The Brus Book Xiii Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: A BBCDEEFGHBGIGGJJKCJJ BBJJBBJJCCJJBBCCGBJJ GGLJMM G JJFFGGGNGGGGJJJJGMGF JJGGFFFFMGGGJJGGBBMM JJ G FBJJJGJJJJBBBGGGMMJJ GGJJJBBBMMFFGGGGJJGJ GBJBMM M JJOOGGFFJJMMPPGGGGGG MMJJJJBBGGFFFFGGJJJJ GGGGGJJJBBJGJJBBJJJJ FFPPGGJJBG GJGGGJJGGMGDouglas's division attacks | A |
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Quhen thir twa fyrst bataillis wer | B |
Assemblyt as I said you er | B |
The Stewart Walter that than was | C |
And the gud lord als of Douglas | D |
In a bataill quhen that thai saw | E |
The erle foroutyn dred or aw | E |
Assembill with his cumpany | F |
On all that folk sa sturdely | G |
For till help him thai held thar way | H |
And thar bataill in gud aray | B |
And assemblyt sa hardely | G |
Besid the erle a litill by | I |
That thar fayis feld thar cummyn wele | G |
For with wapynnys stalwart of stele | G |
Thai dang apon with all thar mycht | J |
Thar fayis resavyt weile Ik hycht | J |
With swerdis speris and with mase | K |
The bataill thar sa feloune was | C |
And sua rycht gret spilling of blud | J |
That on the erd the flousis stud | J |
The Scottismen sa weill thaim bar | B |
And sua gret slauchter maid thai thar | B |
And fra sa fele the lyvis revyt | J |
That all the feld bludy wes levyt | J |
That tyme thar thre bataillis wer | B |
All syd be sid fechtand weill ner | B |
Thar mycht men her mony dynt | J |
And wapynnys apon armuris stynt | J |
And se tumble knychtis and stedis | C |
And mony rich and reale wedis | C |
Defoullyt foully under fete | J |
Sum held on loft sum tynt the suet | J |
A lang quhill thus fechtand thai war | B |
That men na noyis mycht her thar | B |
Men hard nocht bot granys and dintis | C |
That slew fyr as men slayis on flyntis | C |
Thai faucht ilk ane sa egerly | G |
That thai maid nother moyis na cry | B |
Bot dang on other at thar mycht | J |
With wapnys that war burnyst brycht | J |
The arowys als sua thyk thar flaw | G |
That thai mycht say wele that thaim saw | G |
That thai a hidwys schour gan ma | L |
For quhar thai fell Ik undreta | J |
Thai left efter thaim taknyng | M |
That sall ned as I trow leching | M |
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Sir Robert Keith's cavalry disperses the English archers | G |
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The Inglis archeris schot sa fast | J |
That mycht thar schot haff ony last | J |
It had bene hard to Scottismen | F |
Bot King Robert that wele gan ken | F |
That thar archeris war peralous | G |
And thar schot rycht hard and grevous | G |
Ordanyt forouth the assemble | G |
Hys marschell with a gret menye | N |
Fyve hunder armyt into stele | G |
That on lycht hors war horsyt welle | G |
For to pryk amang the archeris | G |
And sua assaile thaim with thar speris | G |
That thai na layser haiff to schut | J |
This marschell that Ik off mute | J |
That Schyr Robert of Keyth was cauld | J |
As Ik befor her has you tauld | J |
Quhen he saw the bataillis sua | G |
Assembill and togidder ga | M |
And saw the archeris schoyt stoutly | G |
With all thaim off his cumpany | F |
In hy apon thaim gan he rid | J |
And ourtuk thaim at a sid | J |
And ruschyt amang thaim sa rudly | G |
Stekand thaim sa dispitously | G |
And in sic fusoun berand doun | F |
And slayand thaim foroutyn ransoun | F |
That thai thaim scalyt everilkane | F |
And fra that tyme furth thar wes nane | F |
That assemblyt schot to ma | M |
Quhen Scottis archeris saw that thai sua | G |
War rebutyt thai woux hardy | G |
And with all thar mycht schot egrely | G |
Amang the horsmen that thar raid | J |
And woundis wid to thaim thai maid | J |
And slew of thaim a full gret dele | G |
Thai bar thaim hardely and wele | G |
For fra thar fayis archeris war | B |
Scalyt as I said till you ar | B |
That ma na thai war be gret thing | M |
Sua that thai dred nocht thar schoting | M |
Thai woux sa hardy that thaim thocht | J |
Thai suld set all thar fayis at nocht | J |
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The king addresses his division and commits it to the battle | G |
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The merschell and his cumpany | F |
Wes yeit as till you er said I | B |
Amang the archeris quhar thai maid | J |
With speris roume quhar that thai raid | J |
And slew all that thai mycht ourta | J |
And thai wele lychtly mycht do sua | G |
For thai had nocht a strak to stynt | J |
Na for to hald agayne a dynt | J |
And agayne armyt men to fycht | J |
May nakyt men have litill mycht | J |
Thai scalyt thaim on sic maner | B |
That sum to thar gret bataill wer | B |
Withdrawyn thaim in full gret hy | B |
And sum war fled all utrely | G |
Bot the folk that behind thaim was | G |
That for thar awne folk had na space | G |
Yheyt to cum to the assembling | M |
In agayn smertly gan thai ding | M |
The archeris that thai met fleand | J |
That then war maid sa recreand | J |
That thar hartis war tyny clenly | G |
I trow thai sall nocht scaith gretly | G |
The Scottismen with schot that day | J |
And the gud King Robert that ay | J |
Wes fillyt off full gret bounte | J |
Saw how that his bataillis thre | B |
Sa hardely assemblyt thar | B |
And sa weill in the fycht thaim bar | B |
And sua fast on thair fayis gan ding | M |
That him thocht nane had abaysing | M |
And how the archeris war scalyt then | F |
He was all blyth and till his men | F |
He said 'Lordingis now luk that ye | G |
Worthy and off gud covyn be | G |
At thys assemble and hardy | G |
And assembill sa sturdely | G |
That na thing may befor you stand | J |
Our men ar sa freschly fechtand | J |
That thai thar fayis has contrayit sua | G |
That be thai pressyt Ik underta | J |
A litill fastyr ye sall se | G |
That thai discumfyt sone sall be ' | B |
Quhen this wes said thai held thar way | J |
And on ane feld assemblyt thai | B |
Sa stoutly that at thar cummyng | M |
Thar fayis war ruschyt a gret thing | M |
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A further description of the fighting | M |
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Thar mycht men se men felly fycht | J |
And men that worthi war and wycht | J |
Do mony worthi vasselage | O |
Thai faucht as thai war in a rage | O |
For quhen the Scottis ynkirly | G |
Saw thar fayis sa sturdely | G |
Stand into bataill thaim agayn | F |
With all thar mycht and all thar mayn | F |
Thai layid on as men out of wit | J |
And quhar thai with full strak mycht hyt | J |
Thar mycht na armur stynt thar strak | M |
Thai to fruschyt that thai mycht ourtak | M |
And with axis sic duschys gave | P |
That thai helmys and hedis clave | P |
And thar fayis rycht hardely | G |
Met thaim and dang on thaim douchtely | G |
With wapmys that war styth of stele | G |
Thar wes the bataill strikyn wele | G |
Sa gret dyn tthar wes of dyntis | G |
As wapnys apon armur styntis | G |
And off speris sa gret bresting | M |
And sic thrang and sic thrysting | M |
Sic gyrnyng granyng and sa gret | J |
A noyis as thai gan other beit | J |
And ensenyeys on ilka sid | J |
Gevand and takand woundis wid | J |
That it wes hydwys for to her | B |
All four thar bataillis with that wer | B |
Fechtand in a frount halyly | G |
A mycht God how douchtely | G |
Schyr Edward the Bruce and his men | F |
Amang thar fayis contenyt thaim then | F |
Fechtand in sa gud covyn | F |
Sa hardy worthy and sa fyne | F |
That thar vaward ruschyt was | G |
And maugre tharis left the place | G |
And till thar gret rout to warand | J |
Thai went that tane had apon hand | J |
Sa gret anoy that thai war effrayit | J |
For Scottis that thaim hard assayit | J |
That than war in a schiltrum all | G |
Quha hapnyt into that fycht to fall | G |
I trow agane he suld nocht rys | G |
Thar mycht men se on mony wys | G |
Hardimentis eschevyt douchtely | G |
And mony that wycht war and hardy | J |
Sone liand undre fete all dede | J |
Quhar all the feld off blud wes red | J |
Armys and quyntys that thai bar | B |
With blud war sa defoulyt thar | B |
That thai mycht nocht descroyit be | J |
A mychty God quha than mycht se | G |
That Stewart Walter and his rout | J |
And the gud Douglas that wes sa stout | J |
Fechtand into that stalwart stour | B |
He suld say that till all honour | B |
Thai war worthi that in that fycht | J |
Sa fast pressyt thar fayis mycht | J |
That thaim ruschyt quhar thai yeid | J |
Thar men mycht se mony a steid | J |
Fleand on stray that lord had nane | F |
A Lord quha then gud tent had tane | F |
Till the gud erle of Murreff | P |
And his that sua gret routis geff | P |
And faucht sa fast in that battaill | G |
Tholand sic paynys and travaill | G |
That thai and tharis maid sic debat | J |
That quhar thai come thai maid thaim gat | J |
Than mycht men her ensenyeis cry | B |
And Scottismen cry hardely | G |
'On thaim on thaim on thaim thai faile ' | - |
With that sa hard thai gan assaile | G |
And slew all that thai mycht ourta | J |
And the Scottis archeris alsua | G |
Schot amang thaim sa deliverly | G |
Engrevand thaim sa gretumly | G |
That quhat for thaim that with thaim faucht | J |
That sua gret routis to thaim raucht | J |
And pressyt thaim full egrely | G |
And quhat for arowis that felly | G |
Mony gret woundis gan thaim ma | M |
And slew fast off thar hors alsua | G |
John Barbour
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