DAYBREAK IN MAY.

From the Prologue to “The Monarche.”

Musing and marvelling on the miserieFrome day to day in erth quhilk dois incres,And of ilk[556]stait the instabilitieProceding of the restless besynesQuhare-on the most part doith thair mynd addresInordinatlie, on houngrye covatyce,Vaine glore, dissait, and uther sensuall vyce:Bot tumlyng in my bed I mycht nocht lye;Quharefore I fuir[557]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 plesureDecorit weill be craft of dame Nature.Quhow I resavit confort naturallFor tyll discryve[558]at lenth it war too lang;Smelling the holsum herbis medicinall,Quhare-on the dulce and balmy dew down dang[559],Lyke aurient peirles on the twistis[560]hang;Or quhow that the aromatic odourisDid 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 beriall[561]bemes resplendentIllumynit all on-to the Occident,Confortand everye corporall creatureQuhilk formit war in erth be dame Nature;Quhose donke impurpurit[562]vestiment nocturnall,With his imbroudit[563]mantyll matutyne,He lefte in-tyll his regioun aurorall,Quhilk on hym waitit quhen he did declyneTowarte 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 dirk[564]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 sudgeourne[565],Bot suddandlye did lose his borrowit lycht,Quhilk he durst never schaw bot on the nycht.The Pole Artick, Ursis, and Sterris allQuhilk situate ar in the Septentrionall,Tyll errand[566]schyppis quhilks ar the souer gyde[567],Convoyand thame upone the stormye nycht,Within thare frostie circle did thame hyde.Howbeit that sterris have none uthir lychtBot the reflex of Phebus bemes brycht.That day durst none in-to the hevin appeirTill he had circuit all our Hemispheir.Me-thocht it was ane sycht celestiallTo sene Phebus so angellyke ascendIn-tyll his fyrie chariot triumphall,Quhose bewtie brychte I culd nocht comprehend.All warldlie cure[568]anone did fro me wendQuhen fresche Flora spred furth hir tapestrie,Wrocht be dame Nature, quent and curiouslieDepaynt with mony hundreth hevinlie hewis;Glaid of the rysing of thair royall Roye,With blomes breckand[569]on the tender bewis[570],Quhilk did provoke myne hart tyl natural joye.Neptune that day, and Eoll[571], 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 fair[572],The myrthfull maves[573]maid gret melodie,The lustye[574]lark ascending in the air,Numerand his naturall notis craftelye,The gay goldspink, the merll rycht myrralye,The noyis of the nobyll nychtingalisRedoundit throuch the montans, meids, and valis.Contempling this melodious armonye,Quhow everilke bird drest thame for tyl advance,To saluss[575]Nature with thare melodye,That I stude gasing, halfingis[576]in ane trance,To heir thame mak thare naturall observanceSo royallie that all the roches[577]rangThrouch repurcussioun of thair suggurit sang.

Musing and marvelling on the miserie

Frome day to day in erth quhilk dois incres,

And of ilk[556]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 fuir[557]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 plesureDecorit weill be craft of dame Nature.

Bot tumlyng in my bed I mycht nocht lye;

Quharefore I fuir[557]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 naturallFor tyll discryve[558]at lenth it war too lang;Smelling the holsum herbis medicinall,Quhare-on the dulce and balmy dew down dang[559],Lyke aurient peirles on the twistis[560]hang;Or quhow that the aromatic odourisDid proceid frome the tender fragrant flouris;

Quhow I resavit confort naturall

For tyll discryve[558]at lenth it war too lang;

Smelling the holsum herbis medicinall,

Quhare-on the dulce and balmy dew down dang[559],

Lyke aurient peirles on the twistis[560]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 beriall[561]bemes resplendentIllumynit all on-to the Occident,Confortand everye corporall creatureQuhilk formit war in erth be dame Nature;

Or quhow Phebus, that king etheriall,

Swyftlie sprang up in-to the Orient,

Ascending in his throne imperiall,

Quhose bricht and beriall[561]bemes resplendent

Illumynit all on-to the Occident,

Confortand everye corporall creature

Quhilk formit war in erth be dame Nature;

Quhose donke impurpurit[562]vestiment nocturnall,With his imbroudit[563]mantyll matutyne,He lefte in-tyll his regioun aurorall,Quhilk on hym waitit quhen he did declyneTowarte his Occident palyce vespertyne,And rose in habyte gaye and glorious,Brychtar nor gold or stonis precious.

Quhose donke impurpurit[562]vestiment nocturnall,

With his imbroudit[563]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 dirk[564]and paill,And ouer hir visage kest are mistye vaill;So did Venus, the goddès amorous,With Jupiter, Mars, and Mercurius.

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 dirk[564]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 sudgeourne[565],Bot suddandlye did lose his borrowit lycht,Quhilk he durst never schaw bot on the nycht.The Pole Artick, Ursis, and Sterris allQuhilk situate ar in the Septentrionall,

Rycht so the auld intoxicat Saturne,

Persaving Phebus powir, his beymes brycht,

Abufe the erth than maid he no sudgeourne[565],

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 errand[566]schyppis quhilks ar the souer gyde[567],Convoyand thame upone the stormye nycht,Within thare frostie circle did thame hyde.Howbeit that sterris have none uthir lychtBot the reflex of Phebus bemes brycht.That day durst none in-to the hevin appeirTill he had circuit all our Hemispheir.

Tyll errand[566]schyppis quhilks ar the souer gyde[567],

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 celestiallTo sene Phebus so angellyke ascendIn-tyll his fyrie chariot triumphall,Quhose bewtie brychte I culd nocht comprehend.All warldlie cure[568]anone did fro me wendQuhen fresche Flora spred furth hir tapestrie,Wrocht be dame Nature, quent and curiouslie

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 cure[568]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 breckand[569]on the tender bewis[570],Quhilk did provoke myne hart tyl natural joye.Neptune that day, and Eoll[571], held thame coye,That men on far mycht heir the birdis sounde,Quhose noyis did to the sterrye hevin redounde.

Depaynt with mony hundreth hevinlie hewis;

Glaid of the rysing of thair royall Roye,

With blomes breckand[569]on the tender bewis[570],

Quhilk did provoke myne hart tyl natural joye.

Neptune that day, and Eoll[571], 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 fair[572],The myrthfull maves[573]maid gret melodie,The lustye[574]lark ascending in the air,Numerand his naturall notis craftelye,The gay goldspink, the merll rycht myrralye,The noyis of the nobyll nychtingalisRedoundit throuch the montans, meids, and valis.

The plesand powne prunyeand his feddrem fair[572],

The myrthfull maves[573]maid gret melodie,

The lustye[574]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 saluss[575]Nature with thare melodye,That I stude gasing, halfingis[576]in ane trance,To heir thame mak thare naturall observanceSo royallie that all the roches[577]rangThrouch repurcussioun of thair suggurit sang.

Contempling this melodious armonye,

Quhow everilke bird drest thame for tyl advance,

To saluss[575]Nature with thare melodye,

That I stude gasing, halfingis[576]in ane trance,

To heir thame mak thare naturall observance

So royallie that all the roches[577]rang

Throuch repurcussioun of thair suggurit sang.

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