Classic Poem

1

Off Februar the fyiftene nycht,
Full lang befoir the dayis lycht,
I lay in till a trance,
And than I saw baith hevin and hell;
Me thocht amangis the feyndis fell
Mahoun gart cry ane dance
Off schrewis that wer nevir schrevin,
Aganis the feist of Fasternis Evin
To mak thair observance.
He bad gallandis ga graith a gyis
And kast vp gamountis in the skyis,
That last came out of France.

2

" Lat se", quod he, " Now quha begynnis?"
With that the fowll sevin deidly synnis
Begowth to leip at anis.
And first of all in dance wes Pryd,
With bair wyld bak and bonet on syd,
Lyk to mak vaistie wanis.
And round abowt him, as a quheill,
Hang all in rumpillis to the heill
His kethat for the nanis.
Mony prowd trumpour with him trippit,
Throw skaldand fyre ay as thay skippit
Thay gyrnd with hiddous granis.

3

Heilie harlottis on hawtane wyis
Come in with mony sindrie gyis,
Bot yit luche nevir Mahoun
Quhill preistis come in with bair schevin nekkis.
Than all the feyndis lewche and maid gekkis,
Blak belly and Bawsy broun.

4

Than Yre come in with sturt and stryfe,
His hand wes ay vpoun his knyfe,
He brandeist lyk a beir.
Bostaris, braggaris and barganeris
Eftir him passit in to pairis,
All bodin in feir of weir.
In iakkis and stryppis and bonettis of steill,
Thair leggis wer chenyeit to the heill,
Frawart wes thair affeir.
Sum vpoun vder with brandis beft,
Sum iaggit vthiris to the heft,
With knyvis that scherp cowd scheir.

5

Nixt in the dance followit Invy,
Fild full of feid and fellony,
Hid malyce and dispyte.
For pryvie hatrent that tratour trymlit.
Him followit mony freik dissymlit,
With fenyeit wirdis quhyte,
And flattereris in to menis facis,
And bakbyttaris in secreit places,
To ley that had delyte,
And rownaris of fals lesingis —
Allace, that courtis of noble kingis
Of thame can nevir be quyte.

6

Nixt him in dans come Cuvatyce,
Rute of all evill and grund of vyce,
That nevir cowd be content.
Catyvis, wrechis and ockeraris,
Hudpykis, hurdaris and gadderaris
All with that warlo went.
Out of thair throttis thay schot on vdder
Hett moltin gold, me thocht a fudder,
As fyreflawcht maist fervent.
Ay as thay tomit thame of schot,
Feyndis fild thame new vp to the thrott,
With gold of allkin prent.

7

Syne Sweirnes at the secound bidding
Come lyk a sow out of a midding.
Full slepy wes his grunyie.
Mony sweir bumbard belly huddroun,
Mony slute daw and slepy duddroun
Him serwit ay with sounyie.
He drew thame furth in till a chenyie,
And Belliall with a brydill renyie
Evir lascht thame on the lunyie.
In dance thay war so slaw of feit,
Thay gaif thame in the fyre a heit
And maid thame quicker of counyie.

8

Than Lichery, that lathly cors,
Come berand lyk a bagit hors,
And Lythenes did him leid.
Thair wes with him ane vgly sort,
And mony stynkand fowll tramort
That had in syn bene deid.
Quhen thay wer entrit in the dance
Thay wer full strenge of countenance,
Lyk turkas birnand reid.
All led thay vthir by the tersis.
Suppois thay fycket with thair ersis,
It mycht be na remeid.

9

Than the fowll monstir Glutteny,
Off wame vnsasiable and gredy,
To dance he did him dres.
Him followit mony fowll drunckart,
With can and collep, cop and quart,
In surffet and exces.
Full mony a waistles wallydrag
With wamis vnweildable did furth wag,
In creische that did incres.
" Drynk!" ay thay cryit, with mony a gaip.
The feyndis gaif thame hait leid to laip,
Thair lovery wes na les.

10

Na menstrallis playit to thame, but dowt,
For glemen thair wer haldin owt,
Be day and eik by nycht;
Except a menstrall that slew a man,
Swa till his heretage he wan,
And entirt be breif of richt.

11

Than cryd Mahoun for a heleand padyane.
Syne ran a feynd to feche Makfadyane,
Far northwart in a nuke.
Be he the correnoch had done schout
Erschemen so gadderit him abowt,
In hell grit rowme thay tuke.
Thae tarmegantis with tag and tatter
Full lowd in Ersche begowth to clatter
And rowp lyk revin and ruke.
The devill sa devit wes with thair yell
That in the depest pot of hell
He smorit thame with smvke.

12

Nixt that a turnament wes tryid,
That lang befoir in hell wes cryid
In presens of Mahoun;
Betuix a telyour and ane sowtar,
A pricklous and ane hobbell clowttar,
The barres wes maid boun.
The tailyeour baith with speir and scheild
Convoyit wes vnto the feild,
With mony lymmar loun:
Off seme byttaris and beist knapparis,
Off stomok steillaris and clayth takkaris,
A graceles garisoun.

13

His baner born wes him befoir,
Quhairin wes clowttis ane hundreth scoir,
Ilkane of diuers hew;
And all stowin out of sindry webbis,
For quhill the Greik sie fillis and ebbis,
Telyouris will nevir be trew.
The buthman on the barrowis blent.
Allais, he tynt all hardyment,
For feir he chaingit hew.
Mahoun him comfort and maid him knycht,
Na ferly thocht his hart wes licht
That to sic honor grew.

14

He hecht hely befoir Mahoun
That he suld ding the sowtar doun,
Thocht he wer wicht as mast.
Bot quhen he on the barrowis blenkit
The telyouris curage a littill schrenkit,
His hairt did all ourcast.
And quhen he saw the sowtar cum
Off all sic wirdis he wes full dum,
So soir he wes agast.
For he in hart tuke sic a scunner
Ane rak of fartis lyk ony thunner
Went fra him, blast for blast.

15

The sowtar to the feild him drest,
He wes convoyid out of the west,
As ane defender stout.
Suppois he had na lusty varlot,
He had full mony lowsy harlott
Round rynnand him aboute.
His baner wes a barkit hyd,
Quhairin Sanct Girnega did glyd,
Befoir that rebald rowt.
Full sowttarlyk he wes of laitis,
For ay betuix the harnes plaitis
The vly birstit out.

16

Apon the talyeour quhen he did luke,
His hairt a littill dwamyng tuke.
Wneis he mycht vpsitt.
In to his stommok wes sic ane steir,
Off all his dennar, that cost him deir,
His breist held neuer a bitt.
To comfort him or he raid forder,
The devill off knychtheid gaif him order,
For stynk than he did spitt.
And he about the devillis nek
Did spew agane ane quart of blek,
Thus knychtly he him quitt.

17

Than fourty tymis the feynd cryd, " Fy!"
The sowtar rycht effeiritly
Vnto the feild he socht.
Quhen thay wer serwit of thair speiris,
Folk had ane feill be thair effeiris,
Thair hairtis wer baith on flocht.
Thai spurrit apon athir syd,
The hors attour the grene did glyd,
And tham togidder brocht.
The tailyeour was no thing weill sittin,
He left his sadill all beschittin,
And to the grund he socht.

18

His birnes brak and maid ane brattill,
The sowtaris hors start with the rattill
And round about cowd reill.
The beist, that frayit wes rycht evill,
Ran with the sowtar to the devill,
And he rewardit him weill.
Sum thing frome him the feynd eschewit,
He trowit agane to be bespewit,
So strenyt he wes in steill.
He thocht he wald agane debait him.
He turnd his ers and all bedret him,
Quyte our from nek till heill.

19

He lowsit it of with sic a reird,
Baith hors and man flawe to the eird,
He fart with sic ane feir.
" Now haif I quitt the", quod Mahoun.
The new maid knycht lay in to swoun,
And did all armes forswer.
The devill gart thame to dungeoun dryve
And thame of knychtheid cold depryve,
Dischairgeing thame of weir;
And maid thame harlottis agane for evir,
Quhilk still to keip thay had fer levir,
Nor ony armes beir.

20

I had mair of thair werkis writtin,
Had nocht the sowtar bene beschittin,
With Belliallis ers vnblist.
Bot that sa gud ane bourd me thocht,
Sic solace to my hairt thar socht,
For lawchtir neir I brist.
Quhairthrow I walknit of my trance.
To put this in rememberance,
Mycht no man me resist,
To dyte how all this thing befell,
Befoir Mahoun, the heir of hell.
Schirris, trow it gif ye list!