Robin and Makyne
Robin sat on gude green hill,Kepand a flock of fe:Mirry Makyne said him till‘Robin, thou rew on me:I haif thee luvit, loud and still,Thir yeiris twa or thre;My dule in dern bot gif thou dill,Doutless but dreid I de.’
Robin answerit ‘By the RudeNa thing of luve I knaw,But keipis my scheip undir yon wud:Lo, quhair they raik on raw.Quhat has marrit thee in thy mude,Makyne, to me thou shaw;Or quhat is luve, or to be lude?Fain wad I leir that law.’
‘At luvis lair gif thou will leirTak thair ane A B C;Be heynd, courtass, and fair of feir,Wyse, hardy, and free:So that no danger do thee deirQuhat dule in dern thou dre;Preiss thee with pain at all poweirBe patient and previe.’
Robin answerit hir agane,‘I wat nocht quhat is lufe;But I haif mervel in certaineQuhat makis thee this wanrufe:The weddir is fair, and I am fain;My scheip gois haill aboif;And we wald pley us in this plane,They wald us baith reproif.’
‘Robin, tak tent unto my tale,And wirk all as I reid,And thou sall haif my heart all haill,Eik and my maiden-heid:Sen God sendis bute for baill,And for murnyng remeid,In dern with thee bot gif I daillDowtles I am bot deid.’
‘Makyne, to-morn this ilka tydeAnd ye will meit me heir,Peraventure my scheip may gang besyde,Quhyle we haif liggit full neir;But mawgre haif I, and I byde,Fra they begin to steir;Quhat lyis on heart I will nocht hyd;Makyn, then mak gude cheir.’
‘Robin, thou reivis me roiff and rest;I luve bot thee allane.’‘Makyne, adieu! the sone gois west,The day is neir-hand gane.’
‘Robin, in dule I am so drestThat luve will be my bane.’‘Ga luve, Makyne, quhair-evir thow list,For lemman I luve nane.’
‘Robin, I stand in sic a styll,I sicht and that full sair.’‘Makyne, I haif been here this quhyle;At hame God gif I wair.’‘My huny, Robin, talk ane quhyll,Gif thow will do na mair.’‘Makyn, sum uthir man begyle,For hamewart I will fair.’
Robin on his wayis wentAs light as leif of tre;Makyne murnit in hir intent,And trowd him nevir to se.Robin brayd attour the bent:Then Makyne cryit on hie,‘Now may thow sing, for I am schent!Quhat alis lufe at me?’
Makyne went hame withowttin fail,Full wery eftir cowth weip;Then Robin in a ful fair daillAssemblit all his scheip.Be that sum part of Makynis aillOut-throw his hairt cowd creip;He fallowit hir fast thair till assaill,And till her tuke gude keip.
‘Abyd, abyd, thow fair Makyne,A word for ony thing;For all my luve, it sall be thyne,Withowttin departing.All haill thy hairt for till haif myneIs all my cuvating;My scheip to-morn, quhyle houris nyne,Will neid of no keping.’
‘Robin, thow hes hard soung and say,In gestis and storeis auld,The man that will nocht quhen he maySall haif nocht quhen he wald.I pray to Jesu every day,Mot eik thair cairis cauldThat first preissis with thee to playBe firth, forrest, or fauld.’
‘Makyne, the nicht is soft and dry,The weddir is warme and fair,And the grene woid rycht neir us byTo walk attour all quhair:Thair ma na janglour us espy,That is to lufe contrair;Thairin, Makyne, baith ye and I,Unsene we ma repair.’
‘Robin, that warld is all away,And quyt brocht till ane end:And nevir agane thereto, perfay,Sall it be as thow wend;
For of my pane thow maid it play;And all in vane I spend:As thow hes done, sa sall I say,“Murne on, I think to mend.”’
‘Makyne, the howp of all my heill,My hairt on thee is sett;And evirmair to thee be leillQuhill I may leif but lett;Never to faill as utheris feill,Quhat grace that evir I gett.’‘Robin, with thee I will nocht deill;Adieu! for thus we mett.’
Makyne went hame blyth anneucheAttour the holttis hair;Robin murnit, and Makyne leuche;Scho sang, he sichit sair:And so left him baith wo and wreuch,In dolour and in cair,Kepand his hird under a hucheAmangis the holttis hair.
Words in this poem 25
- dern a.
- Hidden; concealed; secret. [See Dearn, a.]
- dill v. t.
- To still; to calm; to soothe, as one in pain. [OE. dillen, fr. dul dull, a.]
- shaw n.
- A thicket; a small wood or grove. [Obs. or Prov.Eng. & Scot.] [OE. schawe, scha, thicket, grove, AS. scaga; akin to Dan. skov, Sw. skog, Icel. sk.]
- fain v. t.
- To be glad ; to wish or desire.
- lair n.
- A place in which to lie or rest; especially, the bed or couch of a wild beast. [OE. leir, AS. leger; akin to D. leger, G. lager couch, lair, OHG. laga, Goth. ligrs, and to E. lie. See Lie to be prostrate, and cf. Layer, Leaguer.]
- haill n.
- Small roundish masses of ice precipitated from the clouds, where they are formed by the congelation of vapor. The separate masses or grains are called hailstones.
- wald n.
- A forest; -- used as a termination of names. See Weald. [AS. weald. See Wold.]
- pley a.
- Full See Plein.
- sall n.
- An East Indian timber tree (Shorea robusta), much used for building purposes. It is of a light brown color, close-grained, and durable. [Hind. s\'bel, Skr. ç\'bela.]
- baill n.
- A bucket or scoop used in bailing water out of a boat. [F. baille a bucket, pail; cf. LL. bacula, dim. of bacca a sort of vessel. Cf. Bac.]
- gane v. i.
- To yawn; to gape. [See Yawn.]
- bane v. t.
- To be the bane of; to ruin. Fuller.
- wair n.
- A piece of plank two yard Bailey.
- went n.
- Course; way; path; journey; direction.
- assaill v. t.
- To attack with violence, or in a vehement and hostile manner; to assault; to molest; as, to assail a man with blows; to assail a city with artillery. [OE. assailen, asailen, OF. asaillir, assailler, F. assaillir; (L. ad) + saillir to burst out, project, fr. L. salire to leap, spring; cf. L. assilire to leap or]
- auld a.
- Old; as, Auld Reekie (old smoky), i. e., Edinburgh. [See Old.]
- firth n.
- An arm of the sea; a frith. [Scot. See Frith.]
- fauld n.
- The arch over the dam of a blast furnace; the tymp arch.
- wend n.
- A large extent of ground; a perambulation; a circuit.
- pane n.
- The narrow edge of a hammer head. See Peen. [F. panne.]
- howp v. i.
- To cry out; to whoop.
- lett v. t.
- To retard; to hinder; to impede; to oppose. [OE.letten, AS. lettan to delay, to hinder, fr. læt slow; akin to D. letten to hinder, G. verletzen to hurt, Icel. letja to hold back, Goth. latjan. See Late.]
- gett n.
- Jet, the mineral.
- deill n.
- Devil; -- spelt also deel. Deil's buckie. See under Buckie.
- dolour n.
- Pain; grief; distress; anguish. [OE. dolor, dolur, dolour, F. douleur, L. dolor, fr. dolere. See 1st Dole.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Robin and Makyne is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Oxford Book of English Verse, 1250-1900, Project Gutenberg ebook #66619; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Robert Henryson, Robin and Makyne, in Poems (1425–1500), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #66619, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/obev-robert-henryson/robin-and-makyne.html, id L15949.
Form and metre
Robin and Makyne is 128 lines in 18 stanzas. The commonest rhyme scheme is ABABABAB, in 5 of the 18 stanzas; the rest vary or could not be confirmed. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 85%). 100% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 7.3 syllables. 2 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 16% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in iambic tetrameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 ABABA-AB hillA · feB · tillA · meB · stillA · thre · dillA · deB
- 2 ABA-ABAB rudeA · knawB · wudA · raw · mudeA · shawB · ludeA · lawB
- 3 ABABA-A- leirA · cB · feirA · freeB · deirA · dre · poweirA · previe
- 4 ABABACAC aganeA · lufeB · certaineA · wanrufeB · fainA · aboifC · planeA · reproifC
- 5 ABABABAB taleA · reidB · haillA · heidB · baillA · remeidB · daillA · deidB
- 6 ABACACAB tydeA · heirB · besydeA · neirC · bydeA · steirC · hydA · cheirB
- 7 ABAB restA · allaneB · westA · ganeB
- 8 ABAB drestA · baneB · listA · naneB
- 9 ABCBABCB styllA · sairB · quhyleC · wairB · quhyllA · mairB · begyleC · fairB
- 10 ABABA-A- wentA · treB · intentA · seB · bentA · hie · schentA · me
- 11 ABABABAB failA · weipB · daillA · scheipB · aillA · creipB · assaillA · keipB
- 12 ABABABAB makyneA · thingB · thyneA · departingB · myneA · cuvatingB · nyneA · kepingB
- 13 ABABACAC sayA · auldB · mayA · waldB · dayA · cauldC · playA · fauldC
- 14 ABAB-BAB dryA · fairB · byA · quhairB · espy · contrairB · iA · repairB
- 15 ABAB awayA · endB · perfayA · wendB
- 16 ABAB playA · spendB · sayA · mendB
- 17 ABABABAB heillA · settB · leillA · lettB · feillA · gettB · deillA · mettB
- 18 ABABABAB anneucheA · hairB · leucheA · sairB · wreuchA · cairB · hucheA · hairB
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Robin sat on gude green hill, | 7 | /˘····· |
| Kepand a flock of fe: | 6 | ······ |
| Mirry Makyne said him till | 7 | ······· |
| ‘Robin, thou rew on me: | 6 | /˘···· |
| I haif thee luvit, loud and still, | 8 | ········ |
| Thir yeiris twa or thre; | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| My dule in dern bot gif thou dill, | 8 | ········ |
| Doutless but dreid I de.’ | 6 | ······ |
| Robin answerit ‘By the Rude | 8 | /˘······ |
| Na thing of luve I knaw, | 6 | ······ |
| But keipis my scheip undir yon wud: | 9 | ········· |
| Lo, quhair they raik on raw. | 7 | ······· |
| Quhat has marrit thee in thy mude, | 9 | ········· |
| Makyne, to me thou shaw; | 6 | ······ |
| Or quhat is luve, or to be lude? | 9 | ········· |
| Fain wad I leir that law.’ | 6 | ······ |
| ‘At luvis lair gif thou will leir | 8 | ········ |
| Tak thair ane A B C; | 6 | ······ |
| Be heynd, courtass, and fair of feir, | 8 | ········ |
| Wyse, hardy, and free: | 5 | ·/˘·· |
| So that no danger do thee deir | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Quhat dule in dern thou dre; | 7 | ······· |
| Preiss thee with pain at all poweir | 8 | ········ |
| Be patient and previe.’ | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Robin answerit hir agane, | 8 | /˘······ |
| ‘I wat nocht quhat is lufe; | 7 | ······· |
| But I haif mervel in certaine | 8 | ········ |
| Quhat makis thee this wanrufe: | 8 | ··/˘···· |
| The weddir is fair, and I am fain; | 9 | ········· |
| My scheip gois haill aboif; | 6 | ······ |
| And we wald pley us in this plane, | 8 | ········ |
| They wald us baith reproif.’ | 6 | ······ |
| ‘Robin, tak tent unto my tale, | 8 | /˘······ |
| And wirk all as I reid, | 6 | ······ |
| And thou sall haif my heart all haill, | 8 | ········ |
| Eik and my maiden-heid: | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Sen God sendis bute for baill, | 7 | ······· |
| And for murnyng remeid, | 6 | ······ |
| In dern with thee bot gif I daill | 8 | ········ |
| Dowtles I am bot deid.’ | 5 | ····· |
| ‘Makyne, to-morn this ilka tyde | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| And ye will meit me heir, | 6 | ······ |
| Peraventure my scheip may gang besyde, | 10 | ·········· |
| Quhyle we haif liggit full neir; | 9 | ········· |
| But mawgre haif I, and I byde, | 7 | ······· |
| Fra they begin to steir; | 6 | ··˘/·· |
| Quhat lyis on heart I will nocht hyd; | 9 | ········· |
| Makyn, then mak gude cheir.’ | 6 | ······ |
| ‘Robin, thou reivis me roiff and rest; | 9 | /˘······· |
| I luve bot thee allane.’ | 6 | ······ |
| ‘Makyne, adieu! the sone gois west, | 8 | ··˘/···· |
| The day is neir-hand gane.’ | 6 | ······ |
| ‘Robin, in dule I am so drest | 8 | /˘······ |
| That luve will be my bane.’ | 6 | ······ |
| ‘Ga luve, Makyne, quhair-evir thow list, | 10 | ·········· |
| For lemman I luve nane.’ | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| ‘Robin, I stand in sic a styll, | 8 | /˘······ |
| I sicht and that full sair.’ | 6 | ······ |
| ‘Makyne, I haif been here this quhyle; | 10 | ·········· |
| At hame God gif I wair.’ | 6 | ······ |
| ‘My huny, Robin, talk ane quhyll, | 9 | ···/˘···· |
| Gif thow will do na mair.’ | 6 | ······ |
| ‘Makyn, sum uthir man begyle, | 9 | ········· |
| For hamewart I will fair.’ | 7 | ······· |
| Robin on his wayis went | 6 | /˘···· |
| As light as leif of tre; | 6 | ······ |
| Makyne murnit in hir intent, | 8 | ······˘/ |
| And trowd him nevir to se. | 8 | ·······/ |
| Robin brayd attour the bent: | 7 | /˘····· |
| Then Makyne cryit on hie, | 6 | ······ |
| ‘Now may thow sing, for I am schent! | 8 | ········ |
| Quhat alis lufe at me?’ | 7 | ······· |
| Makyne went hame withowttin fail, | 8 | ········ |
| Full wery eftir cowth weip; | 7 | ·/˘···· |
| Then Robin in a ful fair daill | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Assemblit all his scheip. | 6 | ······ |
| Be that sum part of Makynis aill | 9 | ········· |
| Out-throw his hairt cowd creip; | 6 | ······ |
| He fallowit hir fast thair till assaill, | 10 | ········˘/ |
| And till her tuke gude keip. | 6 | ······ |
| ‘Abyd, abyd, thow fair Makyne, | 8 | ········ |
| A word for ony thing; | 6 | ···/˘· |
| For all my luve, it sall be thyne, | 8 | ········ |
| Withowttin departing. | 6 | ···˘/˘ |
| All haill thy hairt for till haif myne | 8 | ········ |
| Is all my cuvating; | 6 | ······ |
| My scheip to-morn, quhyle houris nyne, | 10 | ·········· |
| Will neid of no keping.’ | 6 | ······ |
| ‘Robin, thow hes hard soung and say, | 8 | /˘······ |
| In gestis and storeis auld, | 7 | ······· |
| The man that will nocht quhen he may | 9 | ········· |
| Sall haif nocht quhen he wald. | 7 | ······· |
| I pray to Jesu every day, | 9 | ···/˘/˘˘· |
| Mot eik thair cairis cauld | 6 | ······ |
| That first preissis with thee to play | 8 | ········ |
| Be firth, forrest, or fauld.’ | 6 | ··/˘·· |
| ‘Makyne, the nicht is soft and dry, | 8 | ········ |
| The weddir is warme and fair, | 7 | ······· |
| And the grene woid rycht neir us by | 8 | ········ |
| To walk attour all quhair: | 7 | ······· |
| Thair ma na janglour us espy, | 8 | ······/˘ |
| That is to lufe contrair; | 6 | ······ |
| Thairin, Makyne, baith ye and I, | 8 | ········ |
| Unsene we ma repair.’ | 6 | ····˘/ |
| ‘Robin, that warld is all away, | 8 | /˘····˘/ |
| And quyt brocht till ane end: | 6 | ······ |
| And nevir agane thereto, perfay, | 9 | ·····˘/·· |
| Sall it be as thow wend; | 6 | ······ |
| For of my pane thow maid it play; | 8 | ········ |
| And all in vane I spend: | 6 | ······ |
| As thow hes done, sa sall I say, | 8 | ········ |
| “Murne on, I think to mend.”’ | 6 | ······ |
| ‘Makyne, the howp of all my heill, | 8 | ········ |
| My hairt on thee is sett; | 6 | ······ |
| And evirmair to thee be leill | 8 | ········ |
| Quhill I may leif but lett; | 7 | ······· |
| Never to faill as utheris feill, | 9 | /˘······· |
| Quhat grace that evir I gett.’ | 8 | ········ |
| ‘Robin, with thee I will nocht deill; | 8 | /˘······ |
| Adieu! for thus we mett.’ | 6 | ˘/···· |
| Makyne went hame blyth anneuche | 7 | ······· |
| Attour the holttis hair; | 6 | ······ |
| Robin murnit, and Makyne leuche; | 8 | /˘······ |
| Scho sang, he sichit sair: | 6 | ······ |
| And so left him baith wo and wreuch, | 8 | ········ |
| In dolour and in cair, | 6 | ······ |
| Kepand his hird under a huche | 8 | ········ |
| Amangis the holttis hair. | 7 | ······· |
Notes from the edition 1
Quiller-Couch's glosses on the hard words, from The Oxford Book of English Verse, 1250–1900, chosen and edited by Arthur Quiller-Couch (Oxford, 1900; Project Gutenberg #66619)
- Stanza 1 kepand] keeping. fe] sheep, cattle. him till] to him. dule in dern] sorrow in secret. dill] soothe. but dreid] without dread, i. e. there is no fear or doubt. raik on raw] range in row. lude] loved. leir] learn. lair] lore. heynd] gentle. feir] demeanour. deir] daunt. dre] endure. preiss] endeavour. wanrufe] unrest. haill] healthy, whole. aboif] above, up yonder. and] if. tak tent] give heed. reid] advise. bute for baill] remedy for hurt. bot gif] but if, unless. daill] deal. mawgre haif I] I am uneasy. reivis] robbest. roiff] quiet. drest] beset. lemman] mistress. sicht] sigh. in hir intent] in her inward thought. brayd] strode. bent] coarse grass. schent] destroyed. alis] ails. be that] by the time that. till] to. tuke keip] paid attention. hard] heard. gestis] romances. mot eik] may add to. be] by. janglour] talebearer. wend] weened. _16._ howp] hope. but lett] without hindrance. anneuche] enough. holttis hair] grey woodlands. leuche] laughed. wreuch] peevish. huche] heuch, cliff.
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