[leaf 237 b,
p. 530]
I commend
myself to you
whom I love,

best.

11.

[Only to 30w in erd that I lufe best.]

Only to 30w in erd that I lufe best,

I me commend ane hundreth thowsand syiss;
Exorting 30w, with pensyfe hairt opprest,
As ze ar scho quhom in my confort lyiss,
Gif I misvse my pen, or done dispyss
Ocht at this tyme, will God I sall amend,
Protesting this ballat зе attend.

1

5

7

Some lovers delight in graceful speech;

Sum luvaris thame delytis till indyte
Fair facound speich, blandit with eloquence;
And vpir sum dois sett þair wit perfyte

8

others, through want of it, fail to win their ladies.

I feel such great distress

To pleiss pair ladeis with all pair diligens,
Sum luffaris wantis, throw pair negligens,
For falt of speich, the lufe of his maistres,
Without hir witting [he is] in distress.

As to my parte, my lusty lady schene,

12

14

15

that I must declare it

Or than, knaw rycht weill, but wirdis moir,

That crewell dert out[t]hrow my hart wald boir. 21

Throw laik of speich, I thoill rycht grit distress;
Bayth nycht & day, hard persit to be splene
With deidly dert, and can find no redress;
This me behuffis my panis to express ;

19

rather than smart.

[leaf 238, p. 5311 If you pity me, I shall

be true until death parts

us.

Be not backward to comfort your servant.

For weill nor wa/sall ony knaw our mynd?
Than be nocht thra 3our scherwand to confort:
Sum anschir ma / as 3e ar gud and kynd,

32

That may me, fra / my langour appeill, þat is pynd,

12.] Rycht as pe glass bene thirlit thrucht with bemis.
And not1 slame throw 3our negligence;
This I 30w pra/ for 3our he excellens.

Adew/rycht trew / adew my deirest hairt;
Fairest of hew/ for this tyme haif gud nycht;
Remord & rew/ and pondir weill my pairte,
Sen I persew/na thing of 30w bot rycht;
Quhilk gif 3e knew / my mynd as it is plicht,
3e wald subdew / 3our inwart thocht & mynd,
And me reskew quhilk for 3our lufe is pynd.

35

36

27

40 If you knew my feelings you would grant my 42 desire.

12.

[Rycht as he glass bene thirlit thrucht
with bemis.]

Rycht as pe glass bene thirlit thrucht with bemis
Off Phebus fair prefulgent visage bricht,

Or [as] hornit Dyane with hir paly glemis,
Perssis the cluddis sabill in þe nicht;

And as the kocatrice keilis with hir sicht;
Rycht so pe bewty of my lady stoundis
Out-throwcht my breist, vnto my hairt redoundis.

Behaild how far cristall or diamant,
Jassink, jasp, ruby jem, or criselleit,
Carbunkile, emmerauld, perle, or athamant,
Turcas, topas, marbill, or margareit,
Exceidis the barrat stonis in þe streit :
In lykwayis dois hir bewty vndegraid,
Transcend all vpiris, wyfe, wedow, or maid.

Espy richt so how far pe rosy gowlis
Passis the wallowit weidis in þe vaill;
Or sound of lark aboif þe revenous fowlis;
And somersday the nichtis hiemaill;
Or as ane galay gayest vndir saill

Bene plesandar nor taikles boitis small;
So is my lady lustiest of all.

1 "not"; MS. reads "to."

[leaf 242 b, p. 540]

Be joyful, my heart,

thou hast won thy lady's heart.

Up, helsum hairt! thy rutis rais, & lowp." [13.

13.

"Ap, helsum hairt! thy rutis rais, & lowp."

Vp, helsum hairt! thy rutis rais, and lowp;
Exalt and clym within my breist in staige;
Art thow nocht wantoun, haill, & in gud howp,
Fermit in grace, and free of all thirlaige,
Bathing in bliss, and sett in hie curaige?
Braisit in joy, no falt may the affray,
Having thy ladeis hart as heretaige,
In blenche-ferme ffor ane sallat

every May:

So neidis thow nocht now sussy, sytt, nor sorrow,
Sen thow art sure of sollace evin & morrow.

1

5

10

Cupid, I am thy liege,

Thow Cupeid rewardit me with thiss;

11

I am thy awin trew liege, withowt tressone.

Thair levis no man in moir eiss, welth, and bliss,

I know no sadness.

I knaw no siching, sadnes, nor zit soun,

Walking, thocht, langour, lamentatioun,
Dolor, dispair, weiping nor jelosye;

15

I feel no pain.

I fondle my love,

who has committed herself to my care.

We kiss and play and sport,

[leaf 243, p. 541]

My breist is woyd and purgit of pussoun;
I feill no pane, I haif no purgatorye;

Bot peirles, perfytt, paradisall plesour,

With mirry hairt and mirthfulnes but mesoure.

My lady, lord, thow gaif me for to hird:

Within myne armes I nureiss on the nycht;
Kissing, I say, my bah, my tendir bird,
Sweit maistres, lady luffe, & lusty wicht,
Steir, rewll, and gyder of my senssis richt!
My voice surmontis the sapheir cludis hie,
Thanking grit god of that tressour & micht.
I coft hir deir, bot scho fer derrer me,
Quhilk hasard honor, fame in aventeur,
Committing clene hir corse to me in cure.

In oxsteris cloiss we kiss, and cossis hairtis,
Brynt in desyre of amouris play and sport;
Meittand oure lustis, spreitles we twa depairtis.
Prolong with lasar, lord, I the exhort

Sic tyme that we may boith tak our confort;
First for to sleip, syne walk withowt espyis;
I blame the cok, I plene the nicht is schort:
Away I went, my wache the cuschett cryis,
Wissing all luvaris leill to haif sic chance
That thay may haif ws in remembrance.

14.

[How suld my febill body fure.
Bannatyne MS.

How suld my febill body fure,
The dowble dolour I indure,
The mornyng and the grit mallure,
Can nane devyne;

To se ane vpir haif þe cure,

bat suld by myne.

For weill I wait wes nevir wicht,
Wald sa inforss his mynd & mycht,
To lufe & serf his lady bricht

4

Panmure MS.

35

40

Houe sould my feible bodie fure
The double dolor þat I indure,
The murning & the great malure
Can not defin;

and I blame the shortness of the night.

[Bann. MS., leaf 244 b, p. 544]

4

My lady
loves another.

7

8

Quhilk garris my bailfull breist com- It dois my belful breist combure,
[bure To see an other haue in cure
7
hat sould be myne.
8 For veil I vat vas neuer a vight,
pat culd inforce his mynd & mighte,
To loue & serwe his Lady brighte
& vant hir sine,
As I doe, martire day & nighte,
Vithout pat onlie thing of right,
That sulde be mine.

And want hir syne,
As I do, martir day and nycht,
Without the only thing of rycht,
That [suld be myne].

War I of pissans for to prufe,
My lawty & my hairtly lufe,

I suld hir mynd to mercy mufe,
With sic propyne.
War all pe warld at my behufe,
Scho suld it haif, be god abufe,

11

11

14
15 Ver I offe pussans for to prowe,
My lautie & my hairtlie lowe,
I suld hir mynd to mercie mowe,
Vith such propyne

14

18

That suld be myne. 21
Now quhome to sall I mak my mone,
Sen trewth & constans fynd I none,
For all the fathfull lufe is gone
Of femenene.

It wald vpross ane hart of stone,

To

se me lost for lufe of one

25

That [suld be myne]. 28

30

Who can raise my spirits ?

There is no remedy but patience.

Marvilling in mynd, quhat ailis fortoun at me.

Quha suld my dullit spreitis raiss, 29 Vha sal my dullit spreits rease
Sen for no lufe my lady gaiss,
Since not for loue my lady gais

[15.

29

Bot and gud scheruice mycht hir maiss For & guid seruice might hir please
Scho suld inclyne.

I dre pe dollour and diseiss,

32

35

She vald inclynne.
I drie both dolor & desease,

þat suld be mynne.

32

35

Quhen vpiris hes hir as thay pleiss, & others has hir as they please,
That suld be myne.
I may persaif þat weill be thiss
That all the blythnes, joy, and
The lusty, wantoun lyfe, I wiss,
Of lufe is hyne;
And no remeid, sen so it iss,
Bot paciens, suppoiss I miss

36 Now I persaue right veil be this 36 bliss, þat al the blydnes, Ioy, and blysse, The lustie, vantone life, I vysse,

That suld be myne.

39

Of loue is hynne ;

39

Quhat remedie, since so it is,
Bot patiens, suppose I mysse

42
þat suld be mynne.
For nobillis hes nocht ay renown, 43 For nobles has not ay renunne,
Nor gentillis ay the gayest goun,
Nor gentils ay the gayest gune;
Thay cary victuallis to be toun They carie vitual to the tune
That werst dois dyne:

Though I get Sa bissely to busk I boun,
Ane vpir eitis the berry doun

to the bush,

another eats the berry.

[leaf 245, p. 545]

What ails Fortune at me?

That suld be myn[e]. 49
Quha wald the rege of 30wtheid dant,
Let thame the court of luvaris hant,
And tham as Venus subiectis grant
And keip hir tryme: 53
Perchance thay sall find freindschip
skant,

And abill thair rewaird to want,

As I did myne.

56

þat varst does dynne:

So bisilie to busse I bune
& uthers eats the berrie doune

15.

42

43

þat sould be mynne. 49

[Lines 50 to 56 not in Panmure MS.]

[Marbilling in mynd, quhat ailis fortoun at me.

Marvilling in mynd, quhat ailis fortoun at me,

And I ane scherwand trew both day and nycht,

I am bot deid sic dolour for to dre

So suddanly exylit frome hir sycht.

4

In all this warld thair is no erdly wycht

Moir fre, moir fremmit, moir trest, & eik moir trew;
Sen I mon de, adew, luvaris, adew.

7