William Dunbar: My hartis tresure and swete assured fo,


Pages	Line number	Line
125	1	My hartis tresure and swete assured fo,
	2	The finale endar of my lyfe for ever,
	3	The creuell brekar of my hart in tuo,
	4	To go to deathe this I deservit never.
	5	O man slayar, quhill saule and life dissever,
	6	Stynt of #our slauchtir, allace, #our man am I,
	7	A thowsand tymes that dois #ow mercy cry.
	8	Haue mercie, luif, haue mercie, ladie bricht.
	9	Quhat haue I wrocht aganis #our womanheid
	10	That #e mwrdir me, a saikles wicht,
	11	Trespassing neuer to #ow in word nor deid?
	12	That #e consent thairto, O God forbid!
	13	Leif creuelte and saif #our man, for schame,
	14	Or throucht the warld quyte losit is #our name.
	15	My deathe chasis my lyfe so besalie
	16	That wery is my goist to fle so fast.
	17	Sic deidlie dwawmes so mischeifaislie
	18	Ane hundrithe tymes hes my hairt ouirpast.
	19	Me think my spreit rynnis away full gast,
	20	Beseikand grace on kneis #ow befoir,
	21	Or that #our man be lost for evermoir.
	22	Behald my wod intollerabill pane,
	23	For evermoir quhilk salbe my dampnage.
	24	Quhy vndir traist #our man thus haue #e slane?
	25	Lo, deithe is in my breist with furious rage,
	26	Quhilk may no balme nor tryacle asswage
	27	Bot #our mercie, for laik of quhilk I de.
	28	Allace, quhair is #our womanlie petie?
	29	Behald my deidlie passioun dolorous,
	30	Behald my hiddows hew and wo, allace.
126	31	Behald my mayne and mwrning merualous,
	32	Withe sorrowfull teris falling frome my face.
	33	Rewthe, luif, is nocht, helpe #e not in this cace.
	34	For how sould ony gentill hart indure
	35	To se this sycht on ony creature?
	36	Quhyte dow, quhair is #our sobir humilnes?
	37	Swete gentill turtour, quhair is #our pete went?
	38	Quhair is #our rewthe, the frute of nobilnes,
	39	Off womanheid the tresour and the rent?
	40	Mercie is neuer put out of meik intent,
	41	Nor out of gentill hart is fundin petie,
	42	Sen mercyles may no weycht nobill be.
	43	In to my mynd I sall #ou mercye cry
	44	Quhone that my tovng sall faill me to speik,
	45	And quhill that Nature me my sycht deny,
	46	And quhill my ene for pane incluse and steik,
	47	And quhill my mynd may think and towng may steir - 
	48	And syne fair weill, my hartis lady deir!

