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The Poems of Alexander Montgomerie

Edited by James Cranstoun

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 XXX. 
XXX. [THE POET COMPLENES ON LOVE AND FORTUN.]
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XXX. [THE POET COMPLENES ON LOVE AND FORTUN.]

On Love and Fortun I complene,
On ȝou, and on my hairt also;
Bot, most of all, on my tuo ene,
The gritest workers of my wo:
All vhilks hes causit so my smart,
That I must live without a hairt.

175

First, to the eyis committit war,
The keepers of the hairt to be,
To spy and to persaiv on far
The coming of the enemie:
Bot they that had this watch to keep,
In Beuties bosum fell on sleep.
Then, fra the pairty adversar
Persavit the fortres but defence,
They clam the buluark, soft and fair,
Quharas the hart maid residence.
Bot ȝit I wyt the harte be sake
It ȝeildt to Love without a strake.
The blindit Archer als I blame,
Beginner of my grevous grains;
Quhilk shameles shooter thoght no shame
To smyll, and shute me, baith at ains.
Bot, sen he took me vnder trest,
He band me bundman to the best,
To wit, vnto ȝour womanheid;
Quhilk worst I wyt of all my woes:
Quhais beutie, be it homicide,
I feir it most of all my foes;
Quhilk Natur set so far above
The rest, vhill that it vanquisht Love.
I wyt Dame Fortun, not that sho
Hes set ȝou highest in degrie,
Bot rather, that sho wald not do
The lyk, in all respects, to me.
Had our estates bene weill compaird,
I had no vterlie dispaird.