John Barbour

Here you will find theLong PoemThe Brus Book XIIIof poet John Barbour

The Brus Book XIII

(道格拉斯的分裂攻击)Quhen结合两个fyrstbataillis wer Assemblyt as I said you er, The Stewart Walter that than was And the gud lord als of Douglas 5 In a bataill, quhen that thai saw The erle foroutyn dred or aw Assembill with his cumpany On all that folk sa sturdely For till help him thai held thar way 10 And thar bataill in gud aray, And assemblyt sa hardely Besid the erle a litill by That thar fayis feld thar cummyn wele, For with wapynnys stalwart of stele 15 Thai dang apon with all thar mycht. Thar fayis resavyt weile Ik hycht With swerdis speris and with mase, The bataill thar sa feloune was And sua rycht gret spilling of blud 20 That on the erd the flousis stud. The Scottismen sa weill thaim bar And sua gret slauchter maid thai thar And fra sa fele the lyvis revyt That all the feld bludy wes levyt. 25 That tyme thar thre bataillis wer All syd be sid fechtand weill ner, Thar mycht men her mony dynt And wapynnys apon armuris stynt, And se tumble knychtis and stedis 30 And mony rich and reale wedis Defoullyt foully under fete, Sum held on loft sum tynt the suet. A lang quhill thus fechtand thai war That men na noyis mycht her thar, 35 Men hard nocht bot granys and dintis That slew fyr as men slayis on flyntis, Thai faucht ilk ane sa egerly That thai maid nother moyis na cry Bot dang on other at thar mycht 40 With wapnys that war burnyst brycht. The arowys als sua thyk thar flaw That thai mycht say wele that thaim saw That thai a hidwys schour gan ma, For quhar thai fell Ik undreta 45 Thai left efter thaim taknyng That sall ned as I trow leching. [Sir Robert Keith's cavalry disperses the English archers] The Inglis archeris schot sa fast That mycht thar schot haff ony last It had bene hard to Scottismen 50 Bot King Robert that wele gan ken That thar archeris war peralous And thar schot rycht hard and grevous Ordanyt forouth the assemble Hys marschell with a gret menye, 55 Fyve hunder armyt into stele That on lycht hors war horsyt welle, For to pryk amang the archeris And sua assaile thaim with thar speris That thai na layser haiff to schut. 60 This marschell that Ik off mute That Schyr Robert of Keyth was cauld As Ik befor her has you tauld Quhen he saw the bataillis sua Assembill and togidder ga 65 And saw the archeris schoyt stoutly, With all thaim off his cumpany In hy apon thaim gan he rid And ourtuk thaim at a sid, And ruschyt amang thaim sa rudly 70 Stekand thaim sa dispitously And in sic fusoun berand doun And slayand thaim foroutyn ransoun That thai thaim scalyt everilkane, And fra that tyme furth thar wes nane 75 That assemblyt schot to ma. Quhen Scottis archeris saw that thai sua War rebutyt thai woux hardy And with all thar mycht schot egrely Amang the horsmen that thar raid 80 And woundis wid to thaim thai maid And slew of thaim a full gret dele. Thai bar thaim hardely and wele For, fra thar fayis archeris war Scalyt as I said till you ar 85 That ma na thai war be gret thing Sua that thai dred nocht thar schoting Thai woux sa hardy that thaim thocht Thai suld set all thar fayis at nocht. [The king addresses his division and commits it to the battle] The merschell and his cumpany 90 Wes yeit, as till you er said I, Amang the archeris quhar thai maid With speris roume quhar that thai raid And slew all that thai mycht ourta, And thai wele lychtly mycht do sua 95 For thai had nocht a strak to stynt Na for to hald agayne a dynt, And agayne armyt men to fycht May nakyt men have litill mycht. Thai scalyt thaim on sic maner 100 That sum to thar gret bataill wer Withdrawyn thaim in full gret hy And sum war fled all utrely, Bot the folk that behind thaim was, That for thar awne folk had na space 105 Yheyt to cum to the assembling In agayn smertly gan thai ding The archeris that thai met fleand That then war maid sa recreand That thar hartis war tyny clenly, 110 I trow thai sall nocht scaith gretly The Scottismen with schot that day. And the gud King Robert that ay Wes fillyt off full gret bounte Saw how that his bataillis thre 115 Sa hardely assemblyt thar And sa weill in the fycht thaim bar And sua fast on thair fayis gan ding That him thocht nane had abaysing And how the archeris war scalyt then, 120 He was all blyth and till his men He said, 'Lordingis, now luk that ye Worthy and off gud covyn be At thys assemble and hardy, And assembill sa sturdely 125 That na thing may befor you stand. Our men ar sa freschly fechtand That thai thar fayis has contrayit sua That be thai pressyt, Ik underta, A litill fastyr, ye sall se 130 That thai discumfyt sone sall be.' Quhen this wes said t