Contents -BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD

William Stanley Braithwaite, ed. The Book of Elizabethan Verse. 1907.

The Night Is near Gone

Alexander Montgomerie (1545?–1598)

HEY! now the day dawis;

The jolly cock crawis;

Now shroudis the shawis

Thro’ Nature anon.

The thissel-cock cryis

On lovers wha lyis:

Now skaillis the skyis;

The nicht is neir gone.

The fieldis ouerflowis

With gowans that growis,

Quhair lilies like low is

As red as the rone.

The turtle that true is,

With notes that renewis,

Her pairty pursuis:

The nicht is neir gone.

Now hairtis with hindis

Conform to their kindis,

Hie tursis their tyndis

On ground quhair they grone.

Now hurchonis, with hairis,

Aye passis in pairis;

Quhilk duly declaris

The nicht is neir gone.

The season excellis

Through sweetness that smellis;

Now Cupid compellis

Our hairtis echone

On Venus wha waikis,

To muse on our maikis,

Syne sing for their saikis—

“The nicht is neir gone!”

All courageous knichtis

Aganis the day dichtis

The breist-plate that bright is

To fight with their fone.

The stonèd steed stampis

Through courage, and crampis,

Syne on the land lampis:

The nicht is neir gone.

The friekis on feildis

That wight wapins weildis

With shyning bright shieldis

At Titan in trone;

Stiff speiris in reistis

Ouer corseris crestis

Are broke on their breistis:

The nicht is neir gone.

So hard are their hittis,

Some sweyis, some sittis,

And some perforce flittis

On ground quhile they grone.

Syne groomis that gay is

On blonkis that brayis

With swordis assayis:—

The nicht is neir gone.