Project Gutenberg Book of English Verse | Page 9

sang, he sichit sair:
And so left
him baith wo and wreuch,
In dolour and in cair,
Kepand his hird
under a huche
Amangis the holttis hair.
kepand] keeping. fe] sheep, cattle. him till] to him. dule in dern] sorrow
in secret. dill] soothe. but dreid] without dread, i.e. there is no fear or
doubt. raik on raw] range in
row. lude] loved. leir] learn. lair] lore.
heynd]
gentle. feir] demeanour. deir] daunt. dre] endure. preiss]
endeavour. wanrufe] unrest. haill] healthy, whole. aboif] above, up
yonder. and] if. tak tent] give heed. reid] advise. bute for baill] remedy
for hurt. bot gif] but if, unless. daill]
deal. mawgre haif I] I am uneasy.
reivis] robbest. roiff] quiet. drest] beset. lemman] mistress. sicht] sigh.
in hir intent] in her inward thought. brayd] strode. bent] coarse grass.
schent] destroyed. alis] ails. be that] by the time that. till] to. tuke keip]
paid attention. hard] heard. gestis] romances. mot eik] may add to. be]
by. janglour]
talebearer. wend] weened. howp] hope. but lett] without

hindrance. anneuche] enough. holttis hair] grey
woodlands. leuche]
laughed. wreuch] peevish. huche] heuch, cliff.
Robert Henryson. 1425-1500
17. The Bludy Serk
THIS hinder yeir I hard be tald
Thair was a worthy King;
Dukis,
Erlis, and Barronis bald,
He had at his bidding.
The Lord was
ancean and ald,
And sexty yeiris cowth ring;
He had a dochter fair
to fald,
A lusty Lady ying.
Off all fairheid scho bur the flour,
And eik hir faderis air;
Off lusty

laitis and he honour,
Meik bot and debonair:
Scho wynnit in a bigly
bour,
On fold wes nane so fair,
Princis luvit hir paramour
In
cuntreis our allquhair.
Thair dwelt a lyt besyde the King
A foull Gyand of ane;
Stollin he
has the Lady ying,
Away with hir is gane,
And kest her in his
dungering
Quhair licht scho micht se nane;
Hungir and cauld and
grit thristing
Scho fand into hir waine.
He wes the laithliest on to luk
That on the grund mycht gang:
His
nailis wes lyk ane hellis cruk,
Thairwith fyve quarteris lang;
Thair
wes nane that he ourtuk,
In rycht or yit in wrang,
Bot all in schondir
he thame schuk,
The Gyand wes so strang.
He held the Lady day and nycht
Within his deip dungeoun,
He wald
nocht gif of hir a sicht
For gold nor yit ransoun--
Bot gif the King
mycht get a knycht,
To fecht with his persoun,
To fecht with him
beth day and nycht,
Quhill ane wer dungin doun.
The King gart seik baith fer and neir,
Beth be se and land,
Off ony
knycht gif he mycht heir
Wald fecht with that Gyand:
A worthy
Prince, that had no peir,
Hes tane the deid on hand
For the luve of
the Lady cleir,
And held full trew cunnand.
That Prince come prowdly to the toun
Of that Gyand to heir,
And
fawcht with him, his awin persoun,
And tuke him presoneir,
And
kest him in his awin dungeoun
Allane withouten feir,
With hungir,
cauld, and confusioun,

As full weill worthy weir.
Syne brak the bour, had hame the bricht
Unto her fadir fre.
Sa evill
wondit wes the Knycht
That he behuvit to de;
Unlusum was his
likame dicht,
His sark was all bludy;
In all the world was thair a
wicht
So peteouss for to se?

The Lady murnyt and maid grit mane,
With all her mekill mycht--
'I
luvit nevir lufe bot ane,
That dulfully now is dicht;
God sen my lyfe
were fra me tane
Or I had seen yone sicht,
Or ellis in begging evir
to gane
Furth with yone curtass knycht.'
He said 'Fair lady, now mone I
De, trestly ye me trow;
Take ye my
serk that is bludy,
And hing it forrow yow;
First think on it, and
syne on me,
Quhen men cumis yow to wow.'
The Lady said 'Be
Mary fre,
Thairto I mak a vow.'
Quhen that scho lukit to the sark
Scho thocht on the persoun,
And
prayit for him with all hir hart
That lowsit hir of bandoun,
Quhair
scho was wont to sit full merk
Into that deip dungeoun;
And evir
quhill scho wes in quert,
That was hir a lessoun.
Sa weill the Lady luvit the Knycht
That no man wald scho tak:
Sa
suld we do our God of micht
That did all for us mak;
Quhilk fullily
to deid was dicht,
For sinfull manis sak,
Sa suld we do beth day and
nycht,
With prayaris to him mak.
This King is lyk the Trinitie,
Baith in hevin and heir;
The manis
saule to the Lady,
The Gyand to Lucefeir,
The Knycht to Chryst,
that deit on tre
And coft our synnis deir;
The pit to Hele with panis
fell,
The Syn to the woweir.
The Lady was wowd, but scho said nay
With men that wald hir wed;

Sa suld we wryth all sin away
That in our breist is bred.
I pray to
Jesu Chryst verray,

For ws his blud that bled,
To be our help on
domisday
Quhair lawis ar straitly led.
The saule is Godis dochtir deir,
And eik his handewerk,
That was
betrayit with Lucefeir,
Quha sittis in hell full merk:
Borrowit with
Chrystis angell cleir,
Hend men, will ye nocht herk?
And for his
lufe that bocht us deir
Think on the BLUDY SERK!

hinder yeir] last year. ring] reign. fald] enfold. ying] young. fairheid]
beauty. air] heir. laitis] manners. bot and] and