Arthur Quiller-Couch, ed. 1919. The Oxford Book of English Verse: 1250–1900.
| ROBIN sat on gude green hill, | |
| Kepand a flock of fe: | |
| Mirry Makyne said him till | |
| ‘Robin, thou rew on me: | |
| I haif thee luvit, loud and still, | 5 |
| Thir yeiris twa or thre; | |
| My dule in dern bot gif thou dill, | |
| Doutless but dreid I de.’ | |
| |
| Robin answerit ‘By the Rude | |
| Na thing of luve I knaw, | 10 |
| But keipis my scheip undir yon wud: | |
| Lo, quhair they raik on raw. | |
| Quhat has marrit thee in thy mude, | |
| Makyne, to me thou shaw; | |
| Or quhat is luve, or to be lude? | 15 |
| Fain wad I leir that law.’ | |
| |
| ‘At luvis lair gif thou will leir | |
| Tak thair ane A B C; | |
| Be heynd, courtass, and fair of feir, | |
| Wyse, hardy, and free: | 20 |
| So that no danger do thee deir | |
| Quhat dule in dern thou dre; | |
| Preiss thee with pain at all poweir | |
| Be patient and previe.’ | |
| |
| Robin answerit hir agane, | 25 |
| ‘I wat nocht quhat is lufe; | |
| But I haif mervel in certaine | |
| Quhat makis thee this wanrufe: | |
| The weddir is fair, and I am fain; | |
| My scheip gois haill aboif; | 30 |
| And we wald prey us in this plane, | |
| They wald us baith reproif.’ | |
| |
| ‘Robin, tak tent unto my tale, | |
| And wirk all as I reid, | |
| And thou sall haif my heart all haill, | 35 |
| Eik and my maiden-heid: | |
| Sen God sendis bute for baill, | |
| And for murnyng remeid, | |
| In dern with thee bot gif I daill | |
| Dowtles I am bot deid.’ | 40 |
| |
| ‘Makyne, to-morn this ilka tyde | |
| And ye will meit me heir, | |
| Peraventure my scheip may gang besyde, | |
| Quhyle we haif liggit full neir; | |
| But mawgre haif I, and I byde, | 45 |
| Fra they begin to steir; | |
| Quhat lyis on heart I will nocht hyd; | |
| Makyn, then mak gude cheir.’ | |
| |
| ‘Robin, thou reivis me roiff and rest; | |
| I luve bot thee allane.’ | 50 |
| ‘Makyne, adieu! the sone gois west, | |
| The day is neir-hand gane.’ | |
| ‘Robin, in dule I am so drest | |
| That luve will be my bane.’ | |
| ‘Ga luve, Makyne, quhair-evir thow list, | 55 |
| For lemman I luve nane.’ | |
| |
| ‘Robin, I stand in sic a styll, | |
| I sicht and that full sair.’ | |
| ‘Makyne, I haif been here this quhyle; | |
| At hame God gif I wair.’ | 60 |
| ‘My huny, Robin, talk ane quhyll, | |
| Gif thow will do na mair.’ | |
| ‘Makyn, sum uthir man begyle, | |
| For hamewart I will fair.’ | |
| |
| Robin on his wayis went | 65 |
| As light as leif of tre; | |
| Makyne murnit in hir intent, | |
| And trowd him nevir to se. | |
| Robin brayd attour the bent: | |
| Then Makyne cryit on hie, | 70 |
| ‘Now may thow sing, for I am schent! | |
| Quhat alis lufe at me?’ | |
| |
| Makyne went hame withowttin fail, | |
| Full wery eftir cowth weip; | |
| Then Robin in a ful fair daill | 75 |
| Assemblit all his scheip. | |
| Be that sum part of Makynis aill | |
| Out-throw his hairt cowd creip; | |
| He fallowit hir fast thair till assaill, | |
| And till her tuke gude keip. | 80 |
| |
| ‘Abyd, abyd, thow fair Makyne, | |
| A word for ony thing; | |
| For all my luve, it sall be thyne, | |
| Withowttin departing. | |
| All haill thy hairt for till haif myne | 85 |
| Is all my cuvating; | |
| My scheip to-morn, quhyle houris nyne, | |
| Will neid of no keping.’ | |
| |
| ‘Robin, thow hes hard soung and say, | |
| In gestis and storeis auld, | 90 |
| The man that will nocht quhen he may | |
| Sall haif nocht quhen he wald. | |
| I pray to Jesu every day, | |
| Mot eik thair cairis cauld | |
| That first preissis with thee to play | 95 |
| Be firth, forrest, or fauld.’ | |
| |
| ‘Makyne, the nicht is soft and dry, | |
| The weddir is warme and fair, | |
| And the grene woid rycht neir us by | |
| To walk attour all quhair: | 100 |
| Thair ma na janglour us espy, | |
| That is to lufe contrair; | |
| Thairin, Makyne, baith ye and I, | |
| Unsene we ma repair.’ | |
| |
| ‘Robin, that warld is all away, | 105 |
| And quyt brocht till ane end: | |
| And nevir agane thereto, perfay, | |
| Sall it be as thow wend; | |
| For of my pane thow maid it play; | |
| And all in vane I spend: | 110 |
| As thow hes done, sa sall I say, | |
| “Murne on, I think to mend.”‘ | |
| |
| ‘Makyne, the howp of all my heill, | |
| My hairt on thee is sett; | |
| And evirmair to thee be leill | 115 |
| Quhill I may leif but lett; | |
| Never to faill as utheris feill, | |
| Quhat grace that evir I gett.’ | |
| ‘Robin, with thee I will nocht deill; | |
| Adieu! for thus we mett.’ | 120 |
| |
| Makyne went hame blyth anneuche | |
| Attour the holttis hair; | |
| Robin murnit, and Makyne leuche; | |
| Scho sang, he sichit sair: | |
| And so left him baith wo and wreuch, | 125 |
| In dolour and in cair, | |
| Kepand his hird under a huche | |
| Amangis the holttis hair. | |
