Six Centuries of English Poetry Part 47

GLOSSARY.

=esperance=, hope.

=fa.s.soun=, manners.

=garmond=, garment, costume.

=governance=, discretion.

=hals-ribbane=, neck-ribbon.

=hoiss=, hose.

=hud=, hood.

=kirtill=, skirt.

=lasit=, fastened.

=lesum=, lawful.

=lufe=, love.

=mailyheis=, eyelet-holes.

=pansing=, thought.

=patelet=, ruffet.

=quhyt=, white.

=rewth=, pity.

=sark=, s.h.i.+rt, chemise.

=scho=, she.

=schone=, shoes.

=seill=, knowledge.

=set=, suited.

=sickernes=, security.

=suld=, should.

=tepat=, tippet.

=tholl=, withstand.

=weit=, rain.

A MAY MORNING.

BY WILLIAM DUNBAR.

Quhen Merche wes with variand windis past And Appryle had, with her silver schouris, Tane leif at Nature with ane orient blast, And l.u.s.ty May, that muddir is of flouris, Had maid the birdis to begyn thair houris Amang the tendir odouris reid and quhyt, Quhois armony to heir it wes delyt:

In bed at morrow, sleiping as I lay, Me thocht Aurora, with hir cristall ene In at the window lukit by the day, And halsit me, with visage paill and grene; On quhois hand a lark sang fro the splene, Awalk, luvaris, out of your slomering Se hou the l.u.s.ty morrow dois up spring.

Me thocht fresche May befoir my bed up stude, In weid depaynt of mony diverss hew, Sobir, benyng, and full of mansuetude In brycht atteir of flouris forgit new Hevinly of colour, quhyt, reid, broun and blew, Balmit in dew, and gilt with Phebus bemys; Quhyll all the house illumynit of her lemys.

Slugird, scho said, awalk annone for schame, And in my honour sum thing thou go wryt; The lark hes done the mirry day proclame, To raise up luvaris with comfort and delyt; Yit nocht incressis thy curage to indyt, Quhois hairt sum tyme hes glaid and blisfull bene, Sangis to mak undir the levis grene.

Then callit scho all flouris that grew on feild Discirnyng all thair fa.s.sionis and effeiris Upone the awfull Thrissil scho beheld And saw him kepit with a busche of speiris; Considering him so able for the weiris A radius croun of rubeis scho him gaif, And said, In feild go furth and fend the laif:

And sen thou art a King, thou be discreit; Herb without vertew thow hald nocht of sic pryce As herb of vertew and of odour sueit; And lat no nettill vyle, and full of vyce, Hir fallow to the gudly flour-de-lyce; Nor latt no wyld weid, full of churlicheness, Compair hir to the lilleis n.o.bilness.

Nor hald non udir flour in sic denty As the fresche Rois, of cullour reid and quhyt: For gife thow dois, hurt is thyne honesty; Considring that no flour is so perfyt, So full of vertew, pleasans, and delyt, So full of blisful angeilik bewty, Imperiall birth, honour and dignite.

NOTE.

This is a selection from the long allegorical poem, "The Thistle and the Rose." The thistle represents Scotland, of which country that plant is the national emblem. The fleur-de-lis, or lily, represents France; and the rose, England. The poem was written in celebration of the marriage of James IV. of Scotland to the Princess Margaret of England, and the friendly relations thus established for a time between those two countries.

GLOSSARY.

=denty=, favor.

=effeiris=, affairs.

=ene=, eyes.

=fallow=, betroth.

=forgit=, made, created.

=gife=, if.

=halsit=, hailed.

=houris=, morning orisons.

=laif=, rest.

=lemys=, rays.

=lukit=, looked.

=mansuetude=, gentleness.

=morrow=, morning.

=muddir=, mother.

=orient=, eastern.

=quhen=, when.

=quhois=, whose.

=quhyll=, while.

=rois=, rose.

=sic=, such.

=speiris=, spears.

=splene=, heart.

=thrissil=, thistle.

=udir=, other.

=weid=, garments.

=weiris=, wars.

IN PRAISE OF HONOUR.

BY GAWAIN DOUGLAS.

O hie honour, sweit heuinlie flour degest, Gem verteous, maist precious, gudliest.

For hie renoun thow art guerdoun conding, Of worschip kend the glorious end and rest, But quhome in richt na worthie wicht may lest.

Thy greit puissance may maist auance all thing, And pouerall to mekill auaill sone bring.

I the require sen thow but peir art best, That efter this in thy hie blis we ring.

Of grace thy face in euerie place sa schynis, That sweit all spreit baith heid and feit inclynis, Thy gloir afoir for till imploir remeid.