Robert Henryson.

1425-1500

20   Robin and Makyne

ROBIN sat on gude green hill,
   Kepand¹ a flock of fe:²
Mirry Makyne said him till³
   ‘Robin, thou rew on me:
I haif thee luvit, loud and still,
   Thir yeiris twa or thre;
My dule in dern⁴ bot gif thou dill,⁵
   Doutless but dreid I de.’⁶

Robin answerit ‘By the Rude
   Na thing of luve I knaw,
But keipis my scheip undir yon wud:
   Lo, quhair they raik on raw.⁷
Quhat has marrit thee in thy mude,
   Makyne, to me thou shaw;
Or quhat is luve, or to be lude?⁸
   Fain wald I leir⁹ that law.’

‘At luvis lair¹⁰ gif thou will leir
   Tak thair ane A B C;
Be heynd,¹¹ courtass, and fair of feir,¹²
   Wyse, hardy, and free:
So that no danger¹³ do thee deir¹⁴
   Quhat dule in dern thou dre;¹⁵
Preiss¹⁶ thee with pain at all poweir
   Be patient and previe.’

Robin answerit hir agane,
   ‘I wat nocht quhat is luve;
But I haif mervel in certaine
   Quhat makis thee this wanrufe:¹⁷
The weddir is fair, and I am fain;
   My scheip gois haill¹⁸ aboif;¹⁹
And²⁰ we wald play us in this plane,
   They wald us baith reproif.’

‘Robin, tak tent²¹ unto my tale,
   And wirk all as I reid,²²
And thou sall haif my heart all haill,
   Eik and my maiden-heid:
Sen God sendis bute for baill,²³
   And for murnyng remeid,
In dern with thee bot gif²⁴ I daill
   Dowtles I am bot deid.’

‘Makyne, to-morn this ilka tyde
   And ye will meit me heir,
Peraventure my scheip may gang besyde,
   Quhyll we haif liggit full neir;
But mawgré haif I and²⁵ I byde,
   Fra they begin to steir;
Quhat lyis on heart I will nocht hyd;
   Makyn, then mak gude cheir.’

‘Robin, thou reivis²⁶ me roiff²⁷ and rest;
   I luve bot thee allane.’
‘Makyne, adieu! the sone gois west,
   The day is neir-hand gane.’
‘Robin, in dule I am so drest²⁸
   That luve will be my bane.’
‘Ga luve, Makyne, quhair-evir thow list,
   For lemman²⁹ I luve nane.’

‘Robin, I stand in sic a styll,³⁰
   I sicht,³¹ and that full sair.’
‘Makyne, I haif been here this quhyle;
   At hame God gif I wair.’
‘My huny, Robin, talk ane quhyll,
   Gif thow will do na mair.’
‘Makyn, sum uthir man begyle,
   For hamewart I will fair.’

Robin on his wayis went
   As light as leif of tre;
Makyne murnit in hir intent,³²
   And trowd him nevir to se.
Robin brayd³³ attour the bent;³⁴
   Then Makyne cryit on hie,
‘Now may thow sing, for I am schent!³⁵
   Quhat alis³⁶ lufe at me?’

Makyne went hame withowttin fail,
   Full wery eftir cowth³⁷ weip;
Then Robin in a ful fair daill
   Assemblit all his scheip.
Be that³⁸ sum part of Makynis aill
   Out-throw his hairt cowd creip;
He fallowit hir fast thair till³⁹ assaill,
   And till her tuke gude keip.⁴⁰

‘Abyd, abyd, thow fair Makyne,
   A word for ony thing;
For all my luve, it sal be thyne,
   Withowttin departing.
All haill thy harte for till haif myne
   Is all my cuvating;
My scheip to-morn, quhyll houris nyne,
   Will neid of no keping.’

‘Robin, thow hes hard⁴¹ soung and say,
   In gestis⁴² and storeis auld,
The man that will nocht quhen he may
   Sall haif nocht quhen he wald.
I pray to Jesu every day,
   Mot eik⁴³ thair cairis cauld
That first preissis with thee to play
   Be⁴⁴ firth, forrest, or fawld.’

‘Makyne, the nicht is soft and dry,
   The weddir is warme and fair,
And the grene woid rycht neir us by
   To walk attour all quhair:
Thair ma na janglour⁴⁵ us espy,
   That is to lufe contrair;
Thairin, Makyne, baith ye and I,
   Unsene we ma repair.’