51
The locked buttons on the gemmed trees
O'erspreadand leaves of nature's tapestries;
Soft grassy verdure, after balmy showers,
On curland stalkis smiland to their flowers.
Beholdand them so many divers hue,
Some pers[1], some pale, some burnet[2], and some blue,
Some grey, some gules[3], some purpure, some sanguene,
Blanchet[4] or brown, fauch-yellow[5] many ane.
Some heavenly coloured, in celestial gré[6],
Some watry-hued, as the haw-waly[7] sea;
And some depaint in freckles red and white,
Some bright as gold, with aureate leavis lite[8]:
The daisie did unbraid her crownal smale,
And every flower un-lapped in the dale.
The flower-de-luce forth spread his heavenly hue,
Flower-damas[9], and columbo black and blue.
Sere downis smale on dandelion sprung,
The young green bloomed strawberry leaves among:
Gimp gilliflowers their own leaves un-shet[10];
Fresh primrose, and the purpure violet.
The rose-knobbis tetand[11] forth their head,
Gan chip, and kyth[12] their vernal lippis red;
Crisp scarlet leaves sheddand, baith at anes,
Cast fragrant smell amid from golden grains.
Heavenly lilies, with lockerand[13] toppis white
- ↑ Pers—light blue.
- ↑ Burnet—brownish.
- ↑ Gules—scarlet.
- ↑ Blanchet—white.
- ↑ Fauch-yellow—fawn-coloured yellow.
- ↑ Celestial gré—sky blue.
- ↑ Haw-waly—dark-waved.
- ↑ Lite—little.
- ↑ Flower-damas—damask rose.
- ↑ Unshet—unshut, opened.
- ↑ Rose-knobis tetand—rose-buds peeping.
- ↑ Kyth—show.
- ↑ Lockerand—curling like locks of hair.
- ↑ Redemite—crowned.
The expression "lockerand toppis," in speaking of the lilies, is very quaintly appropriate, as so many of that class of flowers have the petals, when fully expanded, turning back in a perfect curl, like the red tiger lily.
H2
