The Poems of Robert Henryson

The Poems of Robert Henryson, ed. Robert L. Kindrick, TEAMS, Kalamazoo, Michigan, 1997

The nobilnes and grit magnificens
Of prince and lord, quai wants (lists) to magnifie (extol),
His ancestre and lineall discens
Suld first extol, and his genolegie,
So that his harte he mycht inclyne thairby

(Orpheus and Eurydice 1-5)


It is contrair the lawis of nature
A gentill man to be degenerat

(Orpheus and Eurydice 8-9)


No wondir wes thoct he wes fair and wyse,
Gentill and gud, full of liberalitie,
His fader god, and his progenetryse
A goddess, finder of all armony.

(Orpheus and Eurydice 64-67)


Off wardly joy, allace, quat sall I say?
Lyk till a flour that plesandly will spring,
Quhilk fadis sone, and endis with murnyng.

(Orpheus and Eurydice 89-91)


To tak the air and se the flouris spring;
Quhair in a schwa (thicket), neir by this lady ying (young),
A busteous (uncouth) hird, callit Arresteuss,
Kepand his beistis, lay under a buss (bush).

(Orpheus and Eurydice 95-98)


Preckit with lust, he thocht withoutin mair (more [ado])
Hir till (to) oppress—and till hir can he drawe.
Dreidand for evill, scho fled quhen scho him saw,
And as scho ran all bairfute on a buss,
Scho trampit on a serpent vennemuss.

(Orpheus and Eurydice 101-105)

And quen scho vaneist was and unwisible,
Hir madyn wepit with a wofull cheir,
Cryand with mony schowt and voce terrible,
Quhill at the last King Orpheus can heir

(Orpheus and Eurydice 113-116)


Thy goldin pynnis (tuning pins) with mony teiris weit,
And all my pane for till report thow preiss (attempt),
Cryand with me in every steid and streit

(Orpheus and Eurydice 140-142)


His hairt wes so upoun his lusty queen;
The bludy teiris sprang out of his ene,
Thair wes no solace mycht his sobbing sess

(Orpheus and Eurydice 149-151)


Len me thy lycht and lat me nocht go leiss (fail)
To find that fair in fame that was nevir fyld (defiled),
My lady queen and lufe, Euridicess!

(Orpheus and Eurydice 171-173)


This mirry musik and mellefluat,
Compleit and full of nummeris od and evin,
Is causit by the moving of the hevin.

(Orpheus and Eurydice 237-239)


Bot I will tell how Orpheus tuk the way
To seik his wyfe attour the gravis (graves) gray;
Hungry and cauld, our mony wilsum (wild) wone (places),
Withouttin gyd, he and his harp alone.
/
He passit furth the space of twenty dayis,
Fer and full fer and ferrer than I can tell,
And ay he fand streitis and reddy wayis,
Till at the last unto the get of hell

(Orpheus and Eurydice 243-250)


Quhen Orpheus thus saw him suffir neid,
He tuk his harp and fast on it can clink:
The wattir stud, and Tantalus gat a drink.

(Orpheus and Eurydice 286-288)


Beyond this mure he fand a feirfull streit,
Myrk as the nycht, to pass rycht dengerus—
For sliddreness (slipperiness) skant mycht he hald his feit—
In quhilk thair wes a stynk rycht odiuss
That gydit (guided) him to hiddouss hellis hous,
Quhair Rodomantus and Proserpina
Wer king and queen; and Orpheus in can ga.

(Orpheus and Eurydice 303-309)


Syne neddirmair he went quhair Pluto was
And Proserpyne, and thiderward he drew,
Ay playand on his harp quhair he cowth pass,
Till at the last Erudices he knew,
Lene and deidlyk, peteouss paill of hew

(Orpheus and Eurydice 345-349)


Quod Pluto, “Schir, thouct (though) scho by lyk ane elf (apparition),
Scho hes no causs to plenye, and for quhy?
Scho fairis alsweill (as well) daylie as dois my self,
Or king Herod, for all his cchevelry.
It is languor that putis hir in sic ply;
War scho at hame in hir cuntre of Trace,
Scho wald rewert full sone in fax and face.

(Orpheus and Eurydice 359-365)


“Euridices tan be the hand thow tak,
And pass thi way, bot undirneth this pane:
Gife thow turnis, or blenkis behind thy bak,
We sall hir haif forewir till hell agane.”
Thocht this was hard, yit Orpheus was fane,
And on thay went, talkand of play and sport,
Till thay almost come to the outwart port.
/
Thus Orpheus, with inwart lufe repleit,
So blindit was with grit effectioun,
Pensyfe (thinking) apon his wyf and lady sueit.
Remembrit nocht his hard conditioun.

(Orpheus and Eurydice 380-390)


Fair Phebus is the god of sapience;
Caliope, his wyfe, is eloquence;
Thir twa mareit gat Orpheus blyfe (soon),
Quhilk callit is the pairte intellectyfe (intellectual)
Off manis saule and undirstanding, fre
And separate fra sensualitie.

(Orpheus and Eurydice 425-430)


Arestius, this hird that cowth persew
Euridices, is nocht bot gud vertew,
That bissy is to keip our myndis clene

(Orpheus and Eurydice 435-437)


Schir Orpheus, thou seikis all in vane
Thy wyfe so he (high); thairfoir cum doun agane,
And pas unto the monster mervellus
With thre heidis, that we call Cerebus

(Orpheus and Eurydice 459-462)


The second monstris ar the sistiris thre:
Electo, Migera, and Thesaphany
Ar nocht ellis, in bukis as we reid,
Bot wickit thocht, evill word, and thrawart (hasty) deid.

(Orpheus and Eurydice 475-478)


Our synfull deidis fallis doun on sleip,
Thane Ixione out of the quheill gan creip
(Orpheus and Eurydice 513-515)


For this dispyt (evil deed), quhen he was deid, annone (at once)
Was dampnit (damned) in the flud (river) of Acherone,
Till (to) suffer hungir, thrist, nakit and cawld

(Orpheus and Eurydice 527-529)


This hungry man and thirsty, Tantalus,
Betaknis (signifies) men gredy and covetous

(Orpheus and Eurydice 531-532)


And in the nycht sleip soundly thay may nocht,
To gaddir geir (wealth) so gredy is thair thocht.

(Orpheus and Eurydice 543-544)


Quhat lyfe, quhat deth, quhat destiny and werd (fate),
Provydit ware into every man on erd.
Apollo than, for this abusion,
Quhilk is the god of divinatioun,
For he usurpit of his facultie,
Put him to hell, and thair remanis he.

(Orpheus and Eurydice 565-570)


Thow ma (may) no mair offend to God of micht,
Na with thi spaying reif (take) fra him his richt.

(Orpheus and Eurydice 583-585)


Fra ill to war ale thus to hell gois doun,
That is wan howp, throw lang hanting (practice) of syn,
And fowll dispair, that moy fallis in.

(Orpheus and Eurydice 607-609)


No thing is hard, as writ can pruf,
Till (to) him in lufe that letis (lingers)

(The Annunciation 3-4)


The angell it expoundis,
How that hir wame (wombe) but (w/out) woundis
Consave it suld, fra syne exild;
And quhen this carpin wes comilit (completed),
Brichtnes fra bufe aboundis.

(The Annunciation 16-20)


Wox (waxed) in hir chaumer chaist with child

(The Annunciation 23)


That borne was of hir sides (loins)
Our makar, Goddis sone so deir

(The Annunciation 33-34)


The low (flame) of luf haldand (holds) the hete
Unbrynt full blithlie birnis

(The Annunciation 39-40)


Hir mervalus haill (whole) madinhede

(The Annunciation 49)


Him self dispisit (humbled), us to speid (help),
And dowtit (feared) nocht to dee (die) on deid (death)

(The Annunciation 54-55)


Allone as I went up and doun,
In ane abbay wes fair to se,
Thinkand quhat consolatioun
Wes best in to adversitie,
On cais (by chance) I kest on side myne e
And saw this writtin upoun a wall:
“Off quhat estait, man, that thow be,
Obey and thank thi God off all.

(The Abbey Walk 1-8)


Blame nocht thy lord, sa is his will,
Spur nocht thy fute agains the wall,
Bot with meik hairt and prayar still
Obey and thank thy God of all.

(The Abbey Walk 29-32)


He wes the laithliest on to luk
That on the grund mycht gang (walk),
His nailis wes lyk ane hellis cruk (fiend’s crook),
Thairwith five quarteris lang;
Thair wes nane that he ovrtuk,
In rycht or yit in wrang,
Bot all in schondir (asunder) he thame schuke,
The gyane wes so strang.

(The Bludy Serk 25-32)


The king gart (bade) seik (seek) baith fer and neir,
Beth be se (sea) and land,

(The Bludy Serk 41-42)


Quhen that scho lukit to the serk
Scho thocht on the persoun,
And prayit for him with all hir harte
That lowsd (loosed) hir of bandound (bondage),
Quhair scho was wont to sit full merk (dark)
In that deip dungeoun;
And evir quhill scho wes in quert (health)
That was hir a lessoun.

(The Bludy Serk 81-88)


This king is lyk the Trinitie,
Baith in hevin and heir (here),
The manis saule to the lady,
The gyane to Lucefeir

(The Bludy Serk 97-100)


Hir belt suld be of benignitie
Abowt hir middill meit,
Hir mantill of humilitie
To tholl (repell) bayth wind and weit.

(The Garmont of Gud Ladeis 21-24)


Hir slevis suld be of esperance (hope)
To keip hir fra dispair,
Hir gluvis of gud govirnance
To hyd hir fynyearis fair.

(The Garmont of Gud Ladeis 29-32)


O wicket tung, sawand dissentioun,
Of fals taillis to tell that will not tyre,
Moir perrellus than ony fell (horrible) pusoun (poison),
The pane of hell thow sall hair to thi hyre

(Against Hasty Credence 41-44)


Suld no man traist this wrechit warld, for quhy
Of erdly joy ay (always) sorow is the end,
The state of it can noman certify;
This day a king, to morne na gude (cent) to spend.

(The Praise of Age 25-28)


Wer it Thy will, O lord of hevin, allays,
That we suld thus be haistely put doun
And de as beistis without confessioun

(Ane Prayer for the Past 19-21)


Thow that but (w/out) rewth (pity) upoun the Rud wes rent,
Preserve us frome this perrellus pestilens!

(Ane Prayer for the Past 39-40)


Quhen fair Flora, the godes of the flouris,
Baith firth (woods) and feildis freschly had ourffrete (painted),
And perly droppis of the balmy schouris
Thir widdis (woods) grene had with thair watter wete

(The Ressoning betuix Aige and Yowth 1-4)


Wallowit (withered) and wan (pallid) and waik as ony wand (twig)

(The Ressoning betuix Aige and Yowth 13)


At luvis law a quhyle I think to leite (linger),
In court to cramp (caper) clenely (adroitly) in my clothing
And luke amangis thir lusty ladies sueit;
Of marriege to mell (copulate) with mowis (tricks) meit (appropriate),
In secreitnes quhair we may nocht be sene,
And so with birdis (ladies) blythlie my bailles (cares) beit (relieve)

(The Ressoning betuix Aige and Yowth 34-39)


All erdly thing that evir tuik lyfe mon die:
Paip, empriour, king, barroun, and knycht,
Thocht thay be in thair roall stait and hicht,
May nocht ganestand quhen I pleiss schute this derte

(The Ressoning betuix Deth and Man 3-6)


Quhat freik on fold sa bald (bold) dar maniss me,
Or with me fecht, owthir on fute or horss?
Is non so wicht (strong) or stark in this cuntre,
Bot I sall gar (make) him bow to me on fors.

(The Ressoning betuix Deth and Man 13-16)


Tha call me Deid, suthly I the declair,
Calland all man and woman to thair beiris
Quhen evir I pleiss, quhat tyme, quhat plais, or quhair.

(The Ressoning betuix Deth and Man 18-20)


Fulfilland evir my sensualitie
In deadly syn and specialy in pryd.

(The Ressoning betuix Deth and Man 31-32)


Thairfoir repent and remord thi conscience,
Think on thir wirdis I now upoun the cry:
O wrechit man, O full of ignorance,
All thi plesance thow sall deir aby (pay for);
Dispone thy self and cum with me in hy (haste),
Edderis (adders), askis (newts), and wormis meit for to be;
Cum quhen I call; thow may, me nocht denny,
Thocht thow wer paip, empriour, and king al thre.

(The Ressoning betuix Deth and Man 33-40)


Robene sat on gud grene hill
Kepand a flok of fe (sheep)

(Robene and Makyne 1-2)


Be heynd (gentle), courtas, and fair of feir (manner),
Wyse, hardy, and fre (generous),
So that no denger (disdain) do the deir (dread),
Quhat dule (dolor) in dern (secret) thow dre (suffer);
Preis (press on) the with pane (penance) at all poweir,
Be patient and previe (discreet).

(Robene and Makyne 19-24)


Makyne, to morne this ilk (same) a tyde (time),
And ye will meit me heir,
Peraventure (perhaps) my scheip ma gang (stay) besyd
Quhill we haif liggit (lain) full neir.

(Robene and Makyne 41-44)


Robene, thow hes hard (heard) soung and say (proverb)
In gestis (tales) and storeis auld,
‘The man that will nocht quhen he may
Sall haif nocht quhen he wald’.

(Robene and Makyne 89-92)


Makyne, the nicht is soft and dry,
The wedder is warme and fair,
And the grene woid (wood) [is] rycht neir us by

(Robene and Makyne 97-99)


Malkyne went hame blyth annewche (enough)

(Robene and Makyne 121)


Ye wald deir (harm) me I trow, becaus I am dottir (stupid)

(Sum Practysis of Medecyne 3)


Or I wes dottit or daft (crazy)

(Sum Practysis of Medecyne 11)


The crud (shit) of my culome (buttocks), with your teith crakit

(Sum Practysis of Medecyne 30)


For to bath your ba cod (scrotum),
Quhen ye wald nop (nap) and nod;
Is nocht bettir be God,
To latt (help) yow to sleip.

(Sum Practysis of Medecyne 49-52)


The hairnis (brains) of ane haddok, hakkit or haill (whole)

(Sum Practysis of Medecyne 57)


Recipe. thre sponfull of the blak spyce,
With an grit gowpene (handful) of the gowk (cuckoo) fart,
The lug (ear) of ane lyoun, the gufe (grunt) of ane gryce (piglet)

(Sum Practysis of Medecyne 68-70)


Gud nycht, guk guk (cuckoo [gullible fool[), for sa I began;
I haif no (not) come at this tyme langer to tary,
Bot luk on this lettir and leird (learn) gif ye can

(Sum Practysis of Medecyne 79-81)


It is ane mirk (dark) mirrour,
Ane uthir manis ers (arse).

(Sum Practysis of Medecyne 90-91)


With gaistly sicht behold oure heidis thre,
Oure holkit (hollow) ene, oure peilit (peeled) pollis (skulls) bair.
As ye ar now, in to this warld we wair,
Als fresche, als fair, als lusty to behald:
Quhan thow lukis on this suth (true) examplair
Off thy self, man, thow may be richt unbald (timid).
/
For suth it is that every man mortall
Mon suffer deid (death) and de, that lyfe hes tane (taken)

(The Thre Deid Pollis 3-10)


Full laithly (loathely) thus sall ly thy lusty heid,
Holkit (hollowed) and how (sunken), and wallowit (withered) as
the weid;
Thy crampand (curled) hair and eik thy cristall ene (eye)
Full cairfully (sorrowfully) conclud sall dulefull deid;

(The Thre Deid Pollis 20-23)


O ladies quhyt, in claithis corruscant (sparkling),
Poleist (adorned) with perle and mony pretius stane,
With palpis (breasts) quhyt and hals (neck) so elegant
Sirculit with gold and sapheris mony ane (a-one);
Your finyearis small, quhyt as quhailis bane (bone),
Arrayit with ringis and mony rubeis reid:
As we ly thus, so sall ye ly ilk (every) ane,
With peilit (peeled) pollis (skulls), and holkit (hollow) thus
your heid.

(The Thre Deid Pollis 25-32)


Sen (when) want of wyse men makis fulis (fools) to sit on
binkis (court benches).
/
That tyme quhen levit (lived) the king Saturnus,
For gudely gouvernance this warld was goldin cald

(The Want of Wyse Men 8-10)


Trew lufe is loren (lost), nd lautee (loyalty) haldis no lynkis

(The Want of Wyse Men 46)


Ane doolie (dismal) sessoun (season) to ane cairful dyte (poem)
Suld correspond and be equivalent:
Richt sa it wes quhen I began to wryte
This tragedie; the wedder (weather) richt fervent (bitter),
Quhen Aries, in middis of the Lent,
Schouris of haill gart (did) fra the north discend,
That scantlie fra the cauld I micht defend.
/
Yit nevertheles within myne oratur (study)
I student (stood), quhen Titan had his bemis bricht
Withdrawin doun and sylit (concealed) under cure (cover),
And fair Venus, the bewtie of the nicht,
Uprais and set unto the west full richt
Hir goldin face, in oppositioun
Of God Phebus, direct discending doun.
/
Throwout the glas hir Bemis brast (burst) sa fair
That I micht se on everie syde me by;
The northin wind had purifyit the air
And sched the mistie cloudis fra the sky;
The froist freisit, the blastis bitterly
Fra Pole Artick come quhisling loud and schill,
And causit me remufe (withdraw [from the window])
aganis my will.

(The Testament of Cresseid 1-21)


How Troilus neir out of wit abraid (went)
And weipit soir with visage paill of hew,
For quhilk wanhope (despair) his teiris can renew,
Quhill esperance (hope) rejoisit him agane:
Thus quhyle (sometimes) in joy he levit, quhyle in pane.

(The Testament of Cresseid 45-49)


Of his distress me neidis nocht reheirs,
For worthie Chauceir in the samin buik,
In gudelie termis and in joly veirs,
Compylit hes his cairis, quha will luik.

(The Testament of Cresseid 57-60)


Quhen Diomed had all his appetite,
And mair, fulfillit of this fair ladie,
Upon ane uther he set his haill (whole) delyte,
And send to hir ane lybell of repudie (divorce)
And hir excludit fra his companie.

(The Testament of Cresseid 71-75)


To change in (into) filth all thy feminitie,
And be with fleschelie lust sa maculait (defiled),
And go amang the Greikis air (early) and lait,
So giglotlike (whorishly) takand (taking) thy foull plesance!

(The Testament of Cresseid 80-83)


The quhilk fortoun hes put to sic distress
As hir pleisit, and nathing throw the gilt
Of the (thee)…

(The Testament of Cresseid 89-91)


To quhilk Cresseid, with baill (woe) aneuch (enough) in breist,
Usit to pas, hir prayeris for to say,
Quhill at the last, upon ane solempne day,
/
As custome was, the pepill far and neir
Befoir the none (noon) unto the tempill went
With sacrifice, devoit in thair maneir.

(The Testament of Cresseid 110-115)


O fals Cupide, is nane to wyte (blame) bot thow
And thy mother, of lufe the blind godess!

(The Testament of Cresseid 134-135)


Quhen this was said, doun in ane extasie,
Ravischit in spreit, intill ane dreame scho fell,
And be (by) appearance hard (heard), quhair scho did lye,
Cupide the king ringand ane silver bell

(The Testament of Cresseid 141-144)


His face fronsit (wrinkled), his lyre (complexion) was lyke
the leid (lead),
His teith chatterit and cheverit with the chin,
His ene drowpit, how sonkin in his heid,
Out of his nois the meldrop fast can rin,
With lippis bla (blue) and cheikis leine and thin;
The ice schoklis (icicles) that fra his hair doun hang
Was wonder greit, and as ane speir als lang:

(The Testament of Cresseid 155-161)


As goldin wyre sa (so) glitterand was his hair

(The Testament of Cresseid 177)


Than fair Phebus, lanterne and lamp of licht,
Of man and beist, baith frute and flourisching (bloom)

(The Testament of Cresseid 197-198)


Bot in hir face semit greit variance,
Quhyles perfyte treuth and quhyles inconstance.
/
Under smyling scho was dissimulait (false),
Provocative with blenkis (glances) amorous,
And suddanely changit and alterait,
Angrie as ony serpant vennemous,
Richt pungitive with wordis odious

(The Testament of Cresseid 223-229)


Nixt efter him come lady Cynthia,
The last of all and swiftest in hir spheir;
Of colour blak, buskit (adorned) with hornis twa,
And in the nicht scho listis best appeir;
Haw (wan) as the leid (lead), of colour nathing cleir,
For all hir licht scho borrowis at hir brother
Titan, for of hir self scho hes nane uther.

(The Testament of Cresseid 253-259)


Saying of hir greit infelicitie
I was the caus, and my mother Venus,

(The Testament of Cresseid 281-282)