Читать книгу The Oxford Book of English Verse - Various Authors - Страница 56

16th Cent.

MY heart is high above, my body is full of bliss,

For I am set in luve as well as I would wiss

I luve my lady pure and she luvis me again,

I am her serviture, she is my soverane;

She is my very heart, I am her howp and heill,

She is my joy invart, I am her luvar leal;

I am her bond and thrall, she is at my command;

I am perpetual her man, both foot and hand;

The thing that may her please my body sall fulfil;

Quhatever her disease, it does my body ill.

My bird, my bonny ane, my tender babe venust,

My luve, my life alane, my liking and my lust!

We interchange our hairtis in others armis soft,

Spriteless we twa depairtis, usand our luvis oft.

We mourn when licht day dawis, we plain the nicht is short,

We curse the cock that crawis, that hinderis our disport.

I glowffin up aghast, quhen I her miss on nicht,

And in my oxter fast I find the bowster richt;

Then languor on me lies like Morpheus the mair,

Quhilk causes me uprise and to my sweet repair.

And then is all the sorrow forth of remembrance

That ever I had a-forrow in luvis observance.

Thus never I do rest, so lusty a life I lead,

Quhen that I list to test the well of womanheid.

Luvaris in pain, I pray God send you sic remeid

As I have nicht and day, you to defend from deid!

Therefore be ever true unto your ladies free,

And they will on you rue as mine has done on me.

heill] health. invart] inward. venust] delightful. glowffin] blink on awaking. oxter] armpit. a-forrow] aforetime.