Scottish Poetry of the Sixteenth Century

The Night Is Neir Gone1482

Hay! nou the day dauis1483;
The jolie Cok crauis;
Nou shroudis the shauis1484
  Throu Natur anone.
The thissell-cok1485 cryis
On louers vha lyis:
Nou skaillis1486 the skyis:
  The nicht is neir gone.

The feildis ouerflouis
With gouans1487 that grouis,
Quhair lilies lyk lou1488 is,
  Als rid as the rone1489.
The turtill that treu is
With nots that reneuis
Hir pairtie1490 perseuis;
  The night is neir gone.

Nou hairtis with hyndis
Conforme to thair kyndis
Hie tursis thair tyndis1491
  On grund vhair they grone.
Nou hurchonis1492 with hairis
Ay passis in pairis;
Quhilk deuly declairis
  The night is neir gone.

The sesone excellis
Thrugh sueetnes that smellis;
Nou Cupid compellis
  Our hairtis echone1493
On Venus vha vaikis1494,
To muse on our maikis1495,
Syn sing for thair saikis—
  The night is neir gone.

All curageous knichtis
Aganis the day dichtis1496
The breist-plate that bright is
  To feght with thair fone1497.
The stoned steed1498 stampis
Throu curage, and crampis1499,
Syn on the land lampis1500.
  The night is neir gone.

The freikis1501 on feildis,
That wight wapins1502 weildis,
With shyning bright sheildis,
  [As] Titan in trone1503;
Stiff speiris in reistis
Ouer cursoris cristis
Ar brok on thair breistis:
  The night is neir gone.

So hard ar thair hittis,
Some sueyis, some sittis,
And some perforce flittis1504
  On grund vhill they grone.
Syn groomis1505 that gay is
On blonkis that brayis1506
With suordis assayis:
  The night is neir gone.