Classic Poem

"Come on,' sayd sche, "this ordenance to vysyte!'
Than past we to that cristall palyce quhyte,
Quhare I abayd the entre til behald.
I bad na mare of plesance nor delyte,
Of lusty sycht, of joy and blys perfyte,
Nor mare weilfare til have abone the mold
Than for til se that yet of byrnyst gold,
Quhareon thair was maist curiusly ingrave,
All naturall thyng men may in erd consave.

Thare wes the erth enveronyt wyth the see,
Quhareon the schyppes saland myght I se,
The ayr, the fyre, all the four elymentis,
The speris sevyn, and Primum Mobile,
The sygnis twelf perfytly every gre,
The Zodiak hale as bukis representis,
The Poil Antertik that euer himselfe absentis,
The Poil Artik, and eik the Ursis twane,
The sevyn sterris, Pheton, and the Charlewane.

Thare wes ingraf quhow that Ganamedis
Wes reft till hevyn, as men in Ovyd redis,
And ontill Jupiter made his cheif butlare;
The douchters fare into thayr lusty wedis
Of Dorida amyd the see but dredis
Swymmand, and part wer figurit thare
Apon a crag dryand thair yalow hare,
With facis not onlyk, for quha thaym seyng
Mycht weil consyddir that thay al sisteris beyng.

Of the planetis all the conjunctionys,
Thare episciclis, and oppositionis
Wer porturyt thair, and quhow thair coursis swagis,
Thare naturale and dayly motionis,
Eclipsis, aspectis, and degressyonys.
Thare saw I mony gudly personagis,
Quhilkis semyt all lusty quyk ymagis,
The werkmanschip excedyng mony fold
The precyus mater, thocht it wes fynest gold.

Wondrand hereon, agane my wyll but lete
My nymphe in grif schot me in at the yet.
"Quhat Deuyl!' said scho, "hes thou not ellis ado
Bot all thy wyt and fantasy to set
On sic dotyng?' And tho for fere I swet
Of her langage. Bot than anone said scho,
"List thou se farlyes, behald thaym yondir, lo!
Yit study not ouir mekil, a-dreid thow vary,
For I persave the halflyngis in a fary.'

Within that palyce sone I gat a sycht,
Quhare walkand went ful mony worthy wicht
Amyd the close, with all myrthys to wale.
For lyk Phebus with fyry bemys brycht
The wallys schane, castand sa gret a lycht,
It semyt lyk the heuin imperiall;
And as the cedir surmontyth the rammale
In perfyt hycht, sa of that court a glance
Excedis far all erdly vane plesance.

For lois of sycht considdir micht I nocht
Quhow perfytly the ryche wallys wer wrocht;
Swa the reflex of cristall stanys schone,
For brychtnes skarsly blenk thairon I mocht.
The purifyit silver soithly, as me thocht,
In steid of syment, wes ouir all that wone,
Yet round about ful mony a beriall stone,
And thaym conjunctly jonyt fast and quemyt;
The close wes paithit with silver as it semyt.

The durris and the wyndois all wer breddyt
With massy gold, quhareof the fynes scheddit.
With byrnyst evyr baith palyce and touris
Wer thekyt well, maist craftely that cled it,
For so the quhitly blanchit bone ouirspred it,
Mydlyt with gold, anamalyt all colouris,
Inporturat of byrdis and swete flouris,
Curius knottis and mony sle devyse,
Quhilkis to behald wes perfyt paradice.

And to proceid, my nymphe and I furth went
Straucht to the hall throwout the palyce jent,
And ten stagis of thopas did ascend.
Schit wes the dure; in at a boir I blent,
Quhare I beheld the gladdest represent
That euir in erth a wrachit catywe kend.
Breifly theis proces til conclude and end,
Me thocht the flure wes al of amatist,
Bot quhareof war the wallis I ne wist.

The multitud of prectius stonis sere
Thairon swa schane, my febill sycht but were
Mycht not behald thair vertuus gudlynes.
For all the ruf, as did to me appere,
Hang full of plesand lowpyt saphyrs clere;
Of dyamantis and rubys, as I ges,
Wer all the burdis maid of mast riches;
Of sardanus, of jaspe, and smaragdane
Trestis, formys, and benkis wer pollist plane.

Baith to and fro amyd the hall they went,
Rial princis in plate and armouris quent
Of byrnist gold, cuchit with precyus stonys.
Intronyt sat a god armypotent,
On quhais gloryus vissage as I blent
In extasy be his brychtnes atonys
He smate me doun and byrsyt all my bonys.
Thare lay I still in swoun with cullour blaucht
Quhil at the last my nymphe up hes me kaucht.

Syne wyth gret pane, with womentyng and care,
In hir armys scho bare me doun the stare,
And in the clois full softly laid me doun;
Held up my hede to tak the hailsum ayre,
For of my lyfe scho stude in gret dispare.
Me till awalk ay wes that lady boun,
Quhill finally out of my dedly swoun
I swyth ouircome, and up my eyne did cast.
"Be myrry, man!' quod scho, "the werst is past.

"Get up,' scho said, "for schame be na cowart.
My hede in wed, thow hes a wyfis hart,
That for a plesand sycht is so mysmaid!'
Than all in anger apon my fete I start,
And for hir wordis wer so apyrsmart
Onto the nymphe I maid a bustuus braid.
"Carlyng,' quod I, "quhat wes yone at thow said?'
"Soft yow,' said sche "thay ar not wyse that stryvys,
For kyrkmen wer ay jentill to ther wyvys.

"I am rycht glaid thou art wordyn so wycht;
Langere me thocht thow had nothir fors ne mycht,
Curage, nor wyll for till have grevyt a fla.
Quhat alyt the to fall?' Quod I, "The sycht
Of yone goddes grym fyry vissage brycht
Ouirset my wyt and all my spretis swa,
I mycht not stand.' "Bot wes that suyth?' "Ya, ya!'
Than said the nymphe rycht merylie and leuch,
"Now I considdir thy mad hart weil eneuch.

"I wyl', quod scho, "na mare the thus assay
With sic plesance quhilk may thy sprete effray.
Yit sall thow se suythly, sen thou art here,
My ladyis court in thair gudly array.
For till behald thair myrth cum on thy way!'
Than hand in hand suyth went we furth in fere
At a postrum towart the fair herbere,
In that passage full fast at hir I franyt
Quhat folk thay wer within the hall remanyt.

"Yon wer,' said sche, "quhasa the richt discrivys,
Maist vailyeand folk, and vertuus in thair lyvys.
Now in the court of honour thay remane
Victoriusly, and in all plesance thryvys;
For thay with spere, with swerdys, and wyth knyvys
In just battell wer fundyn maist of mane.
In thair promyttis thay stude evir fyrm and plane;
In thaym aboundit worschyp and lawte
Illumynyt with liberalite.

"Honour', quod scho, "to this hevinly ryng
Differris richt far from warldly honoring,
Quhilk is but pompe of erdly dignyte
Gyvyn for estate of blude, micht, or sic thyng.
And in this countre prynce, prelate, or kyng
Alanerly sall for vertue honoryt be.
For erdly glore is not bot vanyte
That as we se, sa suddandly will wend,
Bot vertuus honour nevir mare sall end.'. . .