Arthur Quiller-Couch, ed. 1919. The Oxford Book of English Verse: 1250–1900.
ROBIN sat on gude green hill, | |
Kepand a flock of fe: | |
Mirry Makyne said him till | |
‘Robin, thou rew on me: | |
I haif thee luvit, loud and still, | 5 |
Thir yeiris twa or thre; | |
My dule in dern bot gif thou dill, | |
Doutless but dreid I de.’ | |
|
Robin answerit ‘By the Rude | |
Na thing of luve I knaw, | 10 |
But keipis my scheip undir yon wud: | |
Lo, quhair they raik on raw. | |
Quhat has marrit thee in thy mude, | |
Makyne, to me thou shaw; | |
Or quhat is luve, or to be lude? | 15 |
Fain wad I leir that law.’ | |
|
‘At luvis lair gif thou will leir | |
Tak thair ane A B C; | |
Be heynd, courtass, and fair of feir, | |
Wyse, hardy, and free: | 20 |
So that no danger do thee deir | |
Quhat dule in dern thou dre; | |
Preiss thee with pain at all poweir | |
Be patient and previe.’ | |
|
Robin answerit hir agane, | 25 |
‘I wat nocht quhat is lufe; | |
But I haif mervel in certaine | |
Quhat makis thee this wanrufe: | |
The weddir is fair, and I am fain; | |
My scheip gois haill aboif; | 30 |
And we wald prey us in this plane, | |
They wald us baith reproif.’ | |
|
‘Robin, tak tent unto my tale, | |
And wirk all as I reid, | |
And thou sall haif my heart all haill, | 35 |
Eik and my maiden-heid: | |
Sen God sendis bute for baill, | |
And for murnyng remeid, | |
In dern with thee bot gif I daill | |
Dowtles I am bot deid.’ | 40 |
|
‘Makyne, to-morn this ilka tyde | |
And ye will meit me heir, | |
Peraventure my scheip may gang besyde, | |
Quhyle we haif liggit full neir; | |
But mawgre haif I, and I byde, | 45 |
Fra they begin to steir; | |
Quhat lyis on heart I will nocht hyd; | |
Makyn, then mak gude cheir.’ | |
|
‘Robin, thou reivis me roiff and rest; | |
I luve bot thee allane.’ | 50 |
‘Makyne, adieu! the sone gois west, | |
The day is neir-hand gane.’ | |
‘Robin, in dule I am so drest | |
That luve will be my bane.’ | |
‘Ga luve, Makyne, quhair-evir thow list, | 55 |
For lemman I luve nane.’ | |
|
‘Robin, I stand in sic a styll, | |
I sicht and that full sair.’ | |
‘Makyne, I haif been here this quhyle; | |
At hame God gif I wair.’ | 60 |
‘My huny, Robin, talk ane quhyll, | |
Gif thow will do na mair.’ | |
‘Makyn, sum uthir man begyle, | |
For hamewart I will fair.’ | |
|
Robin on his wayis went | 65 |
As light as leif of tre; | |
Makyne murnit in hir intent, | |
And trowd him nevir to se. | |
Robin brayd attour the bent: | |
Then Makyne cryit on hie, | 70 |
‘Now may thow sing, for I am schent! | |
Quhat alis lufe at me?’ | |
|
Makyne went hame withowttin fail, | |
Full wery eftir cowth weip; | |
Then Robin in a ful fair daill | 75 |
Assemblit all his scheip. | |
Be that sum part of Makynis aill | |
Out-throw his hairt cowd creip; | |
He fallowit hir fast thair till assaill, | |
And till her tuke gude keip. | 80 |
|
‘Abyd, abyd, thow fair Makyne, | |
A word for ony thing; | |
For all my luve, it sall be thyne, | |
Withowttin departing. | |
All haill thy hairt for till haif myne | 85 |
Is all my cuvating; | |
My scheip to-morn, quhyle houris nyne, | |
Will neid of no keping.’ | |
|
‘Robin, thow hes hard soung and say, | |
In gestis and storeis auld, | 90 |
The man that will nocht quhen he may | |
Sall haif nocht quhen he wald. | |
I pray to Jesu every day, | |
Mot eik thair cairis cauld | |
That first preissis with thee to play | 95 |
Be firth, forrest, or fauld.’ | |
|
‘Makyne, the nicht is soft and dry, | |
The weddir is warme and fair, | |
And the grene woid rycht neir us by | |
To walk attour all quhair: | 100 |
Thair ma na janglour us espy, | |
That is to lufe contrair; | |
Thairin, Makyne, baith ye and I, | |
Unsene we ma repair.’ | |
|
‘Robin, that warld is all away, | 105 |
And quyt brocht till ane end: | |
And nevir agane thereto, perfay, | |
Sall it be as thow wend; | |
For of my pane thow maid it play; | |
And all in vane I spend: | 110 |
As thow hes done, sa sall I say, | |
“Murne on, I think to mend.”‘ | |
|
‘Makyne, the howp of all my heill, | |
My hairt on thee is sett; | |
And evirmair to thee be leill | 115 |
Quhill I may leif but lett; | |
Never to faill as utheris feill, | |
Quhat grace that evir I gett.’ | |
‘Robin, with thee I will nocht deill; | |
Adieu! for thus we mett.’ | 120 |
|
Makyne went hame blyth anneuche | |
Attour the holttis hair; | |
Robin murnit, and Makyne leuche; | |
Scho sang, he sichit sair: | |
And so left him baith wo and wreuch, | 125 |
In dolour and in cair, | |
Kepand his hird under a huche | |
Amangis the holttis hair. | |