, neir by this lady ying,
a busteouss hird callit arresteuss,
kepand his beistis, Lay undir a buss.
15
And quhen he saw this Lady solitar,bairfut, with schankis quhyter than the snaw,
preckit with lust, he thocht withoutin mair
hir till oppress, and to his cave hir draw:
Dreidand for evill scho fled, quhen scho him saw;
and as scho ran, all bairfute on a buss
Scho strampit on a serpent vennemuss.
16
This crewall venome wes so penetrife,As natur is of [all] mortall pusoun,
I[n] peisis small this quenis harte can rife,
and scho annone fell on a deidly swoun:
Seand this caiss, proserpyne maid hir boun,
quhilk clepit is the goddes infernall,
ontill hir court this gentill quene can call.
133
17
And quhen scho vaneist was and unwisible,hir madyn wepit with a wofull cheir,
cryand with mony schowt and voce terrible,
quhill at the last king orpheus can heir,
and of hir cry the causs sone cowth he speir.
Scho said, ‘allace! euridicess, your quene,
Is with the phary tane befoir my Ene.’
18
This noble king inflammit all in yre,and rampand as a Lyoun rewanuss,
With awfull Luke, and Ene glowand as fyre,
sperid the maner, and the maid said thuss:
‘Scho strampit on a serpent venemuss,
and fell on swoun; with that the quene of fary
clawcht hir upsone, and furth with hir cowth cary.’
19
Quhen scho had said, the king sichit full soir,his hairt neir brist for verry dule and wo;
half out of mynd, he maid no tary moir,
bot tuk his harp, and on to wod cowth go,
wrinkand his handis, walkand to and fro,
quhill he mycht stand, syne sat doun on a stone,
and till his harp thussgait [he] maid his mone.
| The poems and fables of Robert Henryson | |