University of Virginia Library

3. Craiges passionado

Quhy did the god's ordaine
ane michtie monarchis mynde
Vithin the presoun of my corps
to be inclo'sd and pynde?
Quhy did they predecree
suche intestine debate,
Suche euill weeris to be betuixe
my calling and conceite?
Giue as sum say there be
ane transmigratioune thenn,
Evin at sum princes fall or deat
my balefull birth began,
And as he dyit his saull and spirit
hes flowin into me
Quhilk maks my munting mynde so fare
aboue my fate to flee.
Yit doubt I giue or no
my predecessoures gone
That vmquhile prince hes iuster caus
or I for to bemone.
Hee pleanes perhaps because
within a world so wylde
His princelie and heroike thouchts
suld daylie be defylde,
I murne againe becaus
my fonnde conceatid thoucht,
Doune weyit allace be my wnworthe,
resolues and turns to not.
Sine ane or bathe be plagued
I cannoucht weell defyne,
The punishement maȝ weell be his,
but all ye pane is myne.
Ȝit thinke secuirelie think,
tho thow be baslie borne,
Suppois the schell be cast away
ȝet will the perle be worne.
But heere ane freesche alarum
my heart does now assaill
To think and noucht reveele my thotis
me thinks cannot availl,
For quhereto can they serve
be they from her obscuired
For quhom my present and my past
displeasures I indured,
Sen schee even lyke the foule
quha liftes within her beake
The schell fische heiche into the air
that it may fall and breake,
Sen schee I say hes heysit
myne hearte aboue the skyes,
Sall schoe not knaw quhat's in my mynde?
I murmure and devyis.
Ȝes surelie ȝes but how,
by word by wryte or baith
Sall I reveell my hidin harmes
my long conceillit skayt?
By none of thois for quhy
my rivell for I see
Hes made ane dullfull interdyte
betuix my dame and me.
O happie happie he
to liue in suche estaite,
He come in tyme, curst be the tyme,
allace I come to late.
Ȝet let him beere with this,
sence fanncie maks me fonde,
He sall noucht loue her him allone
and he hade sworne vpound.
My richt's salbe als goode as heeis
I sweere by Iove above,
Althot hee war me fare in lucke
he wares me not in love.
He loues (allace) and findes
In loue rewairde againe,
I wate I loue alsweell as he
and finds no thing but pane.
I ade this meikle mair
that breids my hart releif,
Quhen schoe her bewtie doeth behold
in glasses of my greif,
My lynnes maȝ schaw my loue,
my loue may schow my pane,
And schoe within my panes may spye
her bewties force agane.
For giue I soucht rewairde,
schee wold replye, I knaw,
It wer ane great disgrace to her
for to descend sua law
To loue or reaffect
ane wretche ane puissante power,
By birth and bloode Ignoble borne,
inglorious and obscuire.
Ȝet were it noucht eneuche
I sould leive of to loofe
Ore from the worlds miracle
my mynde for to remove,
All thinges againe deformed
In chaos massd shalbe,
Befoir ane retrospiciante I
sall ceass from loving the.
First let omeriane blacke
eternall nicht ourvaill
The earthis circumference befoir
my fixit faithe sall faill.
Thes monomathicke Iarris
betuix my selff and the
Out of my mynde sall nawaȝes make
my fixit Idea flee.
My love quhere it is laid
sall grow and floorishe greene,
And suche apostasie in me
at no tyme shalbe seene.
For how cann I from love
or from my thoughts refraine,
And how can I but loue my thouchtes
and thinke on love agane?
Tuyse am I now reduceit
to my pretendit theame,
And giue my selffe, my thotis or her
I wate not quhat to blame.
Giue her, I wer vnwise,
or giue my thouchts or me,
O thenn are na caus for a caus
but caus sould quarrellit be.
But ohe as sum alledge
loue harboures aye the heart,
There is na plague beneth the pole
of quhilk I haue na pairt,
And all the duillefull dintes
that in despaire cann duell
Conglomerat's in armes hudge
my pleesures to expell.
Ȝit giue as I haue saide
ane transmigratioune be,
Quhy doe noucht these my raging thouchts
tak journey now & flee,
And seek sum saifer schoire
quherein at large to fleit?
For I haue deyed ten thousande deids
sen they and I did meit.
Wald god I anes had dyed,
thenn hade my fanncies flede,
But in suppoised death is lyfe
by thoucht susteint and fed.
Thenn sall I saye I liue
or sall I saye I dee?
I am noucht dead and giue I sould
alledge I liue I lie.
The babell of my mynde
hes drevin me so awaye
That, as I wate noucht quhat I think,
I wate not quhat I saye.
Ȝit weell I wate I love
and ȝit shee wates noucht this,
Thus is wyteles of my woe
and still bereav's my bless,
Ane paradoxe I graunte,
and ȝit ane theame must trew
Quhois certane groundes breeds surest greefes
quhilk I cannot eschew.
And ȝit giue trew loue might
trew loues rewarde obtene,
Thenn weell I wote my waiting on
wald not be wair't in vane.
But while my sanct espyes
in saddest songes my syte,
Schee thinkes I haue na mynde of love
but wryt's becaus I wryte.
But ȝet while schee on me
for to conferre wald call,
Oft haue I sworne by heavin and eirthe
my mistres warrs them all,
And oft have wee discouerit
what, quhy, quhairefoir, and how
I lou'd my dame, and oft wald schee
baith love and all allow.
Ȝet durst I not behold
her to her self to schow,
But thesawriz'd my hiddin harmes
and ay conceallit woe,
And as the fearefull babe
quho knawes his task perqueir,
And sett's the buike asyde befoir
the appoynted hour draw neir,
And ou'r and ou'r againe
his leassoune doeth repeate,
That hee may satisfie and pleis
the maister quhen they meit,
Ȝit quhenn ane compt is tane
all fleis from out his thot,
And quhat he knew he quyte foreȝet's,
feir setts his mynde aflot.
Evin sua it faires with me,
my harong clearlye cunde,
Hes presence hes obliterate
befoir I haue begunde.
And oft have I determened
my passiones to displaye,
And ȝit Immediatelie
I weiping went awaye.
O in my loveing lynes,
O blind with brusit teares,
Hes schee espyit my passiones strong,
my stryving hop's & feirs,
Oft hes schoe sweetlye said,
thy mistres were to blame,
Gif cruell schee, to the that soe
her praises doeth proclame.
And ware thow myne, said schoe,
I surelie wald be loath
Thy loue, thy hoip, thy faithe sould finde
or raip rewarde of wrat.
Thus cannoucht I but thinke
and half perswade my sell
Schee knawes I love her best of all
suppois I dare not tell.
Ȝit leist my name sould be
transsumpit heir and theire,
Inrol'd with foolische soulls who feides
on apprehensions bair,
I schaipe with spidie haist
to sett asyde all shame
And by sum meanes to manifest
my dule vnto my dame,
Quhois must renouned name
for me sall nevir be knowne,
But in my mynde sall still remaȝne
in bloodie figures drawne.
So sall my loue to her,
and with my love my paine,
May ather by my presence be
or poesie maid plaine.
I cease regraiting still
that wicked weirds hes wrot
Suche annalogicke descrepaunce
betuix me and my thot,
Quhilk maks me thus allace,
but pietie to be pyn'd,
Quhenn I beheld suche monsterous
greit greefis wtin my mynd.
And still sall I bewaill
till thouchts there actions breid
And mak ane ramigratioune there
from quhence they did proceid.
And sua till vengit tyme
my wish'd contentment bring,
I end and on ye heichts of hoip
my hovering thotis sall hing.