That had in sin been dead.
When they were enter'd in the dance,
They were full strange of countenance,
Like torches burning reid.
Then the foul monster Gluttony,
Of wame1 insatiable and greedy,
To dance he did him dress:
Him followed many a foul drunkàrt
With can and collep, cop and quart,2
In surfeit and excess.
Full many a waistless wally-drag 3
With wames unwieldable did forth drag,
In creish that did incress;
Drink, aye they cried, with many a gape,
The fiends gave them hot lead to laip,5
Their leveray was no less.
No minstrels play'd to them but 7 doubt,
For gleemen there were holden out,
By day and eke by night,
Except a minstrel that slew a man;
So till his heritage he wan,8
And enter'd by brief of right.
Then cried Mahoun for a Highland padyane,9
Syne ran a fiend to fetch Mac Fadyane,10
1 'Wame:' belly.--2 Can and collep, cop and quart:' different names of drinking-vessels.-3 Wally-drag:' sot.-4 'Creish:' grease.-5 'Laip:' lap.—6 'Leveray:' desire to drink.-7 But:' without.-8 Wan:' got.-9 'Padyane:' pageant.—
10 Mac Fadyane:' name of some Highland laird.
Far northward in a nook,
By he the Correnoch had done shout,1
Ersch-men2 so gather'd him about
In hell great room they took :
These termagants, with tag and tatter,
Full loud in Ersch began to clatter,
And roup 3 like raven and rook.
The devil so deaved was with their yell,
That in the deepest pot of hell
He smored 5 them with smoke.
THE MERLE AND NIGHTINGALE.
In May, as that Aurora did upspring,
With crystal een chasing the cluddës sable,
I heard a Merle' with merry notës sing
A song of love, with voice right comfortable,
Against the orient beamis, amiable,
Upon a blissful branch of laurel green;
This was her sentence, sweet and delectable,
'A lusty life in Love's service been.'
Under this branch ran down a river bright,
Of balmy liquor, crystalline of hue,
Against the heavenly azure skyis light,
Where did upon the other side pursue
A Nightingale, with sugar'd notës new,
Whose angel feathers as the peacock shone;
This was her song, and of a sentence true,
'All love is lost but upon God alone.'
1 'By he the Correnoch had done shout:' by the time that he had raised the Correnoch, or cry of help.-2 Ersch-men:' Highlanders.- Roup:' croak.4 Deaved:' deafened. Smored:' smothered.- 'Een:' eyes.-7 'Merle:' blackbird.
With notës glad, and glorious harmony,
This joyful merle, so salust1 she the day,
While rung the woodis of her melody,
Saying, 'Awake, ye lovers of this May;
Lo, fresh Flora has flourish'd every spray,
As nature has her taught, the noble queen,
The fields be clothed in a new array;
A lusty life in Love's service been.'
Ne'er sweeter noise was heard with living man,
Than made this merry gentle nightingale ;
Her sound went with the river as it ran,
Out through the fresh and flourish'd lusty vale;
'O Merle!' quoth she, 'O fool! stint of thy tale,
For in thy song good sentence is there none,
For both is tint,2 the time and the travail,
Cease,' quoth the Merle, 'thy preaching, Nightingale: Shall folk their youth spend into holiness?
Fy, hypocrite, in yearis' tenderness,
Against the law of kind thou goes express,
That crooked age makes one with youth serene,
Whom nature of conditions made diverse:
A lusty life in Love's service been.'
The Nightingale said, 'Fool, remember thee,
That both in youth and eild,5 and every hour,
The love of God most dear to man should be;
That him, of nought, wrought like his own figour,
And died himself, from death him to succour;
1 'Salust:' saluted.-2 Tint:' lost.-3 But:' without.-4 Kind:' nature.— 5 Eild:' age.
Oh, whether was kythit1 there true love or none? He is most true and steadfast paramour,
And love is lost but upon him alone.'
The Merle said, 'Why put God so great beauty
In ladies, with such womanly having,
But if he would that they should loved be?
To love eke nature gave them incliníng,
And He of nature that worker was and king,
Would nothing frustir2 put, nor let be seen,
Into his creature of his own making;
A lusty life in Love's service been.'
The Nightingale said, 'Not to that behoof
Put God such beauty in a lady's face,
That she should have the thank therefor or love,
But He, the worker, that put in her such grace;
Of beauty, bounty, riches, time, or space,
And every goodness that been to come or gone
The thank redounds to him in every place:
All love is lost but upon God alone.'
'O Nightingale! it were a story nice,
That love should not depend on charity
And, if that virtue contrar' be to vice,
Then love must be a virtue, as thinks me;
For, aye, to love envy must contrar' be:
God bade eke love thy neighbour from the spleen; 3
And who than ladies sweeter neighbours be?
A lusty life in Love's service been.'
The Nightingale said, 'Bird, why does thou rave? Man may take in his lady such delight,
1 'Kythit:' shewn.-2 Frustir:' in vain.- 'Spleen:' from the heart.
Him to forget that her such virtue gave,
And for his heaven receive her colour white:
Her golden tressed hairis redomite,1
Like to Apollo's beamis though they shone,
Should not him blind from love that is perfite;
All love is lost but upon God alone.'
The Merle said, 'Love is cause of honour aye,
Love makis cowards manhood to purchase,
Love makis knightis hardy at essay,
Love makis wretches full of largëness,
Love makis sweir2 folks full of business,
Love makis sluggards fresh and well beseen,3
Love changes vice in virtuous nobleness;
A lusty life in Love's service been.'
The Nightingale said, 'True is the contrary;
Such frustis love it blindis men so far,
Into their minds it makis them to vary;
In false vain-glory they so drunken are,
Their wit is went, of woe they are not 'ware,
Till that all worship away be from them gone,
Fame, goods, and strength; wherefore well say I dare,
All love is lost but upon God alone.'
Then said the Merle, Mine error I confess :
This frustis love is all but vanity:
Blind ignorance me gave such hardiness,
To argue so against the verity;
Wherefore I counsel every man that he
With love not in the fiendis net be tone,4
But love the love that did for his love die:
All love is lost but upon God alone.'
1 'Redomite:' bound, encircled.-2'Sweir:' slothful.-3 Well beseen:' of good appearance. 'Tone:' taken.
|