John Stewart of Baldinneis :: An Anthology of 16th and Early 17th Century Scots Poetry

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John Stewart of Baldinneis

68. In Commendatione of his Luifing Freind
69. Of ane Fontane
70. Of Ambitious Men
71. Upone the Portrait of Cvpid
72. Ane reply to ane lettir derect from his veilbelouit cousin
73. In Going to his Luif
74. In Praise of His Maiesteis Vork
75. His Fairweill to the Musis

In Commendatione of his Luifing Freind

At nycht Sir Morpheus opprest

Vith dreidfull dreame this hart of myn:

Me thocht I vas up hichlie drest

drest: carried

Amongs the mychtie Musis nyn,

Quhair Jupiter his place possest

Vith all the glorious gods celest.

The vatrie Neptune did I sie

Vith aufull statlie stalwart Mars,

Quhom Venus vith hir smyling ie

Alluird, and did his raidge dispars;

And Mercure als in his degrie

Cam vith the smythe, Vulcanus slie.

The brycht Apollo thair did scheine

Amyds tham vith his harpe devyn,

And litill cumlie Cupid keine

Vith boudin Bachus set vas syn

boudin: swollen

Besyd the christall fontan cleine

That Pegasus did perce, I meine.

Both demie-gods and nymphis ran,

And Atropus amyds the thrang,

Quha cuts the threid that Cloto span,

The quhilk Lachesis draws out lang;

Proud Pluto als, that elresche man,

elresche: elvish

Comperit, vith the pastor Pan.

The prudent puissant Pallas queine,

Vith gentill Juno did I sie,

And chast Diana cled in greine,

Quha causit Acteon to die

Because he haid hir nakit seine

At bathing vith hir virgins scheine.

The frostie auld Saturnus snell

snell: harsh

Austeirlie sat amongs the rest,

Quhois scharpe seveir resemblance fell

Did all the heawenlie gods molest,

Quhois qualetie quyt did expell.

Maist gentill Jowe the forme did tell:

'Ve vill,' sayis he, 'bring to this place

Sum amiabill man discreit,

Quhois plesand speitche and cumlie face

May all our sour translait in sueit:

Than chose him at this instant space,

Quho is adornd vith everie grace,

And I my egle sall derect

Doune from the loftie skyis cleir,

For to transport this man elect

To be deificat vp heir.'

That gratious gods than did expect

Fair Phebus vill in this effect,

Quho promeissit to scherse him far

scherse: search

In compassing this vorld about,

Quho mycht Saturnus baill debar.

baill: rage

Bot than of úow I haid sik dout

That from my sleip soon did I skar,

And ferventlie bids úow bewar.

Of ane Fontane

Fresche fontane, fair and springand cald and cleine,

As brichtest christall cleir vith silver ground,

Close cled about be holsum herbis greine,

Quhois tuynkling streames úeilds ane luiflie sound;

Vith bonie birkis all ubumbrat round

birkis: birchesubumbrat: shadowed

From violence of Phebus visage fair,

Quhois smelling leifs suawe Zephir maks rebound

In doucest souching of his temperat air;

souching: rustling

And Titan new, hich flammyng in his chair,

Maks gaggit erth for ardent heit to brist:

gaggit: cracked

Than, passinger, quho irkit dois repair,

passinger: traveller

Brynt be the son and dryit up vith thrist,

Heir in this place thow may refreschment find,

Both be the vell, the schaddow and the wind.

Of Ambitious Men

As dryest dust, vinddrift in drouthie day,

Quhyls lychts on lords and ladies of renoun,

Quhyls on thair face and quhyls on thair array,

And quhyls upon ane kingis statlie croun;

Úit as it cums sum ay are bussie boune

boune: ready

To cleinge it thence so that it finds no rest,

Quhill to the erth it be againe snipt doune:

snipt: cut

So mortall men quho dois thair mynd molest

To be in gloir coequall vith the best,

Thocht for ane space thay volt vith valtring vind,

Doune to the ground thay sall againe be drest,

For few aloft may Fortouns firmtie find,

Bot ay the suyfter and moir hich thay brall

brall: soar

Moir low and suddane cums thair feirfull fall.

Upone the Portrait of Cvpid

Luif úoung is paintit lyk ane prettie boy

In signe that úouth of him hes greatest cuir:

Vith semblant sueit he smylith sum thing moy

moy: prim

To schaw he dois be craft his sute alluir;

His body quhyt all nakit dois induir

For his delyt, bot onie schame at all;

His laik of sycht also dois ws assuir

His snappring state, and judgement verray small;

snappring: blundering

The schaft and bow, quhilk both he beirs so tall,

Declairs him prompt all persons to persew;

Thay giwe him vings hich vith the vind to brall

brall: soar

Because he is so vavering and vntrew:

Auld painters hes this form for Luif prepaird

To lerne ws vit, quhan ve do luif regaird.

Ane reply to ane lettir derect from his veilbelouit cousin

As dewie drops distels in drowthie day,

On vallowit veids all viddrit vith the vind,

vallowit: faded

That syn vith sauorous sop dois sprout on spray

Quhill nymphis fair vith tham doith garlands bind;

Richt so úour firm effection quhilk I find

My emptiwe vaine doith varp vith nectar full,

emptiwe: emptyvarp: fill

And valkith up my Muse, that erst vas dull.

For sen úe souck ambrosiane liquor sueit

From sacred source of the Aonian band,

My pansiwe spreit vith plesour is repleit

And poussith me to tak my pen in hand,

First for to thank úow that dois stabill stand

In amitie my guidwill to requyt,

Syn for to praise úow forúour suggurit dyt.

On Pindo mount althocht I do not hant,

Úit spair I not to rym this ruid reply:

Bot úe vith vorschip may úour self awant,

Quho dalie dois that peirles pean spy,

Quho may arrouse úour brains, thocht thay var dry,

Vith the Pegasien silver celest spring,

Quhan solitar I most my wersis sing.

The lord of Delos do úour dyt decoir,

And mychtie Minerwe motúour muse amend;

The Thespian rout vith science úow restoir

And sueit Polymnia hich úour harp upbend,

Abowe the vell Castalia till ascend

Amyds the sisters of Pernasso scheine;

Apollo syn úow croun vith laurell greine.

In Going to his Luif

O silver hornit Diane, nychtis queine,

Quha for to kis Endimeon did discend,

Gif flamme of luif thow haid don than susteine

As I do now, that instant dois pretend

instant: nowpretend: intend

T'embrasse my luif, not villing to be kend,

Vith mistie vaill thow vold obscuir thy face

For reuth of me that dois sic travell spend,

And finding now this vissit grant of grace.

vissit: wished (for)

Bot lettit be thy borrowit lycht, alace,

lettit: hindered

I staying stand in feir for to be seine,

Sen yndling eine inwirons all this place,

yndling: jealous

Quhois cursit mouths ay to defame dois meine;

Bot nether thay nor úit thy schyning cleir

May cause appeir my secret luif synceir.

In Praise of His Maiesteis Vork

Quhat neids to gilt the glansing gould maist fyne?

glansing: shining

Quhat neids the perfyt pretious stone to pryis?

Quhat stream may strenth the recent mychtie vyne?

Quhat foull may matche the Phenix in the skyis?

Quhat styll may set out Salomon moir vyis

Than be his prudent precepts may appeir?

Quhat neids to speik quhair pruif maist plainlie tryis,

tryis: shows

As quho vold say Apollo schynis cleir?

I grant in deid the charbunckill is deir,

charbunckill: carbuncle (a semi-precious stone)

And Phebus foull, because thay ar so rair:

Than in lyk maner lo! behold him heir

Quho far surmonts all vthers but compair,

And nane exprim may all his praise perfyt,

exprim: express

Except thay haid his awne devyn indyt.

His Fairweill to the Musis

Fairweill, my toynles trimbling strings;

toynles: tuneless

Fairweill, the source quhair poems springs;

Fairweill, brycht purpour Pean fair,

And all thy sisters sueit, that sings

On plesand Pernass mont preclair.

Fairweill, my versis varpit vrang;

varpit: uttered

Fairweill, the harp quhairon I sang;

Fairweill, my muse that meed me mont;

Fairwell, for I hawe serwed úow lang,

Quhill both my brains ar bruist and blont.

Go scherse sum pregnant spreit perfyt

Quho in úour douceur dois delyt,

And nether nycht nor day vill spair

For to declair sum dew indyt

In vorschip of úow nymphis fair.

Bot sum dois dalie dolor drie

drie: endure

For till obteine the lawrell trie,

And, thocht ane branche thairof thay pull,

Most meschant mouth of Momus slie

meschant: wicked

Of sum reproche vill ay be full.

Quhan lustie Venus veill did dance

Befoir the gods, this churle be chance

Vas present than to hir mishap.

Quod he, quhan all did hir awance:

'Hir sandals dois ower loudlie clap.'

I dout no thing to find also

This curshit catiwe for my fo,

In finding fault vith this or that;

Bot úit I cair him nocht ane stro:

My king sall veill protect my plat,

Quhois sacred thespian science rair,

Bebatht in source Castalia fair,

Arrouse sall all my roustie ryme

And vith Pegasien spring preclair

Cleine cleinge the sam from ewirie cryme.

For as Bellerophon so stout

From Lycia dang the monsters out

dang: struck

And brocht curst Chimere to ane end,

Ewen so his Grace, I do nocht dout,

Sall Thersits fleme, and me defend.

fleme: drive away