16th Cent.
58 When Flora had O’erfret the Firth
QUHEN Flora had o’erfret1 the firth
In May of every moneth queen;
Quhen merle and mavis singis with mirth
Sweet melling in the shawis2 sheen;3
Quhen all luvaris rejoicit bene
And most desirous of their prey,
I heard a lusty luvar mene4
—‘I luve, but I dare nocht assay!
‘Strong are the pains I daily prove,
But yet with patience I sustene,
I am so fetterit with the luve
Only of my lady sheen,
Quhilk for her beauty micht be queen,
Nature so craftily alway
Has done depaint that sweet serene:
—Quhom I luve I dare nocht assay.
‘She is so bricht of hyd5 and hue,
I luve but her alone, I ween;
Is none her luve that may eschew,
That blinkis6 of that dulce amene;7
So comely cleir are her twa een
That she mae8 luvaris dois affray
Than ever of Greece did fair Helene:
—Quhom I luve I dare nocht assay!’
59 Lusty May
16th Cent.
OLUSTY May, with Flora queen!
The balmy dropis from Phoebus sheen1
Preluciand beams before the day:
By that Diana growis green
Through gladness of this lusty May.
Then Esperus, that is so bricht,
Til2 woful hairtis castis his light,
With bankis that bloomis on every brae;
And schouris are shed forth of their sicht
Through gladness of this lusty May.
Birdis on bewis3 of every birth,4
Rejoicing notis makand their mirth
Richt plesantly upon the spray,
With flourishingis o’er field and firth
Through gladness of this lusty May.
All luvaris that are in care
To their ladies they do repair
In fresh mornings before the day,
And are in mirth ay mair and mair
Through gladness of this lusty May.
60 My Heart is High Above
16th Cent.
MY heart is high above, my body is full of bliss,
For I am set in luve as well as I would wiss1
I luve my lady pure and she luvis me again,
I am her serviture, she is my soverane;
She is my very heart, I am her howp and heill,2
She is my joy invart,3 I am her luvar leal;
I am her bond and thrall, she is at my command;
I am perpetual her man, both foot and hand;
The thing that may her please my body sall fulfil;
Quhatever her disease, it does my body ill.
My bird, my bonny ane, my tender babe venust,4
My luve, my life alane, my liking and my lust!
We interchange our hairtis in others armis soft,
Spriteless we twa depairtis, usand our luvis oft.
We mourn when licht day dawis, we plain the nicht is short,
We curse the cock that crawis, that hinderis our disport.
I glowffin5 up aghast, quhen I her miss on nicht,
And in my oxter6 fast I find the bowster richt;
Then languor on me lies like Morpheus the mair,
Quhilk causes me uprise and to my sweet repair.
And then is all the sorrow forth of remembrance
That ever I had a- forrow7 in luvis observance.
Thus never I do rest, so lusty a life I lead,
Quhen that I list to test the well of womanheid.
Luvaris in pain, I pray God send you sic remeid
As I have nicht and day, you to defend from deid!
Therefore be ever true unto your ladies free,
And they will on you rue as mine has done on me.
ELIZABETHAN MISCELLANIES AND
SONG-BOOKS
BY UNNAMED OR UNCERTAIN AUTHORS