"Ovirsilit ar with cloudis odious "The goldin skyis of the orient, "Changeing in sorrow our sing melodious, "Quhilk we had wont to sing with gude intent, "Resoundand to the hevinnis firmament, "But now our day is changed into the nicht," With that they rose and flew forth of my sicht. HARDYKNUTE. A FRAGMENT. I. Stately stept he east the wa, And stately stept he west, Full seventy zeirs he now had sene, With skerss sevin zeirs of rest. He livit quhen Britons breach of faith Wroucht Scotland meikle wae. And ay his sword told to their cost, He was their deidly fae. II. Hie on a hill his castle stude, With halls and touris a hicht, And guidly chambers fair to se, Quair he lodgit mony a knicht. His Dame sa peirless anes and fair, For chast and bewtie deimt, Nae marrow had in all the land, Saif ELENOR the queen. III. Full thirtein sons to him scho bare, All men of valour stout; In bluidy ficht with sword in hand, Nyne lost their lives bot doubt; Four zit remain, lang may they live To stand my liege and land: Hie was their fame, hie was their micht, And hie was their command. IV. Great luve they bare to FAIRLY fair, Their sister saft and deir, Her girdle shawd her middle gimp; And gowden glist her hair. Quhat waefou wae hir bewtie bred? Waefou to zung and auld, Waefou I trow to kyth and kin, As story ever tauld. V. The king of Norse in summer tyde, Puft up with power and micht, Landed in fair Scotland the yle, With mony a hardy knicht: The tydings to our gude Scots king Came, as he sat at dyne, With noble chiefs in braif aray, Drinking the blude-reid wyne. VI. "To horse, to horse, my ryal liege, "Zour faes stand on the strand, "Full twenty thousand glittering spears "The king of Norse commands. Bring me my steed Mage dapple grey, Our gude king raise and cryd, A trustier beast in all the land A Scots king nevir seyd. VII. Go little page, tell HARDYKNUTE, That lives on hill so hie, To draw his sword, the dreid of faes, And haste and follow me. The little page flew swift as dart Flung by his master's arm, Cum down, cum down lord HARDYKNUTE, And rid zour king frae harm. VIII. Then reid, reid grow his dark-brown cheiks, Sae did his dark-brown brow; His luiks grew kene, as they were wont, In dangers great to do; He hes tane a horn as grene as glass, And gien five sounds sae shrill, That treis in grene wode schuke thereat, Sae loud rang ilka hill. IX.