The Cherrie and the Slae
About ane bank, quhair birdis on bewis1347
Ten thusand tymis thair notis renewis
Ilke1348 houre into the day,
The merle and maueis1349 micht be sene,
The progne and the phelomene1350,
Quhilk caussit me to stay.
I lay and leynit me to ane bus
To heir the birdis beir1351;
Thair mirth was sa melodius
Throw nature of the yeir:
Sum singing, sum springing
With wingis into the sky;
So trimlie and nimlie
Thir birdis they flew me by.
I saw the hurcheon1352 and the hair,
Quha fed amangis the flowris fair,
Wer happing to and fro.
I saw the cunning1353 and the cat,
Quhais downis with the dew was wat,
With mony beisties mo.
The hart, the hynd, the dae, the rae,
The fowmart1354, and the foxe
War skowping1355 all fra brae to brae,
Amang the water broxe;
Sum feiding, sum dreiding
In cais of suddain snairis:
With skipping and tripping
Thay hantit1356 all in pairis.
The air was sa attemperate,
But ony myst immaculate,
Bot purefeit and cleir;
The flowris fair wer flurischit,
As Nature had them nurischit
Baith delicate and deir1357;
And euery blome on branche and bewch1358
So prettily wer spred,
And hang their heidis out-ouir the hewch1359
In Mayis colour cled;
Sum knopping1360, sum dropping
Of balmie liquor sweit,
Distelling and smelling
Throw Phœbus hailsum heit.
The cukkow and the cuschet1361 cryde,
The turtle, on the vther syde,
Na plesure had to play;
So schil1362 in sorrow was her sang
That, throw hyr voice, the roches rang;
For Eccho answerit ay,
Lamenting sair Narcissus’ cace,
Quha staruit1363 at the well;
Quha with the schaddow of his face
For lufe did slay himsell.1364
Quhylis weiping and creiping
About the well he baid;
Quhylis lying, quhylis crying,
Bot it na answere maid.
The dew as diamondis did hing
Vpon the tender twistis1365 and ying,
Owir-twinkling all the treis;
And ay quhair flowris flourischit faire
Thair suddainly I saw repaire
In swarmes the sounding beis.
Sum sweitly hes the hony socht,
Quhil1366 they war cloggit soir:
Sum willingly the waxe hes wrocht,
To heip it vp in stoir.
So heiping with keiping,
Into thair hyuis they hyde it,
Precyselie and wyselie
For winter they prouyde it.
To pen the pleasures of that park,
How euery blossome, branche, and bark,
Agaynst the sun did schyne,
I leif to poetis to compyle
In staitlie verse and lofty style:
It passis my ingyne.
Bot as I mussit myne allane,
I saw an river rin
Out-ouir ane craggie rok of stane,
Syne lichtit in ane lin1367,
With tumbling and rumbling
Amang the rochis round,
Dewalling1368 and falling
Into that pit profound.
To heir thae startling stremis cleir
Me-thocht it musique to the eir,
Quhat deskant did abound
With trible sweit, an tenor iust,
And ay the echo repercust
Hir diapason sound,
Set with the Ci-sol-fa-uth cleife,1369
Thairby to knaw the note;
Thair soundit a michtie semibreif
Out of the elphis throte1370.
Discreitlie, mair sweetlie
Nor craftie Amphion,
Or Musis that vsis1371
At fountaine Helicon.
Quha wald haue tyrit to heir that tune,
Quhilk birdis corroborate ay abune1372,
Throw schowting of the larkis?
Sum flies sa high into the skies,
Quhill Cupid walkinnes1373 with the cryis
Of Nature’s chappell clarkis,
Quha, leving all the hevins aboue
Alighted in the eird1374.
Lo, how that little God of Loue
Befoir me thair apperid!
So myld-lyke and chyld-lyke,
With bow thrie quarteris scant,
So moylie and coylie1375,
He lukit like ane sant.
Ane cleinlie crisp1376 hang ouir his eyis
His quauer by his naked thyis
Hang in ane siluer lace.
Of gold, betwix his schoulders, grew
Twa pretty wingis quhairwith he flew;
On his left arme ane brace1377.
This god aff all his geir he schuik
And laid it on the grund.
I ran als busie for to luik
Quhair ferleis1378 micht be fund.
Amasit I gasit
To see that geir sa gay
Persawing my hawing1379
He countit me his pray.
His youth and stature made me stout;
Of doubleness I had na doubt,
Bot bourded1380 with my boy.
Quod I, “How call they thee, my chyld?”
“Cupido, Sir,” quod he, and smyld:
“Please you me to imploy;
For I can serve you in your suite,
If you please to impyre1381,
With wingis to flie, and schafts to schute,
Or flamis to set on fyre.
Mak choice then out of those then,
Or of a thousand things;
Bot craue them, and haue them.”
With that I wowed1382 his wings.
“Quhat wald thou giue, my friend,” quod he,
“To haf thae prettie wingis to flie,
To sport thee for a quhyle?
Or quhat, gif I suld len thee heir
My bow and all my shuting geir,
Sum bodie to begyle?”
“That geir,” quod I, “can not be bocht,
Yet I wald haif it faine1383.”
“Quhat gif,” quod he, “it coist thee nocht
Bot randring it againe?”
His wingis than he bringis than,
And band them on my back:
“Go flie now,” quod he now,
“And so my leif I tak.”
I sprang vp on Cupidoes wingis,
Quha bow and quauir baith resingis1384
To lend me for ane day.
As Icarus with borrowit flicht
I mountit hichar nor1385 I micht;
Ouir perrelous ane play.
Than furth I drew that deadlie dairt
Quhilk sumtyme schot his mother,
Quhair-with I hurt my wanton heart,
In hope to hurt ane-vther.
It hurt me, it burt1386 me,
The ofter I it handill.
Cum se now, in me now,
The butter-flie and candill.
As scho delytis into the low1387,
Sa was I browdin in1388 my bow,
Als ignorant as scho;
And als scho flies quhill sche be fyrit,
Sa, with the dart that I desyrit,
My hand hes hurt me to.
As fulisch Phaëton, be sute1389,
His fatheris cart obteind,
I langt in Luiffis bow to shute,
Bot weist not what it meind.
Mair wilfull than skilfull
To flie I was so fond,
Desyring, impyring,
And sa was sene vpond1390.
To late I knaw, quha hewis to hie1391,
The spail1392 sall fall into his eie;
To late I went to scuillis.
To late I heard the swallow preiche,1393
To late Experience dois teiche—
The skuill-maister of fuillis.
To late to fynde the nest I seik,
Quhen all the birdis are flowin;
To late the stabill dore I steik1394,
Quhen all the steids are stowin1395.
To lait ay their stait ay
All fulische folke espye;
Behynd so, they fynd so
Remeid, and so do I.
Gif I had rypelie bene aduysit
I had not rashlie enterprysit
To soir with borrowit pennis,
Nor yit had saied the archer craft,
Nor schot myself with sik a schaft
As resoun quite miskennis1396.
Fra1397 wilfulnes gaue me my wound
I had na force to flie,
Then came I granand1398 to the ground:
“Freind, welcome hame!” quod he.
“Quhair flew ye, quhome slew ye,
Or quha bringis hame the buiting1399?
I sie now,” quod he now,
“Ye haif bene at the schuting.”
As skorne cummis commonlie with skaith1400
Sa I behuifit to byde them baith:
O quhat an stakkering stait1401!
For vnder cure I gat sik chek1402
Quhilk I micht nocht remuif nor nek1403,
Bot eyther stail or mait1404.
My agonie was sa extreme
I swelt and soundt1405 for feir;
Bot, or I walkynnit of1406 my dreme
He spulyied1407 me of my geir.
With flicht than on hicht than
Sprang Cupid in the skyis,
Foryetting and setting
At nocht my cairfull cryis.
Sa lang with sicht I followit him
Quhill baith my feiblit eyis grew dim
With staruing on the starnis1408;
Quhilk flew sa thick befoir my ein,
Sum reid, sum yellow, blew, and grein,
Sa trublit all my harnis1409;
Quhill euery-thing apperit two
To my barbuilyiet1410 braine,
Bot lang micht I lye luiking so
Or Cupid come againe;
Quhais thundring, with wondring
I hard vp throw the air;
Throw cluddis so he thuddis so
And flew I wist not quhair.
Fra that I saw that god was gane,
And I in langour left allane,
And sair tormentit, to,
Sum-tyme I sicht quhill1411 I was sad,
Sum-tyme I musit and maist gane mad,
I wist not quhat to do.
Sum-tyme I ravit, halfe in a rage,
As ane into dispaire;
To be opprest with sic ane page[1412]
Lord! gif my heart was saire!
Like Dido, Cupido
I widill and [I] warye1413,
Quha reft me, and left me
In sik a feirie-farye1414.
Then felt I Curage and Desyre
Inflame my heart with vncouth1415 fyre,
To me befoir vnknawin;
Bot now na blud in me remaines
Vnbrunt and boyld1416 within my vaines,
By luffis bellies blawin1417.
To quench it, or I was deuorit,
With siches I went about;
Bot ay the mair I schape to smor it1418
The baulder it brak out:
Ay preising but ceising1419
Quhill it may breik the boundis.
My hew so furth schew so
The dolour of my woundis.
With deidlie visage, paill and wan,
Mair like ane atomie1420 nor man,
I widderit1421 cleine away.
As wax befoir the fyre, I felt
My hart within my bosome melt
And pece and pece decay.
My vaines with brangling1422 like to brek—
My punsis lap1423 with pith—
Sa feruently did me infek
That I was vext thairwith.
My hart ay did start ay
The fyrie flamis to flie,
Ay houping, throu louping,
To win1424 to liberty.
Bot O! alace! byde it behuissit1425,
Within my cairfull corpis incluissit1426,
In presoun of my breist;
With sichis sa sowpit and ouirset1427,
Like to an fische fast in the net,
In deid-thraw vndeceist1428,
Quha, thocht1429 in vaine, dois striue for strenth
For to pull out hir heid,
Quhilk profitis nathing at the lenth
Bot haistes hir to hir deid1430.
With wristing and thristing1431
The faster still is scho;
Thair I so did lye so,
My death advancing to.
The mair I wrestlit with the wynd
The faschter1432 still myself I fynd;
Na mirth my mynd micht mease1433.
Mair noy1434, nor I, had neuer nane,
I was sa alterit and ouirgane1435
Throw drowth1436 of my disease.
Than weakly, as I micht, I rayis;
My sicht grewe dim and dark;
I stakkerit at the windilstrayis1437,
Na takin1438 I was stark.
Baith sichtles and michtles,
I grew almaist at ainis1439;
In angwische I langwische
With mony grievous grainis1440.
With sober pace I did approche
Hard to the riuer and the roche
Quhairof I spak befoir;
Quhais running sic a murmure maid,
That to the sey it softlie slaid;
The craig was high and schoir1441.
Than pleasur did me so prouok
Perforce thair to repaire,
Betuix the riuer and the rok,
Quhair Hope grew with Dispaire.
A trie than I sie than
Of Cherries in the braes.
Belaw, to, I saw, to,
Ane buss of bitter Slaes1442.
The Cherries hang abune my heid,
Like twinkland rubies round and reid,
So hich vp in the hewch1443,
Quhais schaddowis in the riuer schew,
Als graithlie1444 glansing, as they grewe,
On trimbling twistis tewch1445,
Quhilk bowed throu burding of thair birth1446,
Inclining downe thair toppis,
Reflex of Phœbus of the firth1447
Newe colourit all thair knoppis1448,
With dansing and glansing
In tirles dornik champ1449,
Ay streimand and gleimand
Throw brichtnes of that lamp.
With earnest eye quhil I espye
The fruit betuixt me and the skye,
Halfe-gaite1450, almaist, to hevin,
The craig sa cumbersume to clim,
The trie sa hich of growth, and trim
As ony arrowe evin,
I cald to mind how Daphne did
Within the laurell schrink,
Quhen from Apollo scho hir hid.1451
A thousand times I think
That trie then to me then,
As he his laurell thocht;
Aspyring but tyring1452
To get that fruit I socht.
To clime the craige it was na buit1453
Lat be to presse1454 to pull the fruit
In top of all the trie.
I saw na way quhairby to cum
Be ony craft to get it clum,
Appeirandly to me.
The craige was vgly, stay, and dreich1455,
The trie heich, lang, and smal1456;
I was affrayd to mount sa hich
For feir to get ane fall.
Affrayit to say it1457,
I luikit vp on loft;
Quhiles minting, quhiles stinting1458,
My purpose changit oft.
Then Dreid, with Danger and Dispaire,
Forbad my minting anie mair
To raxe aboue my reiche1459.
“Quhat, tusche!” quod Curage, “man, go to,
He is bot daft that hes ado1460,
And spairis for euery speiche.
For I haue oft hard wise men say,
And we may see our-sellis,
That fortune helps the hardie ay,
And pultrones plaine repellis.
Than feir not, nor heir not
Dreid, Danger, or Dispaire;
To fazarts hard hazarts1461
Is deid or1462 they cum thair.
“Quha speidis bot sic as heich aspyris?
Quha triumphis nocht bot sic as tyris
To win a nobill name?
Of schrinking quhat bot schame succeidis?
Than do as thou wald haif thy deidis
In register of fame.
I put the cais, thou nocht preuaild,
Sa thou with honour die,
Thy life, bot not thy courage, faild,
Sall poetis pen of thee.
Thy name than from Fame than
Sall neuir be cut aff:
Thy graif ay sall haif ay
That honest epitaff.
“Quhat can thou loose, quhen honour lyuis?
Renowne thy vertew ay reuyuis
Gif valiauntlie thou end.”
Quod Danger, “Hulie1463, friend, tak heid!
Vntymous spurring spillis the steid.
Tak tent1464 quhat ye pretend.
Thocht Courage counsell thee to clim,
Bewar thou kep na skaith1465.
Haif thou na help bot Hope and him,
They may beguyle thé baith.
Thy-sell now can tell now
The counsell of thae clarkis,
Quhairthrow yit, I trow yit,
Thy breist dois beir the markis.
“Brunt bairn with fyre the danger dreidis;
Sa I beleif thy bosome bleidis
Sen last that fyre thou felt.
Besydis this, seindell tymis thé seis1466
That euer Curage keipis the keyis
Of knawledge at his belt.
Thocht he bid fordwart with the gunnis,
Small powder he prouydis.
Be nocht ane novice of the nunnis
That saw nocht baith the sydis.
Fuil-haist1467 ay almaist ay
Ouirsylis1468 the sicht of sum
Quha huikis not1469, nor luikis not
Quhat eftirward may cum.
“Yit Wisdome wischis thé to wey
This figour of philosophey—
A lessoun worth to leir1470—
Quhilk is, in tyme for to tak tent,
And not, when tyme is past, repent,
And buy repentance deir.
Is thair na honoure efter lyfe
Except them slay thy-sell?
Quhairfoir hes Attropus1471 that knyfe?
I trow thou cannot tell,
That, but it, wald cut it
That Clotho1472 skairse hes spun,
Distroying thy joying
Befoire it be begun.
“All ouirs are repuit to be vyce1473—
Ore hich, ore law, ore rasche, ore nyce,
Ore heit, or yit ore cauld.
Thou seemes vnconstant be thy sings1474;
Thy thocht is on ane thousand things;
Thou wattis1475 not quhat thou wald.
Let Fame hir pittie on thé powre
Quhan all thy banis ar brokin:
Yone Slae, suppose1476 you think it soure,
May satisfie to slokkin1477
Thy drouth1478 now, O youth now,
Quhilk drownis thee with desyre.
Aswage than thy rage, man,
Foull water quenches fyre.
“Quhat fule art thou to die of thirst,
And now may quench it, gif thou list,
So easily, but paine!
Maire honor is to vanquisch ane
Nor feicht with tensum1479 and be tane,
And outhir hurt or slane.
The prattick1480 is, to bring to passe,
And not to enterprise;
And als guid drinking out of glas
As gold, in ony wise.
I leuir1481 haue euer
Ane foule in hand, or tway,
Nor seand ten fleand
About me all the day.”
[The argument is taken up by Hope, Will, Reason, Experience, and other allegorical qualities, who each urge their view of the enterprise. Finally, by all in company, the ascent is essayed, and the Cherrie secured.]