Arthur Quiller-Couch, ed. 1919. The Oxford Book of English Verse: 1250–1900.
MY heart is high above, my body is full of bliss, | |
For I am set in luve as well as I would wiss | |
I luve my lady pure and she luvis me again, | |
I am her serviture, she is my soverane; | |
She is my very heart, I am her howp and heill, | 5 |
She is my joy invart, I am her luvar leal; | |
I am her bond and thrall, she is at my command; | |
I am perpetual her man, both foot and hand; | |
The thing that may her please my body sall fulfil; | |
Quhatever her disease, it does my body ill. | 10 |
My bird, my bonny ane, my tender babe venust, | |
My luve, my life alane, my liking and my lust! | |
We interchange our hairtis in others armis soft, | |
Spriteless we twa depairtis, usand our luvis oft. | |
We mourn when licht day dawis, we plain the nicht is short, | 15 |
We curse the cock that crawis, that hinderis our disport. | |
I glowffin up aghast, quhen I her miss on nicht, | |
And in my oxter fast I find the bowster richt; | |
Then languor on me lies like Morpheus the mair, | |
Quhilk causes me uprise and to my sweet repair. | 20 |
And then is all the sorrow forth of remembrance | |
That ever I had a-forrow in luvis observance. | |
Thus never I do rest, so lusty a life I lead, | |
Quhen that I list to test the well of womanheid. | |
Luvaris in pain, I pray God send you sic remeid | 25 |
As I have nicht and day, you to defend from deid! | |
Therefore be ever true unto your ladies free, | |
And they will on you rue as mine has done on me. | |