Of a Black Moor [My ladye with the mekle lippis]

Lang heff I maed of ladyes quhytt,

Nou of an blak I will indytt

That landet furth of the last schippis.

Quhou fain wald I descryve perfytt

My ladye with the mekle lippis.

Quhou schou is tute mowitt lyk an aep,

And lyk a gangarall onto graep,

And quhou hir schort catt nois up skippis,

And quhou schou schynes lyk ony saep,

My ladye with the mekle lippis.

Quhen schou is claid in reche apparrall,

Schou blinkis als brycht as an tar barrell.

Quhen schou was born the son tholit clippis,

The nycht be fain faucht in hir querrell—

My ladye with the mekle lippis.

Quhai for hir saek with speir and scheld

Preiffis maest mychtellye in the feld,

Sall kis and withe hir go in grippis,

And fra thyne furth hir luff sall weld—

My ladye with the mekle lippis.

And quhai in fedle receaves schaem

And tynis thair his knychtlie naem,

Sall cum behind and kis hir hippis

And nevir to uther confort claem,

My ladye with the mekle lippis.

William Dunbar

WiUiam Dunbar was born, probably in East Lothian, between 1450 and 1460. He entered the University of St. Andrews in 1475, and took his full degree in 1479. In eariy life, according to his own account, he went about from Berwick to Dover, and passed over to Calais and Picardy, preaching and alms-gathering as a Franciscan noviciate ; but he became dissatisficd with this life and does not seem to have taken the vows of the order. It has been inferred from allusions in his verse that he was for some years empioyed in connection with foreign embassies. Toward tiie close of the century we find him in attendance on the Scotch Court, a poet with an established reputation, and a continual suitor for piace. In 1500 he received from the king (James IV) a pension of ^io , raised by degrees, during the next ten years to ;^8o ? then a respectable annuity; but he never obtained the Church promotion, to which on somewhat irrelevant grounds he constantly laid claim.

More poems from same author

A Dream Discretion in Taking [In taking sowld discretioun be] In a Secret Place [Ye brek my hart, my bony ane] Of James Dog [Madame, ye heff a dangerous dog] Rule of Oneself [He rewllis weill that weill himself can gyd]

Of a Black Moor [My ladye with the mekle lippis]

More poems from same author

Subscribe to our newsletter.