Contents
-BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD
Arthur Quiller-Couch, ed. 1919. The Oxford Book of English Verse: 1250–1900.
Alexander Montgomerie. 1540?1610?
48. The Night is Near Gone
HEY! now the day dawis; | |
The jolly cock crawis; | |
Now shroudis the shawis | |
Thro’ Nature anon. | |
The thissel-cock cryis | 5 |
On lovers wha lyis: | |
Now skaillis the skyis; | |
The nicht is neir gone. | |
|
The fieldis ouerflowis | |
With gowans that growis, | 10 |
Quhair lilies like low is | |
As red as the rone. | |
The turtle that true is, | |
With notes that renewis, | |
Her pairty pursuis: | 15 |
The nicht is neir gone. | |
|
Now hairtis with hindis | |
Conform to their kindis, | |
Hie tursis their tyndis | |
On ground quhair they grone. | 20 |
Now hurchonis, with hairis, | |
Aye passis in pairis; | |
Quhilk duly declaris | |
The nicht is neir gone. | |
|
The season excellis | 25 |
Through sweetness that smellis; | |
Now Cupid compellis | |
Our hairtis echone | |
On Venus wha waikis, | |
To muse on our maikis, | 30 |
Syne sing for their saikis— | |
‘The nicht is neir gone!’ | |
|
All courageous knichtis | |
Aganis the day dichtis | |
The breist-plate that bright is | 35 |
To fight with their fone. | |
The stonèd steed stampis | |
Through courage, and crampis, | |
Syne on the land lampis: | |
The nicht is neir gone. | 40 |
|
The freikis on feildis | |
That wight wapins weildis | |
With shyning bright shieldis | |
At Titan in trone; | |
Stiff speiris in reistis | 45 |
Ouer corseris crestis | |
Are broke on their breistis: | |
The nicht is neir gone. | |
|
So hard are their hittis, | |
Some sweyis, some sittis, | 50 |
And some perforce flittis | |
On ground quhile they grone. | |
Syne groomis that gay is | |
On blonkis that brayis | |
With swordis assayis:— | 55 |
The nicht is neir gone. | |
|
GLOSS: shroudis] dress themselves. shawis] woods. skaillis] clears. gowans] daisies. low] flame. rone] rowan. pairty] partner, mate. tursis] carry. tyndis] antlers. grone] groan, bell. hurchonis] hedgehogs, ‘urchins.’ maikis] mates. fone] foes. stonèd steed] stallion. crampis] prances. lampis] gallops. freikis] men, warriors. wight wapins] stout weapons. at Titan] over against Titan (the sun), or read ‘as.’ flittis] are cast. blonkis] white palfreys. |