William Dunbar's The tretis of the twa mariit women and the wedo

Lines 1 through 88

Apon the Midsummer evin, mirriest of nichtis, Line 1 I muvit furth allane, neir as midnicht wes past, Line 2 Besyd ane gudlie grein garth, full of gay flouris, Line 3 Hegeit, of ane huge hicht, with hawthorne treis; Line 4 Quhairon ane bird, on ane bransche, so birst out hir notis Line 5 That never ane blythfullar bird was on the beuche harde: Line 6

Line 6 Quhat throw the sugarat sound of hir sang glaid, Line 7 And throw the savour sanative of the sueit flouris, Line 8 I drew in derne to the dyk to dirkin efter mirthis; Line 9 The dew donkit the daill and dynnit the feulis. Line 10 I hard, under ane holyon hevinlie grein hewit, Line 11 Ane hie speiche, at my hand, with hautand wourdis; Line 12 With that in haist to the hege so hard I inthrang Line 13 That I was heildit with hawthorne and with heynd leveis: Line 14 Throw pykis of the plet thorne I presandlie luikit, Line 15 Gif ony persoun wald approche within that plesand garding. Line 16

I saw thre gay ladeis sit in ane grene arbeir, Line 17 All grathit in to garlandis of fresche gudlie flouris; Line 18 So glitterit as the gold wer thair glorius gilt tressis, Line 19 Quhill all the gressis did gleme of the glaid hewis; Line 20 Kemmit was thair cleir hair, and curiouslie sched Line 21 Attour thair schulderis doun schyre, schyning full bricht; Line 22 With curches, cassin thair abone, of kirsp cleir and thin: Line 23 Thair mantillis grein war as the gress that grew in May sessoun, Line 24 Fetrit with thair quhyt fingaris about thair fair sydis: Line 25 Off ferliful fyne favour war thair faceis meik, Line 26 All full of flurist fairheid, as flouris in June; Line 27 Quhyt, seimlie, and soft, as the sweit lillies Line 28 New upspred upon spray, as new spynist rose; Line 29 Arrayit ryallie about with mony rich vardour, Line 30 That nature full nobillie annamalit with flouris Line 31 Off alkin hewis under hevin, that ony heynd knew, Line 32 Fragrant, all full of fresche odour fynest of smell. Line 33 Ane cumlie tabil coverit wes befoir tha cleir ladeis, Line 34 With ryalle cowpis apon rawis full of ryche wynis. Line 35 And of thir fair wlonkes, tua weddit war with lordis, Line 36 Ane wes ane wedow, I wis, wantoun of laitis. Line 37 And, as thai talk at the tabill of many taill sindry, Line 38 Thay wauchtit at the wicht wyne and waris out wourdis; Line 39 And syne thai spak more spedelie, and sparit no matiris. Line 40

Bewrie, said the Wedo, ye woddit wemen ying, Line 41 Quhat mirth ye fand in maryage, sen ye war menis wyffis; Line 42

Line 42 Reveill gif ye rewit that rakles conditioun? Line 43 Or gif that ever ye luffit leyd upone lyf mair Line 44 Nor thame that ye your fayth hes festinit for ever? Line 45 Or gif ye think, had ye chois, that ye wald cheis better? Line 46 Think ye it nocht ane blist band that bindis so fast, Line 47 That none undo it a deill may bot the deith ane? Line 48

Than spak ane lusty belyf with lustie effeiris; Line 49 It, that ye call the blist band that bindis so fast, Line 50 Is bair of blis, and bailfull, and greit barrat wirkis. Line 51 Ye speir, had I fre chois, gif I wald cheis better? Line 52 Chenyeis ay ar to eschew; and changeis ar sueit: Line 53 Sic cursit chance till eschew, had I my chois anis, Line 54 Out of the chenyeis of ane churle I chaip suld for evir. Line 55 God gif matrimony were made to mell for ane yeir! Line 56 It war bot merrens to be mair, bot gif our myndis pleisit: Line 57 It is agane the law of luf, of kynd, and of nature, Line 58 Togiddir hairtis to strene, that stryveis with uther: Line 59 Birdis hes ane better law na bernis be meikill, Line 60 That ilk yeir, with new joy, joyis ane maik, Line 61 And fangis thame ane fresche feyr, unfulyeit, and constant, Line 62 And lattis thair fulyeit feiris flie quhair thai pleis. Line 63 Cryst gif sic ane consuetude war in this kith haldin! Line 64 Than weill war us wemen that evir we war fre; Line 65 We suld have feiris as fresche to fang quhen us likit, Line 66 And gif all larbaris thair leveis, quhen thai lak curage. Line 67 My self suld be full semlie in silkis arrayit, Line 68 Gymp, jolie, and gent, richt joyus, and gent ryce. Line 69 I suld at fairis be found new faceis to se; Line 70 At playis, and at preichingis, and pilgrimages greit, Line 71 To schaw my renone, royaly, quhair preis was of folk, Line 72 To manifest my makdome to multitude of pepill, Line 73 And blaw my bewtie on breid, quhair bernis war mony; Line 74 That I micht cheis, and be chosin, and change quhen my lykit. Line 75 Than suld I waill ane full weill, our all the wyd realme, Line 76 That suld my womanheid weild the lang winter nicht; Line 77

Line 77 And when I gottin had ane grome, ganest of uther, Line 78 Yaip, and ying, in the yok ane yeir for to draw; Line 79 Fra I had preveit his pitht the first plesand moneth, Line 80 Than suld I cast me to keik in kirk, and in markat, Line 81 And all the cuntre about, kyngis court, and uther, Line 82 Quhair I ane galland micht get aganis the nixt yeir, Line 83 For to perfurneis furth the werk quhen failyeit the tother; Line 84 A forky fure, ay furthwart, and forsy in draucht, Line 85 Nother febill, nor fant, nor fulyeit in labour, Line 86 But als fresche of his forme as flouris in May; Line 87 For all the fruit suld I fang, thocht he the flour burgeoun. Line 88