The Bludy Serk
This hinder yeir I hard be taldThair was a worthy King;Dukis, Erlis, and Barronis bald,He had at his bidding.
The Lord was ancean and ald,And sexty yeiris cowth ring;He had a dochter fair to fald,A lusty Lady ying.
Off all fairheid scho bur the flour,And eik hir faderis air;Off lusty laitis and he honour,Meik bot and debonair:Scho wynnit in a bigly bour,On fold wes nane so fair,Princis luvit hir paramourIn cuntreis our allquhair.
Thair dwelt a lyt besyde the KingA foull Gyand of ane;Stollin he has the Lady ying,Away with hir is gane,And kest her in his dungeringQuhair licht scho micht se nane;Hungir and cauld and grit thristingScho fand into hir waine.
He wes the laithliest on to lukThat on the grund mycht gang:His nailis wes lyk ane hellis cruk,Thairwith fyve quarteris lang;
Thair wes nane that he ourtuk,In rycht or yit in wrang,Bot all in schondir he thame schuk,The Gyand wes so strang.
He held the Lady day and nychtWithin his deip dungeoun,He wald nocht gif of hir a sichtFor gold nor yit ransoun--Bot gif the King mycht get a knycht,To fecht with his persoun,To fecht with him beth day and nycht,Quhill ane wer dungin doun.
The King gart seik baith fer and neir,Beth be se and land,Off ony knycht gif he mycht heirWald fecht with that Gyand:A worthy Prince, that had no peir,Hes tane the deid on handFor the luve of the Lady cleir,And held full trew cunnand.
That Prince come prowdly to the tounOf that Gyand to heir,And fawcht with him, his awin persoun,And tuke him presoneir,And kest him in his awin dungeounAllane withouten feir,With hungir, cauld, and confusioun,As full weill worthy weir.
Syne brak the bour, had hame the brichtUnto her fadir fre.Sa evill wondit wes the KnychtThat he behuvit to de;Unlusum was his likame dicht,His sark was all bludy;In all the world was thair a wichtSo peteouss for to se?
The Lady murnyt and maid grit mane,With all her mekill mycht--‘I luvit nevir lufe bot ane,That dulfully now is dicht;God sen my lyfe were fra me taneOr I had seen yone sicht,Or ellis in begging evir to ganeFurth with yone curtass knycht.’
He said ‘Fair lady, now mone IDe, trestly ye me trow;Take ye my serk that is bludy,And hing it forrow yow;First think on it, and syne on me,Quhen men cumis yow to wow.’The Lady said ‘Be Mary fre,Thairto I mak a vow.’
Quhen that scho lukit to the sarkScho thocht on the persoun,And prayit for him with all hir hartThat lowsit hir of bandoun,
loosed her from thraldom.
Quhair scho was wont to sit full merkInto that deip dungeoun;And evir quhill scho wes in quert,That was hir a lessoun.
Sa weill the Lady luvit the KnychtThat no man wald scho tak:Sa suld we do our God of michtThat did all for us mak;Quhilk fullily to deid was dicht,For sinfull manis sak,Sa suld we do beth day and nycht,With prayaris to him mak.
This King is lyk the Trinitie,Baith in hevin and heir;The manis saule to the Lady,The Gyand to Lucefeir,The Knycht to Chryst, that deit on treAnd coft our synnis deir;The pit to Hele with panis fell,The Syn to the woweir.
The Lady was wowd, but scho said nayWith men that wald hir wed;Sa suld we wryth all sin awayThat in our breist is bred.I pray to Jesu Chryst verray,For ws his blud that bled,To be our help on domisdayQuhair lawis ar straitly led.
The saule is Godis dochtir deir,And eik his handewerk,That was betrayit with Lucefeir,Quha sittis in hell full merk:Borrowit with Chrystis angell cleir,Hend men, will ye nocht herk?And for his lufe that bocht us deirThink on the BLUDY SERK!
Words in this poem 15
- honour n.
- Esteem due or paid to worth; high estimation; respect; consideration; reverence; veneration; manifestation of respect or reverence. [OE. honor, honour, onour, onur, OF. honor, onor, honur, onur, honour, onour, F. honneur, fr. L. honor, honos.]
- debonair a.
- Characterized by courteousness, affability, or gentleness; of good appearance and manners; graceful; complaisant. [OE. debonere, OF. de bon aire, debonaire, of good descent or lineage, excellent, debonair, F. débonnaire debonair; de of (L. de) + bon good (L. bonus) + aire. S]
- bigly adv.
- In a tumid, swelling, blustering manner; haughtily; violently. [From Big, a.]
- bour n.
- A chamber or a cottage. [See Bower a chamber.]
- gane v. i.
- To yawn; to gape. [See Yawn.]
- strang a.
- Strong. [Obs. or Prov. Eng. & Scot.] Halliwell. [See Strong.]
- wald n.
- A forest; -- used as a termination of names. See Weald. [AS. weald. See Wold.]
- syne adv.
- Afterwards; since; ago. R. of Brunne. [See Since.]
- sark v. t.
- To cover with sarking, or thin boards.
- trow v. i.
- To believe; to trust; to think or suppose. [OE. trowen, AS.treówan to trust, believe, fr. treów trust, treówe true, faithful. See True.]
- thraldom n.
- The condition of a thrall; slavery; bondage; state of servitude. [Icel. . See Thrall, and -dom.]
- merk n.
- A mark; a sign.
- sinfull a.
- Tainted with, or full of, sin; wicked; iniquitous; criminal; unholy; as, sinful men; sinful thoughts. Piers Plowman. [AAS. synfull.]
- hele n.
- Health; welfare. [See Heal, n.]
- straitly adv.
- In a strait manner; narrowly; strictly; rigorously. Mark i. 43.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Bludy Serk 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, The Bludy Serk, in Poems (1425–1500), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #66619, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/obev-robert-henryson/the-bludy-serk.html, id L15950.
Form and metre
The Bludy Serk is 121 lines in 19 stanzas. The commonest rhyme scheme is ABABABAB, in 5 of the 19 stanzas; the rest vary or could not be confirmed. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 84%). 98% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 7.3 syllables. 8 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 23% 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 ABAB taldA · kingB · baldA · biddingB
- 2 ABAB aldA · ringB · faldA · yingB
- 3 ABCBABCB flourA · airB · honourC · debonairB · bourA · fairB · paramourC · allquhairB
- 4 ABABABAB kingA · aneB · yingA · ganeB · dungeringA · naneB · thristingA · waineB
- 5 ABAB lukA · gangB · crukA · langB
- 6 ABAB ourtukA · wrangB · schukA · strangB
- 7 AB-BABAB nychtA · dungeounB · sicht · ransounB · knychtA · persounB · nychtA · dounB
- 8 ABABABAB neirA · landB · heirA · gyandB · peirA · handB · cleirA · cunnandB
- 9 ABABABAB tounA · heirB · persounA · presoneirB · dungeounA · feirB · confusiounA · weirB
- 10 A--BA-AB brichtA · fre · knycht · deB · dichtA · bludy · wichtA · seB
- 11 ABACACAB maneA · mychtB · aneA · dichtC · taneA · sichtC · ganeA · knychtB
- 12 A--BAB-B iA · trow · bludy · yowB · meA · wowB · fre · vowB
- 13 -A-A sark · persounA · hart · bandounA
- 15 -A-A merk · dungeounA · quert · lessounA
- 16 ABCBCBAB knychtA · takB · michtC · makB · dichtC · sakB · nychtA · makB
- 17 -A-A-A-A trinitie · heirA · lady · lucefeirA · tre · deirA · fell · woweirA
- 18 ABABABAB nayA · wedB · awayA · bredB · verrayA · bledB · domisdayA · ledB
- 19 ABABABAB deirA · handewerkB · lucefeirA · merkB · cleirA · herkB · deirA · serkB
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 |
|---|---|---|
| This hinder yeir I hard be tald | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Thair was a worthy King; | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Dukis, Erlis, and Barronis bald, | 9 | ········· |
| He had at his bidding. | 6 | ····/˘ |
| The Lord was ancean and ald, | 7 | ······· |
| And sexty yeiris cowth ring; | 7 | ···/˘·· |
| He had a dochter fair to fald, | 8 | ········ |
| A lusty Lady ying. | 6 | ·/˘/˘· |
| Off all fairheid scho bur the flour, | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| And eik hir faderis air; | 7 | ······· |
| Off lusty laitis and he honour, | 9 | ·/˘····/˘ |
| Meik bot and debonair: | 6 | ····˘/ |
| Scho wynnit in a bigly bour, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| On fold wes nane so fair, | 6 | ······ |
| Princis luvit hir paramour | 8 | ·····/˘˘ |
| In cuntreis our allquhair. | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Thair dwelt a lyt besyde the King | 8 | ········ |
| A foull Gyand of ane; | 5 | ····· |
| Stollin he has the Lady ying, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Away with hir is gane, | 6 | ˘/···· |
| And kest her in his dungering | 8 | ········ |
| Quhair licht scho micht se nane; | 8 | ······/· |
| Hungir and cauld and grit thristing | 8 | ······/˘ |
| Scho fand into hir waine. | 6 | ······ |
| He wes the laithliest on to luk | 8 | ········ |
| That on the grund mycht gang: | 6 | ······ |
| His nailis wes lyk ane hellis cruk, | 9 | ········· |
| Thairwith fyve quarteris lang; | 7 | ······· |
| Thair wes nane that he ourtuk, | 7 | ······· |
| In rycht or yit in wrang, | 6 | ······ |
| Bot all in schondir he thame schuk, | 8 | ········ |
| The Gyand wes so strang. | 5 | ····· |
| He held the Lady day and nycht | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Within his deip dungeoun, | 6 | ······ |
| He wald nocht gif of hir a sicht | 8 | ········ |
| For gold nor yit ransoun-- | 6 | ······ |
| Bot gif the King mycht get a knycht, | 8 | ········ |
| To fecht with his persoun, | 6 | ······ |
| To fecht with him beth day and nycht, | 8 | ········ |
| Quhill ane wer dungin doun. | 7 | ······· |
| The King gart seik baith fer and neir, | 8 | ········ |
| Beth be se and land, | 6 | ···/·· |
| Off ony knycht gif he mycht heir | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Wald fecht with that Gyand: | 5 | ····· |
| A worthy Prince, that had no peir, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Hes tane the deid on hand | 6 | ······ |
| For the luve of the Lady cleir, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| And held full trew cunnand. | 6 | ······ |
| That Prince come prowdly to the toun | 8 | ········ |
| Of that Gyand to heir, | 5 | ····· |
| And fawcht with him, his awin persoun, | 9 | ········· |
| And tuke him presoneir, | 6 | ······ |
| And kest him in his awin dungeoun | 9 | ········· |
| Allane withouten feir, | 6 | ··˘/˘· |
| With hungir, cauld, and confusioun, | 8 | ········ |
| As full weill worthy weir. | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Syne brak the bour, had hame the bricht | 8 | ········ |
| Unto her fadir fre. | 6 | ······ |
| Sa evill wondit wes the Knycht | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| That he behuvit to de; | 7 | ······· |
| Unlusum was his likame dicht, | 8 | ········ |
| His sark was all bludy; | 6 | ······ |
| In all the world was thair a wicht | 8 | ········ |
| So peteouss for to se? | 7 | ······/ |
| The Lady murnyt and maid grit mane, | 9 | ·/˘······ |
| With all her mekill mycht-- | 6 | ······ |
| ‘I luvit nevir lufe bot ane, | 8 | ········ |
| That dulfully now is dicht; | 7 | ······· |
| God sen my lyfe were fra me tane | 8 | ········ |
| Or I had seen yone sicht, | 6 | ······ |
| Or ellis in begging evir to gane | 10 | ·/˘·/˘···· |
| Furth with yone curtass knycht.’ | 6 | ······ |
| He said ‘Fair lady, now mone I | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| De, trestly ye me trow; | 6 | ······ |
| Take ye my serk that is bludy, | 8 | ········ |
| And hing it forrow yow; | 6 | ······ |
| First think on it, and syne on me, | 8 | ········ |
| Quhen men cumis yow to wow.’ | 8 | ········ |
| The Lady said ‘Be Mary fre, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Thairto I mak a vow.’ | 6 | ······ |
| Quhen that scho lukit to the sark | 9 | ········· |
| Scho thocht on the persoun, | 6 | ······ |
| And prayit for him with all hir hart | 8 | ········ |
| That lowsit hir of bandoun, | 7 | ······· |
| loosed her from thraldom. | 5 | ···/˘ |
| Quhair scho was wont to sit full merk | 9 | ········· |
| Into that deip dungeoun; | 6 | ······ |
| And evir quhill scho wes in quert, | 9 | ········· |
| That was hir a lessoun. | 6 | ······ |
| Sa weill the Lady luvit the Knycht | 9 | ···/˘···· |
| That no man wald scho tak: | 6 | ······ |
| Sa suld we do our God of micht | 9 | ····/˘··· |
| That did all for us mak; | 6 | ······ |
| Quhilk fullily to deid was dicht, | 9 | ········· |
| For sinfull manis sak, | 6 | ·/˘/˘· |
| Sa suld we do beth day and nycht, | 8 | ········ |
| With prayaris to him mak. | 6 | ······ |
| This King is lyk the Trinitie, | 8 | ········ |
| Baith in hevin and heir; | 6 | ······ |
| The manis saule to the Lady, | 9 | ·/˘····/˘ |
| The Gyand to Lucefeir, | 6 | ······ |
| The Knycht to Chryst, that deit on tre | 8 | ········ |
| And coft our synnis deir; | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| The pit to Hele with panis fell, | 9 | ········· |
| The Syn to the woweir. | 6 | ······ |
| The Lady was wowd, but scho said nay | 9 | ·/˘······ |
| With men that wald hir wed; | 6 | ······ |
| Sa suld we wryth all sin away | 8 | ······˘/ |
| That in our breist is bred. | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| I pray to Jesu Chryst verray, | 8 | ···/˘·/˘ |
| For ws his blud that bled, | 9 | ·/˘˘/···· |
| To be our help on domisday | 9 | ··/˘····· |
| Quhair lawis ar straitly led. | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| The saule is Godis dochtir deir, | 9 | ········· |
| And eik his handewerk, | 6 | ······ |
| That was betrayit with Lucefeir, | 8 | ········ |
| Quha sittis in hell full merk: | 8 | ········ |
| Borrowit with Chrystis angell cleir, | 9 | ······/˘· |
| Hend men, will ye nocht herk? | 6 | ······ |
| And for his lufe that bocht us deir | 8 | ········ |
| Think on the BLUDY SERK! | 6 | ······ |
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 _17._ hinder yeir] last year. ring] reign. fald] enfold. ying] young. fairheid] beauty. air] heir. laitis] manners. bot and] and also. scho wynnit] she dwelt. bigly] well-built. fold] earth. paramour] lovingly. our allquhair] all the world over. a lyt besyde] a little, (i. e. close) beside. of ane] as any. kest] cast. dungering] dungeon. into hir waine] in her lodging. hellis cruk] hell-claw. quhill] until. dungin doun] beaten down. his awin persoun] himself. withouten feir] without companion. the bricht] the fair one. likame] body. lowsit hir of. bandoun] quert] prison. coft] bought. straitly led] strictly carried out. _17._ hend] gentle.
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