Alexander Montgomerie.

1540?-1610?

56   The Night is Near Gone

HEY! now the day dawis;
The jolly cock crawis;
Now shroudis¹ the shawis²
   Thro’ Nature anon.
The thissel-cock cryis
On lovers wha lyis:
Now skaillis³ the skyis;
   The nicht is neir gone.

The fieldis ouerflowis
With gowans⁴ that growis,
Quhair lilies like low⁵ is
   As red as the rone.⁶
The turtle that true is,
With notes that renewis,
Her pairty⁷ pursuis:
   The nicht is neir gone.

Now hairtis with hindis
Conform to their kindis,
Hie tursis⁸ their tyndis⁹
   On ground quhair they grone.¹⁰
Now hurchonis,¹¹ with hairis,
Aye passis in pairis;
Quhilk duly declaris
   The nicht is neir gone.

The season excellis
Through sweetness that smellis;
Now Cupid compellis
    Our hairtis echone
On Venus wha waikis,
To muse on our maikis,¹²
Syne sing for their saikis—
    ‘The nicht is neir gone!’

All courageous knichtis
Aganis the day dichtis
The breist-plate that bright is
    To fight with their fone.¹³
The stonàd steed¹⁴ stampis
Through courage, and crampis,¹⁵
Syne on the land lampis:¹⁶
    The nicht is neir gone.

The freikis¹⁷ on feildis
That wight wapins¹⁸ weildis
With shyning bright shieldis
    At Titan¹⁹ in trone;
Stiff speiris in reistis
Ouer corseris crestis
Are broke on their breistis:
    The nicht is neir gone.

So hard are their hittis,
Some sweyis, some sittis,
And some perforce flittis²⁰
    On ground quhile they grone.
Syne groomis that gay is
On blonkis²¹ that brayis
With swordis assayis:—
    The nicht is neir gone.