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ROBERT HENRYSON

1425-1500

20                                           Robin and Makyne

ROBIN sat on gude green hill,
   Kepand1 a flock of fe:2
Mirry Makyne said him till3
   ‘Robin, thou rew on me:
I haif thee luvit, loud and still,
   Thir yeiris twa or thre;
My dule in dern4 bot gif thou dill,5
   Doutless but dreid I de.’6
Robin answerit ‘By the Rude
   Na thing of luve I knaw,
But keipis my scheip undir yon wud:
   Lo, quhair they raik on raw.7
Quhat has marrit thee in thy mude,
   Makyne, to me thou shaw;
Or quhat is luve, or to be lude?8
   Fain wald I leir9 that law.’
‘At luvis lair10 gif thou will leir
   Tak thair ane A B C;
Be heynd,11 courtass, and fair of feir,12
   Wyse, hardy, and free:
So that no danger13 do thee deir14
   Quhat dule in dern thou dre;15
Preiss16 thee with pain at all poweir
   Be patient and previe.’
Robin answerit hir agane,
   ‘I wat nocht quhat is luve;
But I haif mervel in certaine
   Quhat makis thee this wanrufe:17
The weddir is fair, and I am fain;
   My scheip gois haill18 aboif;19
And20 we wald play us in this plane,
   They wald us baith reproif.’
‘Robin, tak tent21 unto my tale,
   And wirk all as I reid,22
And thou sall haif my heart all haill,
   Eik and my maiden-heid:
Sen God sendis bute for baill,23
   And for murnyng remeid,
In dern with thee bot gif24 I daill
   Dowtles I am bot deid.’
‘Makyne, to-morn this ilka tyde
   And ye will meit me heir,
Peraventure my scheip may gang besyde,
   Quhyll we haif liggit full neir;
But mawgré haif I and25 I byde,
   Fra they begin to steir;
Quhat lyis on heart I will nocht hyd;
   Makyn, then mak gude cheir.’
‘Robin, thou reivis26 me roiff27 and rest;
   I luve bot thee allane.’
‘Makyne, adieu! the sone gois west,
   The day is neir-hand gane.’
‘Robin, in dule I am so drest28
   That luve will be my bane.’
‘Ga luve, Makyne, quhair-evir thow list,
   For lemman29 I luve nane.’
‘Robin, I stand in sic a styll,30
   I sicht,31 and that full sair.’
‘Makyne, I haif been here this quhyle;
   At hame God gif I wair.’
‘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
   As light as leif of tre;
Makyne murnit in hir intent,32
   And trowd him nevir to se.
Robin brayd33 attour the bent;34
   Then Makyne cryit on hie,
‘Now may thow sing, for I am schent!35
   Quhat alis36 lufe at me?’
Makyne went hame withowttin fail,
   Full wery eftir cowth37 weip;
Then Robin in a ful fair daill
   Assemblit all his scheip.
Be that38 sum part of Makynis aill
   Out-throw his hairt cowd creip;
He fallowit hir fast thair till39 assaill,
   And till her tuke gude keip.40
‘Abyd, abyd, thow fair Makyne,
   A word for ony thing;
For all my luve, it sal be thyne,
   Withowttin departing.
All haill thy harte for till haif myne
   Is all my cuvating;
My scheip to-morn, quhyll houris nyne,
   Will neid of no keping.’
‘Robin, thow hes hard41 soung and say,
   In gestis42 and storeis auld,
The man that will nocht quhen he may
   Sall haif nocht quhen he wald.
I pray to Jesu every day,
   Mot eik43 thair cairis cauld
That first preissis with thee to play
   Be44 firth, forrest, or fawld.’
‘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:
Thair ma na janglour45 us espy,
   That is to lufe contrair;
Thairin, Makyne, baith ye and I,
   Unsene we ma repair.’
‘Robin, that warld is all away,
   And quyt brocht till ane end:
And nevir agane thereto, perfay,
   Sall it be as thow wend;46
For of my pane thow maid it play;
   And all in vane I spend:
As thow hes done, sa sall I say,
   ‘‘Murne on, I think to mend.’’ ’
‘Makyne, the howp47 of all my heill,
   My hairt on thee is sett;
And evirmair to thee be leill
   Quhill I may leif but lett;48
Never to faill as utheris feill,
   Quhat grace that evir I gett.’
‘Robin, with thee I will nocht deill;
   Adew! for thus we mett.’
Makyne went hame blyth anneuche49
   Attour the holttis hair;50
Robin murnit, and Makyne leuche;51
   Scho sang, he sichit sair:
And so left him baith wo and wreuch,52
   In dolour and in cair,
Kepand his hird under a huche53
   Amangis the holtis hair.

1 kepand: keeping.

2 fe: sheep, cattle.

3 him till: to him.

4 dule in dern: sorrow in secret.

5 dill: soothe.

6 but dreid I de: I shall certainly die.

7 raik on raw: range in row.

8 lude: loved.

9 leir: learn.

10 lair: lore.

11 heynd: gentle.

12 feir: demeanour.

13 danger: disdain.

14 deir: harm.

15 dre: endure.

16 preiss: endeavour.

17 wanrufe: unrest.

18 haill: healthy, whole.

19 aboif: up yonder.

20 and: if.

21 tak tent: give heed.

22 reid: advise.

23 bute for baill: remedy for hurt.

24 bot gif: but if, unless.

25 mawgré haif I and: I am uneasy if.

26 reivis: robbest.

27 roiff: quiet.

28 drest: beset.

29 lemman: mistress.

30 styll: plight.

31 sicht: sigh.

32 in hir intent: in her inward thought.

33 brayd: strode.

34 bent: coarse grass.

35 schent: destroyed.

36 alis: ails.

37 cowth: did.

38 be that: by the time that.

39 till: to.

40 tuke keip: paid attention.

41 hard: heard.

42 gestis: romances.

43 mot eik: may add to

44 be: by.

45 janglour: talebearer.

46 wend: weened.

47 howp: hope.

48 but lett: without hindrance.

49 anneuche: enough.

50 holttis hair: grey woodlands.

51 leuche: laughed.

52 wreuch: peevish.

53 huche: cliff.

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