Arthur Quiller-Couch, ed. 1919. The Oxford Book of English Verse: 1250–1900.
| THIS hinder yeir I hard be tald | |
| Thair was a worthy King; | |
| Dukis, Erlis, and Barronis bald, | |
| He had at his bidding. | |
| The Lord was ancean and ald, | 5 |
| And sexty yeiris cowth ring; | |
| He had a dochter fair to fald, | |
| A lusty Lady ying. | |
| |
| Off all fairheid scho bur the flour, | |
| And eik hir faderis air; | 10 |
| Off lusty laitis and he honour, | |
| Meik bot and debonair: | |
| Scho wynnit in a bigly bour, | |
| On fold wes nane so fair, | |
| Princis luvit hir paramour | 15 |
| In cuntreis our allquhair. | |
| |
| Thair dwelt a lyt besyde the King | |
| A foull Gyand of ane; | |
| Stollin he has the Lady ying, | |
| Away with hir is gane, | 20 |
| And kest her in his dungering | |
| Quhair licht scho micht se nane; | |
| Hungir and cauld and grit thristing | |
| Scho fand into hir waine. | |
| |
| He wes the laithliest on to luk | 25 |
| That on the grund mycht gang: | |
| His nailis wes lyk ane hellis cruk, | |
| Thairwith fyve quarteris lang; | |
| Thair wes nane that he ourtuk, | |
| In rycht or yit in wrang, | 30 |
| Bot all in schondir he thame schuk, | |
| The Gyand wes so strang. | |
| |
| He held the Lady day and nycht | |
| Within his deip dungeoun, | |
| He wald nocht gif of hir a sicht | 35 |
| For gold nor yit ransoun— | |
| Bot gif the King mycht get a knycht, | |
| To fecht with his persoun, | |
| To fecht with him beth day and nycht, | |
| Quhill ane wer dungin doun. | 40 |
| |
| The King gart seik baith fer and neir, | |
| Beth be se and land, | |
| Off ony knycht gif he mycht heir | |
| Wald fecht with that Gyand: | |
| A worthy Prince, that had no peir, | 45 |
| Hes tane the deid on hand | |
| For the luve of the Lady cleir, | |
| And held full trew cunnand. | |
| |
| That Prince come prowdly to the toun | |
| Of that Gyand to heir, | 50 |
| And fawcht with him, his awin persoun, | |
| And tuke him presoneir, | |
| And kest him in his awin dungeoun | |
| Allane withouten feir, | |
| With hungir, cauld, and confusioun, | 55 |
| As full weill worthy weir. | |
| |
| Syne brak the bour, had hame the bricht | |
| Unto her fadir fre. | |
| Sa evill wondit wes the Knycht | |
| That he behuvit to de; | 60 |
| Unlusum was his likame dicht, | |
| His sark was all bludy; | |
| In all the world was thair a wicht | |
| So peteouss for to se? | |
| |
| The Lady murnyt and maid grit mane, | 65 |
| With all her mekill mycht— | |
| ‘I luvit nevir lufe bot ane, | |
| That dulfully now is dicht; | |
| God sen my lyfe were fra me tane | |
| Or I had seen yone sicht, | 70 |
| Or ellis in begging evir to gane | |
| Furth with yone curtass knycht.’ | |
| |
| He said ‘Fair lady, now mone I | |
| De, trestly ye me trow; | |
| Take ye my serk that is bludy, | 75 |
| And hing it forrow yow; | |
| First think on it, and syne on me, | |
| Quhen men cumis yow to wow.’ | |
| The Lady said ‘Be Mary fre, | |
| Thairto I mak a vow.’ | 80 |
| |
| Quhen that scho lukit to the sark | |
| Scho thocht on the persoun, | |
| And prayit for him with all hir hart | |
| That lowsit hir of bandoun, | |
| Quhair scho was wont to sit full merk | 85 |
| Into that deip dungeoun; | |
| And evir quhill scho wes in quert, | |
| That was hir a lessoun. | |
| |
| Sa weill the Lady luvit the Knycht | |
| That no man wald scho tak: | 90 |
| Sa suld we do our God of micht | |
| That did all for us mak; | |
| Quhilk fullily to deid was dicht, | |
| For sinfull manis sak, | |
| Sa suld we do beth day and nycht, | 95 |
| With prayaris to him mak. | |
| |
| This King is lyk the Trinitie, | |
| Baith in hevin and heir; | |
| The manis saule to the Lady, | |
| The Gyand to Lucefeir, | 100 |
| The Knycht to Chryst, that deit on tre | |
| And coft our synnis deir; | |
| The pit to Hele with panis fell, | |
| The Syn to the woweir. | |
| |
| The Lady was wowd, but scho said nay | 105 |
| With men that wald hir wed; | |
| Sa suld we wryth all sin away | |
| That in our breist is bred. | |
| I pray to Jesu Chryst verray, | |
| For ws his blud that bled, | 110 |
| To be our help on domisday | |
| Quhair lawis ar straitly led. | |
| |
| The saule is Godis dochtir deir, | |
| And eik his handewerk, | |
| That was betrayit with Lucefeir, | 115 |
| Quha sittis in hell full merk: | |
| Borrowit with Chrystis angell cleir, | |
| Hend men, will ye nocht herk? | |
| And for his lufe that bocht us deir | |
| Think on the BLUDY SERK! | 120 |
