| Arthur Quiller-Couch, ed. 1919. The Oxford Book of English Verse: 1250–1900. |
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| Anonymous. 16th Cent. (Scottish) |
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| 52. My Heart is High Above |
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| MY heart is high above, my body is full of bliss, | |
| For I am set in luve as well as I would wiss | |
| I luve my lady pure and she luvis me again, | |
| I am her serviture, she is my soverane; | |
| She is my very heart, I am her howp and heill, | 5 |
| She is my joy invart, I am her luvar leal; | |
| I am her bond and thrall, she is at my command; | |
| I am perpetual her man, both foot and hand; | |
| The thing that may her please my body sall fulfil; | |
| Quhatever her disease, it does my body ill. | 10 |
| My bird, my bonny ane, my tender babe venust, | |
| My luve, my life alane, my liking and my lust! | |
| We interchange our hairtis in others armis soft, | |
| Spriteless we twa depairtis, usand our luvis oft. | |
| We mourn when licht day dawis, we plain the nicht is short, | 15 |
| We curse the cock that crawis, that hinderis our disport. | |
| I glowffin up aghast, quhen I her miss on nicht, | |
| And in my oxter fast I find the bowster richt; | |
| Then languor on me lies like Morpheus the mair, | |
| Quhilk causes me uprise and to my sweet repair. | 20 |
| And then is all the sorrow forth of remembrance | |
| That ever I had a-forrow in luvis observance. | |
| Thus never I do rest, so lusty a life I lead, | |
| Quhen that I list to test the well of womanheid. | |
| Luvaris in pain, I pray God send you sic remeid | 25 |
| As I have nicht and day, you to defend from deid! | |
| Therefore be ever true unto your ladies free, | |
| And they will on you rue as mine has done on me. | |
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GLOSS: wiss] wish. heill] health. invart] inward. venust] delightful. glowffin] blink on awaking. oxter] armpit. a-forrow] aforetime. |
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