Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE THRE DEID POLLIS, by ROBERT HENRYSON


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THE THRE DEID POLLIS, by                 Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: O sinfull man, in to this mortall se
Last Line: Thre knit in ane be perfyt unitie.
Alternate Author Name(s): Henderson, Robert+(1)
Subject(s): Death; Dead, The


O sinfull man, in to this mortall se
quhilk is the vaill of murnyng and of Cair,
With gaistly sicht, Behold oure heidis thre,
Oure holkit ene, oure peilit pollis bair:
As ye ar now, Into this warld we wair,
Als fresche, als fair, als lusty, to behald;
Quhan thow lukis on this suth examplair
Off thy self, man, thow may be richt unbald.

For suth it is, that every man mortall
Mon suffer deid, and de, that lyfe hes tane;
Na erdly stait aganis deid ma prevaill;
The hour of deth and place Is uncertane,
Quhilk Is referrit to the hie god allane;
Heirfoir haif mynd of deth, that thow mon dy;
This fair exampill to se quotidiane,
Sowld causs all men fra wicket vycis fle.

O wantone yowth, als fresche as lusty may,
farest of flowris, renewit quhyt & reid,
Behald our heidis: O lusty gallandis gay,
full laichly thus sall ly thy lusty heid,
holkit and how, and wallowit as the weid,
Thy crampand hair, & elk thy cristall ene;
full cairfully conclud sall dulefull deid;
Thy example heir be us it may be sene.

O ladeis quhyt, in claithis corruscant,
poleist with perle, and mony pretius stane;
With palpis quhyt, and hals [so] elegant,
Sirculit with gold, & sapheris mony ane;
Your finyearis small, quhyt as quhailis bane,
arrayit with ringis, and mony rubeis reid:
as we ly thus, so sall ye ly ilk ane,
with peilit pollis, and holkit thus your heid.

O wofull pryd, the rute of all distres,
With humill hairt upoun our pollis penss:
man, for thy miss, ask mercy with meikness;
Aganis deid na man may mak defenss.
the empriour, for all his excellenss,
King & quene, & eik all erdly stait,
peure & riche, sal be but differenss,
Turnit in ass, and thus in erd translait.

This questioun, quha can obsolve, lat see,
quhat phisnamour, or perfyt palmester --
quha was farest, or fowlest, of us thre?
or quhilk of us of kin was gentillar?
or maist excellent in science, or in lare,
in art, musik, or in astronomye?
heir sowld be your study and repair,
and think, as thus, all your heidis mon be.

O febill aige, [ay] drawand neir the dait
of dully deid, and hes thy dayis compleit,
Behald our heidis with murning & regrait;
fall on thy kneis; ask grace at god greit,
with oritionis, and haly salmes sweit,
Beseikand him on the to haif mercy,
Now of our sawlis bydand the decreit
of his godheid, quhen he sall call & cry.
Als we exhort, that every man mortall,
for his saik that maid of nocht all thing,
for our sawlis to pray in general
To Iesus chryst, of hevin and erd the king;
that throwch his blude we may ay leif & ring
With the hie fader, be eternitie,
The sone alswa, The haly gaist conding,
Thre knit in ane be perfyt unitie.





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