Scottish Text Society publications > Old series > Kingis quair

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THE KINGIS QUAIR.
Sche had vpon her hed; and wz’t/j this hong
A mantill on hir. schuldris, large and long,
161 That furrit was with ermyn full quhite,
Degoutit with the self In spottis blake :
And quhilum In hir chien? thus a lyte1
Louring sche was; and thus sone It wold slake,
And sodeynly a maner smylyng make,
And sche were glad; [for] at one contenance
Sche held noght, hot [was] ay in variance.
162 And vndzrneth the quhele sawe I there
Ane vgly pit, [was] depe as ony helle,
That to behald thereon I quoke for fere;
Bot o thing herd I, that quho there-In fell
Come no more vp agane, tidingis to telle;
Off quhich, astonait of that ferefull syght,
I ne wist quhat to done, so was I fricht.
163 Bot for to se the sudayn weltering
Off that Ilk quhele, that sloppare was to hold,
It semyt vnto my wit a strange2 thing,
So mony I sawe that than clymben wold,
And failit foting, and to groz/nd were rold;
And othir eke, that sat aboue on hye,
Were ouerthrawe In twinklyng of an eye.
164 And on the quhele was lytill void space,
Wele nere oure-straught fro lawe [vn]to hye;
And they were ware that long[e] sat In place,
So tolter quhilum did sche It to-wrye;
There was bot clymbe[n] and ryght dounward hye,
And sum were eke that fallyng had [so] sore,
There for to clymbe thaire corage was no more.
1 MS. alyte.
2 MS. strong.