Six Centuries of English Poetry: Tennyson to Chaucer

Name: Six Centuries of English Poetry: Tennyson to Chaucer
Author: Baldwin, James

Baldwin, James

English poetry

Hir schone suld be of sickernes,
       In syne that scho nocht slyd;
     Hir hoiss of honestie, I ges,
       I suld for hir provyd.

     Wald scho put on this Garmond gay,
       I durst sweir by my seill,
     That scho woir nevir grene nor gray
       That set hir half so weill.


GLOSSARY.

     =esperance=, hope.
     =fassoun=, 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=, shirt, 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 lusty 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
     Sé hou the lusty 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 fassionis 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 nobilness.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Opening the text

Six Centuries of English Poetry: Tennyson to ChaucerBaldwin, James

General

Six Centuries of English Poetry: Tennyson to Chaucer

Baldwin, James

English poetry

Hir schone suld be of sickernes,
       In syne that scho nocht slyd;
     Hir hoiss of honestie, I ges,
       I suld for hir provyd.

     Wald scho put on this Garmond gay,
       I durst sweir by my seill,
     That scho woir nevir grene nor gray
       That set hir half so weill.


GLOSSARY.

     =esperance=, hope.
     =fassoun=, 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=, shirt, 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 lusty 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
     Sé hou the lusty 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 fassionis 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 nobilness.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Six Centuries of English Poetry: Tennyson to Chaucer

Six Centuries of English Poetry: Tennyson to Chaucer

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