Classic Poem

Quhen Tayis bank was blumyt brycht,
With blosumes brycht and bred,
By that river that ran doun rycht
Vndir the ryss I red;
The merle meltit with all her mycht
And mirth in mornying maid,
Throw solace, sound, and semely sicht,
Alswth a sang I said.

Vndir that bank, quhair bliss had bene,
I bownit me to abyde;
Ane holene, hevinly hewit grene,
Rycht heyndly did me hyd;
The sone schyne our the schawis schene
Full semely me besyd;
In bed of blumes bricht besene
A sleip cowth me ourslyd.

About all blumet was my bour
With blosumes broun and blew,
Orfret with mony fair fresch flour,
Helsum of hevinly hew;
With shakeris of the schene dew schour
Schynnyng my courtenis schew,
Arrayit with a rich vardour
Of natouris werkis new.

Rasing the birdis fra thair rest,
The reid sun raiss with rawis;
The lark sang loud, quhill, liycht nycht lest
A lay of luvis lawis;
The nythingall woik of hir nest
Singing the day vpdawis;
The mirthfull maveiss merriest
Schill schowttit throw the schawiss.

All flouris grew that firth within,
That cowth haif in mynd;
And in that flud all fische with fyn,
That creat wer be kynd;
Vnder the rise the ra did ryn,
Our ron, our rute, our rynd,
The dvn deir dansit with a dyn,
And herdis of hairt and hynd.

Wod winter with his wallow and wynd,
But weir, away wes went;
Brasit about with wyld wodbynd
Wer bewis on the bent;
Allone vndar the lusty lynd
I saw ane lusum lent
That fairly war so fare to fynd
Vnder the firmament.

Scho wes the lustiest on lyve,
Allone lent on a land,
And fairest figuor, be set, Syve,
That evir in firth I fand,
Her comely cullour to discryve
I dar nocht tak on hand;
Moir womanly borne of a wyfe
Wes neuer, I dar warrand.

To creatur that wes in cair,
Or cauld of crewelty,
A blicht blenk of her vesage bair
Of baill his bute mycht be;
Hir hyd, hir hew, hir hevinly hair
Mycht havy hairtis uphie;
So angelik vnder the air
Neuir wicht I saw with E.

The blosumes that were blycht and brycht
By hir wer blacht and blew;
Scho gladit all the foull of flicht
That in the forrest flew:
Scho mycht haif comfort king or knicht
That ever in cuntre I knew,
As waill, and well of warldly wicht
In womanly vertew.

Hir cullour cleir, hir countinance,
Hir cumly cristall ene,
Hir portratour of most plesance,
All pictour did prevene.
Off every vertew to avance
Quhen ladeis prasit bene,
Rychtest in my remembrance
That rose is rutit grene.

This myld, meik mensuet Mergrite,
This perle polist most quhyte,
Dame Natouris deir dochter discreit,
The dyament of delyt;
Never formit wes to found on feit
Ane figour more perfyte.
Nor non on mold that did hir meit,
Mycht mend hir wirth a myte.

This myrthfull maid to meit I went,
And merkit furth on mold;
Bot sone within a wane sho went,
Most hevinly to behold;
The bricht sone with his bemys blent
Vpoun the bertis bold,
Farest vnder the firmament
That formit wes on fold.

A paradyce that place but peir
Wes plesant to my sicht;
Of forrest, and of fresch reveir,
Of firth, and fowll of flicht,
Of birdis, bath on bonk and breir,
With blumes breck and bricht
As hevin in to this erd doun heir,
Hertis to hald on hicht.

So went this womanly away
Amang thir woddis wyd,
And I to heir thir birdis gay
Did in a bonk abyd;
Quhair ron and ryss raiss in aray
Endlang the reuer syd;
This hapnit me in a time in May
In till a morning tyd.

The reuer throw the ryse cowth rowt,
And roseris raiss on raw;
The schene birdis full schill cowth schowt
Into that semely schaw;
Joy was within and joy without,
Vnder that vnlenkest waw,
Quhair Tay ran down with stremis stout
Full strecht vnder Stobschaw.