Daybreak in May
From the Prologue to “The Monarche.”
Musing and marvelling on the miserie
Frome day to day in erth quhilk dois incres,
And of ilk556 stait the instabilitie
Proceding of the restless besynes
Quhare-on the most part doith thair mynd addres
Inordinatlie, on houngrye covatyce,
Vaine glore, dissait, and uther sensuall vyce:
Bot tumlyng in my bed I mycht nocht lye;
Quharefore I fuir557 furth in ane Maye mornyng,
Conforte to gett of my malancolye,
Sumquhat affore fresche Phebus uprysing,
Quhare I mycht heir the birdis sweitlye syng.
In-tyll ane park I past, for my plesure
Decorit weill be craft of dame Nature.
Quhow I resavit confort naturall
For tyll discryve558 at lenth it war too lang;
Smelling the holsum herbis medicinall,
Quhare-on the dulce and balmy dew down dang559,
Lyke aurient peirles on the twistis560 hang;
Or quhow that the aromatic odouris
Did proceid frome the tender fragrant flouris;
Or quhow Phebus, that king etheriall,
Swyftlie sprang up in-to the Orient,
Ascending in his throne imperiall,
Quhose bricht and beriall561 bemes resplendent
Illumynit all on-to the Occident,
Confortand everye corporall creature
Quhilk formit war in erth be dame Nature;
Quhose donke impurpurit562 vestiment nocturnall,
With his imbroudit563 mantyll matutyne,
He lefte in-tyll his regioun aurorall,
Quhilk on hym waitit quhen he did declyne
Towarte his Occident palyce vespertyne,
And rose in habyte gaye and glorious,
Brychtar nor gold or stonis precious.
Bot Synthea, the hornit nychtis quene,
Scho loste hir lychte and lede ane lawar saill,
Frome tyme hir soverane lorde that scho had sene,
And in his presens waxit dirk564 and paill,
And ouer hir visage kest are mistye vaill;
So did Venus, the goddès amorous,
With Jupiter, Mars, and Mercurius.
Rycht so the auld intoxicat Saturne,
Persaving Phebus powir, his beymes brycht,
Abufe the erth than maid he no sudgeourne565,
Bot suddandlye did lose his borrowit lycht,
Quhilk he durst never schaw bot on the nycht.
The Pole Artick, Ursis, and Sterris all
Quhilk situate ar in the Septentrionall,
Tyll errand566 schyppis quhilks ar the souer gyde567,
Convoyand thame upone the stormye nycht,
Within thare frostie circle did thame hyde.
Howbeit that sterris have none uthir lycht
Bot the reflex of Phebus bemes brycht.
That day durst none in-to the hevin appeir
Till he had circuit all our Hemispheir.
Me-thocht it was ane sycht celestiall
To sene Phebus so angellyke ascend
In-tyll his fyrie chariot triumphall,
Quhose bewtie brychte I culd nocht comprehend.
All warldlie cure568 anone did fro me wend
Quhen fresche Flora spred furth hir tapestrie,
Wrocht be dame Nature, quent and curiouslie
Depaynt with mony hundreth hevinlie hewis;
Glaid of the rysing of thair royall Roye,
With blomes breckand569 on the tender bewis570,
Quhilk did provoke myne hart tyl natural joye.
Neptune that day, and Eoll571, held thame coye,
That men on far mycht heir the birdis sounde,
Quhose noyis did to the sterrye hevin redounde.
The plesand powne prunyeand his feddrem fair572,
The myrthfull maves573 maid gret melodie,
The lustye574 lark ascending in the air,
Numerand his naturall notis craftelye,
The gay goldspink, the merll rycht myrralye,
The noyis of the nobyll nychtingalis
Redoundit throuch the montans, meids, and valis.
Contempling this melodious armonye,
Quhow everilke bird drest thame for tyl advance,
To saluss575 Nature with thare melodye,
That I stude gasing, halfingis576 in ane trance,
To heir thame mak thare naturall observance
So royallie that all the roches577 rang
Throuch repurcussioun of thair suggurit sang.