How Should I Conduct Myself [Lord God, how sould I governe me]

How sould I rewill me or in quhat wys

I wald sum wyse man wald devys,

Sen I can leif in no degré

Bot sum my maneris will dispys:

Lord God, how sould I governe me?

Giff I be lustye, galland, and blythe,

Than will thai say on me full swythe,

"Yon man, out of his mynd is he,

Or sum hes done him confort kythe":

Lord God, how sould I governe me?

Giff I be sorrowfull and sad,

Than will thai say that I am mad;

I do bot drowpe as I wald de,

So will thai deyme, bayth man and lad:

Lord God, how sall I governe me?

Giff I be lustie in myne array,

Than lufe I paramoris, say thai,

Or in my mynd is proud and he,

Or ellis I haif it sum wrang way:

Lord God, how sall I governe me?

And gif I be not wele besene,

Than twa and twa sayis thame betwene,

"Evill gydit is yon man, pardé -

Be his clething it may be sene":

Lord God, how sould I governe me?

Gif I be sene in court our lang,

Than will thai quhispir thame amang,

My freindis ar not worthe ane fle

That I sa lang but gwerdon gang:

Lord God, how sould I governe me?

In court rewaird gif purches I,

Than have thai malice and invy

And secreitlie on me thai lie

And dois me sklandir privaly:

Lord God, how sould I governe me?

How sould my gyding be devysit?

Giff I spend litle I am dispysit;

Be I courtas, nobill, and fre,

A prodigall man than am I prysit

Lord God, how sould I governe me?

Sen all is jugit, bayth gud and ill,

And no mannis toung I may had still,

To do the best my mynd sal be.

Lat everie man say quhat he will,

The gratious God mot governe me.

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]

How Should I Conduct Myself [Lord God, how sould I governe me]

More poems from same author

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