The poems and fables of Robert Henryson :: :: University of Virginia Library

This hindir yeir I hard be tald
Thair was a worthy king;
Dukis, erlis, and barronis bald
He had at his bidding.
The lord was anceane and ald,
And sexty yeiris cowth ring;
he had a dochter fair to fald,
a Lusty Lady ying.

2

Off all fairheid scho bur the flour,
And eik hir faderis air,
Off lusty laitis and he honour,
Meik bot and debonair.
Scho wynnit in a bigly bour;
On fold wes none so fair;
princis luvit hir paramour,
In cuntreis our all quhair.

3

Thair dwelt alyt besyde the king
A fowll gyane of ane;
stollin he hes the lady ying,
away with hir is gane,
and kest hir in his dungering,
Quhair licht scho micht se nane;
hungir and cauld and grit thristing
Scho fand in to hir wame.

174

4

He wes the laithliest on to luk
that on the ground mycht gang;
His nailis wes lyk ane hellis cruk,
Thairwith fyve quarteris lang.
Thair wes nane that he ourtuk,
In rycht or yit in wrang,
Bot all in schondir he thame schuke—
The gyane wes so strang.

5

He held the lady day and nycht
Within his deip dungeoun;
he wald nocht gif of hir a sicht,
for gold nor yit ransoun,
Bot gife the king mycht get a knycht,
To fecht with his persoun—
To fecht with him both day and nycht,
Quhill ane wer dungin doun.

6

The king gart seik baith fer and neir,
beth be se and land,
off ony knycht gife he micht heir
wald fecht with that gyand.
a worthy prince that had no peir
hes tane the deid on hand,
For the luve of the Lady cleir,
and held full trew cunnand.

7

That prince come prowdly to the toun
of that gyane to heir,
and fawcht with him his awin persoun,
and tuke him presoneir;
And kest him In his awin dungeoun,
allane withouttin feir,
With hungir, cauld, and confusioun,
As full weill worthy weir.

175

8

Syne brak the bour, had hame the bricht,
Unto hir fadir deir;
Sa evill wondit was the knycht
That he behuvit to de.
Unlusum was his likame dicht,
His sark was all bludy;
In all the warld was thair a wicht
So peteouss for to sy?

9

The lady murnyt and maid grit mone,
With all hir mekle micht:
‘I luvit nevir lufe bot one,
that dulfully now is dicht.
God sen my lyfe were fra me tone,
or I had sene yone sicht,
or ellis in begging evir to gone
furth with yone curtass knycht.’

10

he said, ‘fair lady, now mone I
De, trestly ye me trow;
Tak ye my sark that is bludy,
and hing It forrow yow;
first think on it, and syne on me,
quhen men cumis yow to wow.’
The lady said, ‘be mary fre,
Thairto I mak a wow.’

11

Quhen that scho lukit to the serk,
Scho thocht on the persoun,
and prayit for him with all hir harte,
That Lowsd hir of bandoun,
quhair scho was wont to sit full merk
In that deip dungeoun;
and evir quhill scho wes in quert,
That wass hir a lessoun.

176

12

Sa weill the lady luvit the knycht,
that no man wald scho tak.
Sa suld we do our god of micht,
That did all for us mak;
quhilk fullely to deid wes dicht
for sinfull manis saik;
Sa suld we do both day and nycht,
With prayaris to him mak.

MORALITAS

13

This king is lyk the trinitie,
Baith in hevin and heir;
The manis saule to the Lady;
The gyane to Lucefeir;
The knycht to chryst, that deit on tre,
And coft our synnis deir;
The pit to hell, with panis fell;
The syn to the woweir.

14

The lady was wowd, bot scho said nay,
With men that wald hir wed;
Sa suld we wryth all syn away,
That in our breistis bred.
I pray to Jesu chryst verrey,
For us his blud that bled,
To be our help on domysday,
quhair lawis are straitly led.

15

The saule is godis dochtir deir,
And eik his handewerk,
That was betrasit with lucifeir,
quha sittis in hell full merk.
Borrowit with chrystis angell cleir,
hend men, will ye nocht herk?
ffor his lufe that bocht us deir,
Think on the bludy serk.

ffinis

quod mr R. Henrici.