HARDYKNUTE.

A FRAGMENT.

I.

STATELY stept he east the wa'*
And stately stept he west;

Full seventy ziers he now had sene,
With skerss sevin ziers of rest.

He livit quhen Britons breach of faith
Wroucht Scotland meikle wae,
And ay his sword tauld, to their cost,
He was their deidly fae.

* Wa', wall, the rampart of the castle.

II.

Hie on a hill his castle stude,
With halls and touris a hicht,
And guidly chambers fair to se,
Quhair he lodgit mony a knicht.
His dame sae peirless anes, and fair,
For chast and bewtie deimt,
Nae marrow * had in all the land,
Saif Elenor the quene.

III.

Full thirtein sons to him scho bare,
All men of valour stout,

In bluidy ficht, with sword in hand,
Nyne lost their lives bot† doubt;
Four zit remain; lang may they live
To stand by liege and land;

Hie was their fame, hie was their micht,
And hie was their command.

• Marrow, usually mate, here equal.
+ Bot, without.

IV.

Great luve they bare to Fairly fair,
Their sister saft and deir,

Her girdle shawd her middle jimp*
And gowden glist her hair.
Quhat waefou wae her bewtie bred!
Waefou to zung and auld;
Waefou, I trou, to kyth and kin,
As story ever tauld.

V.

The king of Norse, in summer tyde,
Puft up with powir and micht,
Landed in fair Scotland the yle,
With mony a hardy knicht.
The tydings to our gude Scots king
Came as he sat at dyne,
With noble chiefs, in braif aray,
Drinking the blude-reid wyne.

*Jimp, slender.

† Gowdin glist, shone as gold.

VI.

"To horse, to horse, my ryal liege! "Zour faes stand on the strand; "Full twenty thousand glittering spears "The king of Norse commands. "Bring me my steed, Mage, dapple gray," Our gude King raise and cryd: A trustier beast in all the land, A Scots King never seyd*.

VII.

"Go, little page, tell Hardyknute, "That lives on hill so hie,

"To draw his sword, the dried of faes, "And haste and follow me."

The little page flew swift as dart,

Flung by his master's arm;

"Cum down, cum down, Lord Hardyknute, "And red zour King frae harm."

* Seyd, tried.

VIII.

Then reid, reid grew his dark-brown chieks, Sae did his dark-brown brow;

His luiks grew kene, as they were wont

In dangers great to do.

He hes tane a horn as grene as glass,
And gien five sounds sae shrill,
That tries in grene wod schuke thereat,
Sae loud rang ilka hill.

IX.

His sons, in manly sport and glie,
Had past that summer's morn;
Quhen lo doun in a grassy dale,

They heard their fatheris horn. "That horn, quod they, neir sounds in peace, "We haif other sport to byde;"

And sune they heyd them up the hill,

And sune were at his syde.