The Golden Targe

1

Ryght as the stern of day begouth to schyne,
Quhen gone to bed war Vesper and Lucyne,
I raise and by a rosere did me rest.
Wp sprang the goldyn candill matutyne,
With clere depurit bemes cristallyne,
Glading the mery foulis in thair nest.
Or Phebus was in purpur cape reuest
Wp raise the lark, the hevyns menstrale fyne,
In May in till a morow myrthfullest.

2

Full angellike thir birdis sang thair houris
Within thair courtyns grene in to thair bouris,
Apparalit quhite and rede wyth blomes suete;
Anamalit was the felde wyth all colouris.
The perly droppis schuke in silvir schouris,
Quhill all in balme did branch and leuis flete.
Depart fra Phebus did Aurora grete —
Hir cristall teris I saw hyng on the flouris,
Quhilk he for lufe all drank vp wyth his hete.

3

For mirth of May wyth skippis and wyth hoppis
The birdis sang vpon the tender croppis
With curiouse note, as Venus chapell clerkis.
The rosis yong, new spreding of thair knopis,
War powderit brycht with hevinly beriall droppis,
Throu bemes rede birnyng as ruby sperkis.
The skyes rang for schoutyng of the larkis,
The purpur hevyn, ourscailit in silvir sloppis,
Ourgilt the treis branchis, lef and barkis.

4

Doun throu the ryce a ryuir ran wyth stremys,
So lustily agayn thai lykand lemys
That all the lake as lamp did leme of licht,
Quhilk schadovit all about wyth twynkling glemis.
The bewis bathit war in secund bemys
Throu the reflex of Phebus visage brycht.
On every syde the hegies raise on hicht,
The bank was grene, the bruke vas full of bremys,
The stanneris clere as stern in frosty nycht.

5

The cristall air, the sapher firmament,
The ruby skyes of the orient,
Kest beriall bemes on emerant bewis grene.
The rosy garth, depaynt and redolent,
With purpur, azure, gold and goulis gent
Arayed was by dame Flora, the quene,
So nobily that ioy was for to sene
The roch agayn the riwir resplendent,
As low enlumynit all the leues schene.

6

Quhat throu the mery foulys armony
And throu the ryueris soun, rycht ran me by,
On Florais mantill I slepit as I lay;
Quhare sone in to my dremes fantasy
I saw approch agayn the orient sky
A saill als quhite as blossum vpon spray,
Wyth merse of gold brycht as the stern of day,
Quhilk tendit to the land full lustily,
As falcoun swift desyrouse of hir pray.

7

And hard on burd vnto the blomyt medis
Amang the grene rispis and the redis
Arrivit sche; quharfro anon thare landis
Ane hundreth ladyes, lusty in to wedis,
Als fresch as flouris that in May vp spredis,
In kirtillis grene, withoutyn kell or bandis.
Thair brycht hairis hang gleting on the strandis,
In tressis clere wyppit wyth goldyn thredis,
With pappis quhite and mydlis small as wandis.

8

Discriue I wald, bot quho coud wele endyte
How all the feldis wyth thai lilies quhite
Depaynt war brycht, quhilk to the hevyn did glete?
Noucht thou, Omer, als fair as thou coud wryte,
For all thine ornate stilis so perfyte.
Nor yit thou, Tullius, quhois lippis suete
Off rethorike did in to termes flete.
Your aureate tongis both bene all to lyte
For to compile that paradise complete.

9

Thare saw I Nature and Venus, quene and quene,
The fresch Aurora and lady Flora schene,
Iuno, Appollo and Proserpyna,
Dyane, the goddesse chaste of woddis grene,
My lady Cleo, that help of makaris bene,
Thetes, Pallas and prudent Minerua,
Fair feynit Fortune and lemand Lucina.
Thir mychti quenis in crounis mycht be sene,
Wyth bemys blith, bricht as Lucifera.

10

Thare saw I May, of myrthfull monethis quene,
Betuix Aprile and Iune hir sistir schene,
Within the gardyng walking vp and doun,
Quham of the foulis gladdith all bedene.
Scho was full tender in hir yeris grene.
Thare saw I Nature present hir a goun,
Rich to behald and nobil of renoun,
Off ewiry hew vnder the hevin that bene,
Depaynt and broud be gude proporcion.

11

Full lustily thir ladyes all in fere
Enterit within this park of most plesere,
Quhare that I lay, ourhelit wyth leuis ronk.
The mery foulis blisfullest of chere
Salust Nature, me thoucht, on thair manere;
And ewiry blome on branch and eke on bonk
Opnyt and spred thair balmy leuis donk,
Full low enclynyng to thair quene so clere,
Quham of thair noble norising thay thonk.

12

Syne to dame Flora on the samyn wyse
Thay saluse and thay thank a thousand syse,
And to dame Wenus, lufis mychti quene,
Thay sang ballettis in lufe, as was the gyse,
With amourouse notis lusty to devise,
As thay that had lufe in thair hertis grene.
Thair hony throtis opnyt fro the splene
With werblis suete did perse the hevinly skyes,
Quhill loud resownyt the firmament serene.

13

Ane othir court thare saw I consequent
Cupide, the king, wyth bow in hand ybent
And dredefull arowis grundyn scharp and square.
Thare saw I Mars, the god armypotent,
Aufull and sterne, strong and corpolent.
Thare saw I crabbit Saturn, ald and haire —
His luke was lyke for to perturb the aire.
Thare was Mercurius, wise and eloquent,
Of rethorike that fand the flouris faire.

14

Thare was the god of gardingis, Priapus,
Thare was the god of wildernes, Phanus,
And Ianus, god of entree delytable.
Thare was the god of fludis, Neptunus,
Thare was the god of wyndis, Eolus,
With variand luke rycht lyke a lord vnstable.
Thare was Bacus, the gladder of the table,
There was Pluto, the elrich incubus,
In cloke of grene — his court vsit no sable.

15

And ewiry one of thir in grene arayit
On harp or lute full merily thai playit,
And sang ballettis with michty notis clere.
Ladyes to dance full sobirly assayit,
Endlang the lusty rywir so thai mayit,
Thair obseruance rycht hevynly was to here.
Than crap I throu the leuis and drew nere,
Quhare that I was rycht sudaynly affrayt,
All throu a luke, quhilk I haue boucht full dere.

16

And schortly for to speke, be lufis quene
I was aspyit. Scho bad hir archearis kene
Go me arrest, and thay no tyme delayit.
Than ladyes fair lete fall thair mantillis gren,
With bowis big in tressit hairis schene
All sudaynly thay had a felde arayit.
And yit rycht gretly was I noucht affrayit,
The party was so plesand for to sene.
A wonder lusty bikkir me assayit.

17

And first of all with bow in hand ybent
Come dame Beautee, rycht as scho wald me schent.
Syne folowit all hir dameselis yfere,
With mony diuerse aufull instrument.
Wnto the pres Fair Having wyth hir went,
Fyne Portrature, Plesance and Lusty Chere.
Than come Reson with schelde of gold so clere,
In plate and maille as Mars armypotent.
Defendit me that nobil cheuallere.

18

Syne tender Youth come wyth hir virgyns ying,
Grene Innocence and schamefull Abaising,
And quaking Drede wyth humble Obedience.
The goldyn targe harmyt thay no thing.
Curage in thame was noucht begonne to spring,
Full sore thay dred to done a violence.
Suete Womanhede I saw cum in presence —
Of artilye a warld sche did in bring,
Seruit wyth ladyes full of reuerence.

19

Sche led wyth hir Nurture and Lawlynes,
Contenence, Pacience, Gude Fame and Stedfastnes,
Discrecion, Gentrise and Considerance,
Leuefull Company and Honest Besynes,
Benigne Luke, Mylde Chere and Sobirnes.
All thir bure ganyeis to do me greuance,
Bot Reson bure the targe wyth sik constance,
Thair scharp assayes mycht do no dures
To me, for all thair aufull ordynance.

20

Wnto the pres persewit Hie Degree:
Hir folowit ay Estate and Dignitee,
Comparison, Honour and Noble Array,
Will, Wantonnes, Renon and Libertee,
Richesse, Fredom and eke Nobilitee.
Wit ye, thay did thair baner hye display.
A cloud of arowis, as hayle schour, lousit thay
And schot quhill wastit was thair artilye,
Syne went abak reboytit of thair pray.

21

Quhen Venus had persauit this rebute,
Dissymilance scho bad go mak persute
At all powere to perse the goldyn targe;
And scho that was of doubilnes the rute
Askit hir choise of archeris in refute.
Wenus the best bad hir go wale at large.
Scho tuke Presence, plicht anker of the barge,
And Fair Callyng, that wele a flayn coud schute,
And Cherising for to complete hir charge.

22

Dame Hamelynes scho tuke in company,
That hardy was and hende in archery,
And broucht dame Beautee to the felde agayn
With all the choise of Venus cheualry.
Thay come and bikkerit vnabaisitly,
The schour of arowis rappit on as rayn.
Perilouse Presence, that mony syre has slayn,
The bataill broucht on bordour hard vs by.
The salt was all the sarar, suth to sayn.

23

Thik was the schote of grundyn dartis kene,
Bot Reson with the scheld of gold so schene
Warly defendit, quho so ewir assayit.
The aufull stoure he manly did sustene,
Quhill Presence kest a pulder in his ene,
And than as drunkyn man he all forvayit.
Quhen he was blynd the fule wyth him thay playit,
And banyst hym amang the bewis grene.
That sory sicht me sudaynly affrayit.

24

Than was I woundit to the deth wele nere
And yoldyn as a wofull prisonnere
To lady Beautee in a moment space.
Me thoucht scho semyt lustiar of chere
(Efter that Reson tynt had his eyne clere)
Than of before, and lufliare of face.
Quhy was thou blyndit, Reson, quhi, allace?
And gert ane hell my paradise appere,
And mercy seme quhare that I fand no grace.

25

Dissymulance was besy me to sile,
And Fair Calling did oft apon me smyle,
And Cherising me fed wyth wordis fair.
New Acquyntance enbracit me a quhile
And fauouryt me, quhill men mycht go a myle,
Syne tuke hir leve. I saw hir nevir mare.
Than saw I Dangere toward me repair.
I coud eschew hir presence be no wyle,
On syde scho lukit wyth ane fremyt fare.

26

And at the last Departing coud hir dresse,
And me delyuerit vnto Hevynesse
For to remayne, and scho in cure me tuke.
Be this the lord of wyndis with wodenes
(God Eolus) his bugill blew, I gesse,
That with the blast the leuis all toschuke.
And sudaynly in the space of a luke
All was hyne went, thare was bot wildernes,
Thare was no more bot birdis, bank and bruke.

27

In twynklyng of ane eye to schip thai went,
And swyth vp saile vnto the top thai stent,
And with swift course atour the flude thai frak.
Thai fyrit gunnis with powder violent,
Till that the reke raise to the firmament.
The rochis all resownyt wyth the rak,
For rede it semyt that the raynbow brak.
Wyth spirit affrayde apon my fete I sprent,
Amang the clewis so carefull was the crak.

28

And as I did awake of my sueving,
The ioyfull birdis merily did syng
For myrth of Phebus tender bemes schene.
Suete war the vapouris, soft the morowing,
Halesum the vale depaynt wyth flouris ying,
The air attemperit, sobir and amene.
In quhite and rede was all the felde besene,
Throu Naturis nobil fresch anamalyng
In mirthfull May of ewiry moneth quene.

29

O reuerend Chaucere, rose of rethoris all
(As in oure tong ane flour imperiall)
That raise in Britane ewir, quho redis rycht,
Thou beris of makaris the tryumph riall,
Thy fresch anamalit termes celicall
This mater coud illumynit haue full brycht.
Was thou noucht of oure Inglisch all the lycht,
Surmounting ewiry tong terrestriall,
Alls fer as Mayes morow dois mydnycht?

30

O morall Gower and Ludgate laureate,
Your sugurit lippis and tongis aureate
Bene to oure eris cause of grete delyte.
Your angel mouthis most mellifluate
Oure rude langage has clere illumynate
And fair ourgilt oure spech, that imperfyte
Stude or your goldyn pennis schupe to write.
This ile before was bare and desolate
Off rethorike or lusty fresch endyte.

31

Thou lytill quair, be ewir obedient,
Humble, subiect and symple of entent
Before the face of ewiry connyng wicht.
I knaw quhat thou of rethorike hes spent.
Off all hir lusty rosis redolent
Is non in to thy gerland sett on hicht.
Eschame tharof and draw the out of sicht.
Rude is thy wede, disteynit, bare and rent,
Wele aucht thou be aferit of the licht.
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