Woddis, forrestis, with naket bewis blout,
Stude stripit of their wede in every bout:
So bustouslie Boreas his bugill blew,
The dere full dome full in the dailis drew:
*****
The waiter lynnys routes, and every lynd
Quhistlit and brayit of the southend wynd:
Pure lauboraris and byssy husbandmen,
Went weet and wery draiglit in the fen;
The silly sheep and thare little hird-gromes
Lurkis under lye of bankis, woddis, and bromes;
And utheris dautit greter bestial
Within thare stabill sesit in thare stall.
*****
The caller air, penetrative and pure,
Dasing the blude in every creature,
Made seik warm stovis and bene fyris hote,
In doubill garment clad, and welecote,
With mychty drink, and metis comfortive,
Aganis the stern winter for to strive.
Repattirit[1] wele, and by the chymnay bekit,
At evin betym doun in the bed they strekit,
Warpit my hede, kest on claithis thrynefald,
For to expell the perillous persand cald:
I crossit me, syne bownit for to sleep:
*****
Approaching near the breking of the day,
Within my bed I walkynint quhare I lay
So fast declynes Cynthia the mone,
And kayis keklys on the rufe abone,
*****
Fast by my chalmer, on hie wisnet treis,
The sary gled quhissilis with mony ane pew,
Quharby the day was da wing wiel I knew;
Bade bete the fyre and the eandill alicht,
Syne blessit me, and in my wedis dycht;
Ane schot-windo[2] unschet, ane litel on char,
Persavyt the morning blae, wan, and har,
Wyth cloudy gum and rak owirquhelmyt the air;
*****
——Blaiknyt schew the brayis,
With hirstis harsk of waggand wyndil strayis,
The dew-droppis congelit on stibbil and vynd,
And sharp hailstanys mortfundyit of kynd,
Stoppand on the thack, and on the causay by:
The schote I closit, and drew inward in hy
Cheverand of cald, the sessoun was sa snell,
Schafe with hait flumbis to steme the freezing fell.
And as I bounit me to the fire me by,
Baith up and downe the house I did espy ;
And seeand Virgil on ane letteron[3] stand,
To wryte anone I eynt my pen in hand,
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