The buik of Alexander Or the buik of the most noble and valiant conquerour Alexander the Grit: By John Barbour ... Edited in four volumes, from the unique printed copy in the possession of the Earl of Dalhousie, with introductions, notes and glossary, together with the French originals (Li Fuerres de Gadres and Les Voeux du Paon) collated with numerous mss.: By R. L. Graeme Ritchie |
 | I, II. |
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 | The buik of Alexander |  |
Vpon the morne quhen it was day,
All rais thay that in the palace lay,
Gaudefeir and Betys alsua,
And the maydinnis with vther ma;
Thay halsit the King with full gude speid,
Out of the palace syne thay ȝeid.
On hors thay went euer ilkane,
And past than to tempill Diane,
Lichtit and beheld thame that war deid,
That folk had walkit it in that steid.
Bot thay knew nocht the King Clarus,
Na his thre sonnes, bot Cassamus
Thay knew richt weill; than war thay wa
It was na ferly thocht thay war sa!
And quhen the duke Emynedus,
Saw forrow him ly slane Cassamus,
He said, makand euill cheir,
“Quhat sall word of vs, Drychtin deir?
Quha sall vs now gif counsall,
Or quha sall help vs in battall!
Now is heir, with worship, deid
Bounte, largenes and manhede,
And all gude sikkerly alsua!”
Quhen his fallowis hard him sic dule ma,
Thay menit him full tenderly,
And said amang thame communly
That neuer mare salbe
Ane man fulfilled of sik bounte.
Of all the maidinnis, Fesonas
Into hir hart great anger has,
That said, sichand, “I can na rede
Bot die, fare eme, sen ȝe ar dede!”
Bot the King hir confortis fast,
And to his barrounis at the last
He said, and to the maydinnis fre,
“I pray ȝow do samekill for me
That ȝe mak gude cheir, euerilkane
For to mak dule thair winnis nane,
And quha haldis in him wraith or yre,
It birnis himself lyke ony fyre,
And destroyis himself and slais.”
Richt as the King his sermone mais,
Syne come the Clarkis of thair lay,
For to eird thame that thair deid lay,
Ilkane of thame had ane riche beir,
Ordaned weill with claspis seir.
Sone as the Sacrifice was done,
Thay deid corps war erdit sone.
Vpon Clarus toumbe thay wrait
His lyfe, his power and his stait,
And how he lufit dame Fesonas,
That was sa fare of fax and face;
On vther halfe his sonnes lay,
And Cassamus als eardit thay.
Quhen this was done, thay ȝeid thair gait,
And to thair hors thay come full hait,
And lap on and to the palace raid,
And lichted thair but langar baid.
The King is entred in Effesoun,
And at the palace lichted doun,
With princes and dukes mony ane;
Thair hors than hes thair knaiffis tane.
Thair followit the King Emynedus,
Gaudefeir, Arreste and Caulus.
The maydinnis ar agane him went,
For thay set haly thair entent
To gar Porrus mak gude cheir.
Said Ideas with colour cleir,
“How fair ȝe, shir?”—“richt wounder weil!
Weill neir I may na sairnes feill,
For, with the harm that I haue had,
(Louit be Marcus!) I am stad
Heir into this cumpany
That I lufe ouer all thing soueranly.”
“Ȝe haue na wrang,” said Ideas.
As he and sho this carpand was,
Come Marciane and the Bauderane.
Quhen Porrus saw thame cumming in plane,
He weilcumit thame richt glaidfully.
Thay helsit him and sat him by,
And besyde thame dam Ydorus;
Lang quhyle amang thame spak thay thus.
In Venus Chalmer ar thay set,
And tald Porrus foroutin let
The franshis and the honoring
That thay fand with the nobill king,
And how that thay delyuerit ar:
“The Kingis men becumming we ar!”
Thus held thay lang quhyle carping,
Quhill men callit thame to the King
To ete, and to the hall thay went,
With thame the madinnis that war gent.
The King than wosch and ȝeid to meit,
The madinnis amang the laif war set;
Thay maid thame mekill feste and fare,
Great honour ilkane vthir bare,
Of courtas speke bot velany,
Ilkane seruit vthir commounly.
Thare meissis to tell war our lang baid;
Ȝe may weill wit yneuch [thay haid]
Wyne and pymente but sparing,
Menstraly, myrth and singing.
That day thay vsit in gaming and play;
At euin to thare bed ȝeid thay.
Wpon the morne the King vp rais,
And soiornit thare quhil Porrus was
Of his woundis helit weill,
And recouerit his mychtis Ilka deill,
This was ane day in the morning,
That rissin was the nobill King;
His duzeperis with him war,
That ane gude quhyle had soiornit thare.
Porrus come furth, that lang had lyne,
With him Marciane his cousine;
The Bauderane can the madynis lede,
And sa before the King thay ȝeid,
And helsit him with courtasy;
The King thame honorit gretumly.
Wpone ane carpet, thare was spred,
Thay sat doun by the Kingis bed,
Gaudefeir was thare and Betys;
And Alexander the King of prys,
Than devysed the Mariage;
To stanshe thare weir, thare ire to suage,
Sa sall he lufe in thocht and deid:
“And gif it failȝeis (as God forbeid!)
Gif ony wrangis ȝow, lat me wit
And, gif God will, I sall mend it.”
Than thay thankit the King haly.
Our all the land thay gart cry
That all suld cum foroutin thra;
Knichtis and ladeis come alsa,
Gaudefeir gart sone stentit be
Pauillonis quhare thay mire menȝe
May all assembill in the planis,
For thay may nocht ete all atanis,
All rais thay that in the palace lay,
Gaudefeir and Betys alsua,
And the maydinnis with vther ma;
Thay halsit the King with full gude speid,
Out of the palace syne thay ȝeid.
On hors thay went euer ilkane,
And past than to tempill Diane,
Lichtit and beheld thame that war deid,
That folk had walkit it in that steid.
Bot thay knew nocht the King Clarus,
431
Thay knew richt weill; than war thay wa
It was na ferly thocht thay war sa!
And quhen the duke Emynedus,
Saw forrow him ly slane Cassamus,
He said, makand euill cheir,
“Quhat sall word of vs, Drychtin deir?
Quha sall vs now gif counsall,
Or quha sall help vs in battall!
Now is heir, with worship, deid
Bounte, largenes and manhede,
And all gude sikkerly alsua!”
Quhen his fallowis hard him sic dule ma,
Thay menit him full tenderly,
And said amang thame communly
That neuer mare salbe
Ane man fulfilled of sik bounte.
Of all the maidinnis, Fesonas
Into hir hart great anger has,
That said, sichand, “I can na rede
Bot die, fare eme, sen ȝe ar dede!”
Bot the King hir confortis fast,
And to his barrounis at the last
He said, and to the maydinnis fre,
“I pray ȝow do samekill for me
That ȝe mak gude cheir, euerilkane
For to mak dule thair winnis nane,
And quha haldis in him wraith or yre,
It birnis himself lyke ony fyre,
And destroyis himself and slais.”
Richt as the King his sermone mais,
Syne come the Clarkis of thair lay,
432
Ilkane of thame had ane riche beir,
Ordaned weill with claspis seir.
Sone as the Sacrifice was done,
Thay deid corps war erdit sone.
Vpon Clarus toumbe thay wrait
His lyfe, his power and his stait,
And how he lufit dame Fesonas,
That was sa fare of fax and face;
On vther halfe his sonnes lay,
And Cassamus als eardit thay.
Quhen this was done, thay ȝeid thair gait,
And to thair hors thay come full hait,
And lap on and to the palace raid,
And lichted thair but langar baid.
[432a]
And at the palace lichted doun,
With princes and dukes mony ane;
Thair hors than hes thair knaiffis tane.
Thair followit the King Emynedus,
Gaudefeir, Arreste and Caulus.
The maydinnis ar agane him went,
For thay set haly thair entent
To gar Porrus mak gude cheir.
Said Ideas with colour cleir,
“How fair ȝe, shir?”—“richt wounder weil!
Weill neir I may na sairnes feill,
For, with the harm that I haue had,
(Louit be Marcus!) I am stad
Heir into this cumpany
That I lufe ouer all thing soueranly.”
“Ȝe haue na wrang,” said Ideas.
433
Come Marciane and the Bauderane.
Quhen Porrus saw thame cumming in plane,
He weilcumit thame richt glaidfully.
Thay helsit him and sat him by,
And besyde thame dam Ydorus;
Lang quhyle amang thame spak thay thus.
[433a]
And tald Porrus foroutin let
The franshis and the honoring
That thay fand with the nobill king,
And how that thay delyuerit ar:
“The Kingis men becumming we ar!”
Thus held thay lang quhyle carping,
Quhill men callit thame to the King
To ete, and to the hall thay went,
With thame the madinnis that war gent.
[433b]
The madinnis amang the laif war set;
Thay maid thame mekill feste and fare,
Great honour ilkane vthir bare,
Of courtas speke bot velany,
Ilkane seruit vthir commounly.
Thare meissis to tell war our lang baid;
Ȝe may weill wit yneuch [thay haid]
Wyne and pymente but sparing,
Menstraly, myrth and singing.
That day thay vsit in gaming and play;
At euin to thare bed ȝeid thay.
Wpon the morne the King vp rais,
And soiornit thare quhil Porrus was
Of his woundis helit weill,
434
This was ane day in the morning,
That rissin was the nobill King;
His duzeperis with him war,
That ane gude quhyle had soiornit thare.
Porrus come furth, that lang had lyne,
With him Marciane his cousine;
The Bauderane can the madynis lede,
And sa before the King thay ȝeid,
And helsit him with courtasy;
The King thame honorit gretumly.
Wpone ane carpet, thare was spred,
Thay sat doun by the Kingis bed,
Gaudefeir was thare and Betys;
And Alexander the King of prys,
Than devysed the Mariage;
To stanshe thare weir, thare ire to suage,
Sa sall he lufe in thocht and deid:
“And gif it failȝeis (as God forbeid!)
Gif ony wrangis ȝow, lat me wit
And, gif God will, I sall mend it.”
Than thay thankit the King haly.
Our all the land thay gart cry
That all suld cum foroutin thra;
Knichtis and ladeis come alsa,
Gaudefeir gart sone stentit be
Pauillonis quhare thay mire menȝe
May all assembill in the planis,
For thay may nocht ete all atanis,
| The buik of Alexander | |