John Barbour

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

The Brus Book XV

苏格兰人赢得一场伟大的战役在康纳Quhen泰国within has sene sua slayn Thar men and chassyt hame agayn Thai war all wa, and in gret hy 'Till armys!' hely gan thai cry. 5 Than armyt thaim all that thai war And for the bataill maid thaim yar Thai ischyt out all wele arayit Into the bataill baner displayit Bowne on thar best wis till assaile 10 Thar fayis into fell bataill. And quhen Schyr Philip the Mowbra Saw thaim ische in sa gud aray Till Schyr Edward the Bruys went he And said, 'Schyr, it is gud that we 15 Schap for sum slycht that may availe To help us into this bataill. Our men ar quhoyne, bot thai haf will To do mar than thai may fulfill, Tharfor I rede our cariage 20 Foroutyn ony man or page Be thaimselvyn arayit be And thai sall seyme fer ma than we, Set we befor thaim our baneris, Yone folk that cummys out of Coigneris 25 Quhen thai our baneris thar may se Sall trow traistly that thar ar we And thidder in gret hy sall thai rid. Cum we than on thaim at a sid And we sall be at avantag, 30 For fra thai in our cariag Be entryt thai sall combryt be, And than with all our mycht may we Lay on and do all that we may.' All as he ordanyt done haf thai, 35 And thai that come out of Coigneris Addressyt thaim to the baneris And smate with spuris the hors in hy And ruschit thaim sudandly. The barell-ferraris that war thar 40 Cumbryt thaim fast that ridand war, And than the erle with his bataill Come on and sadly gan assaill, And Schyr Edward a litill by Assemblit sua rycht hardely 45 That mony a fey fell undre fete, The feld wox sone of blud all wete. With sa gret felny thar thai faucht And sic routis till other raucht With stok with stane and with retrete 50 As ather part gan other bet That it wes hidwys for to se. Thai mantemyt that gret melle Sa knychtlik apon ather sid Giffand and takand routis rid 55 That pryme wes passyt or men mycht se Quha mast at thar abov mycht be, Bot sone eftre that prime wes past The Scottismen dang on sa fast And schot on thaim at abandoun 60 As ilk man war a campioun That all thar fayis tuk the flycht, Wes nane of thaim that wes sa wicht That evyr durst abid his fer Bot ilk man fled thar wayis ser. [Slaughter in Connor; the prisoners and wounded] 65 To the toun fled the mast party, And Erle Thomas sa egrely And his route chassyt with swerdis bar That amang thame mellyt war That all togidder come in the toun. 70 Than wes the slauchter sa felloune That all the ruys ran of blud, Thaim that thai gat to ded all yhud Sua that than thar weill ner wer dede Als fele as in the bataill-stede. 75 The fys Warine wes takyn thar, Bot sua rad wes Richard of Clar That he fled to the south countre, All that moneth I trow that he Sall haf na gud will for to fycht. 80 Schyr Jhone Stewart a noble knycht Wes woundyt throu the body thar With a sper that scharply schar, Bot to Monpeller went he syne And lay thar lang intill helyne 85 And at the last helyt wes he. Schyr Edward than with his menye Tuk in the toun thar herbery, That nycht thai blyth war and joly For the victour that thai had thar. [Siege of Carrickfergus Castle; a truce is broken by ships from Dublin] 90 And on the morn foroutyn mar Schyr Edward gert men gang and se All the vittaill of that cite, And thai fand sic foysoun tharin Off corne and flour and wax and wyn 95 That thai had of it gret ferly, And Schyr Edward gert halily Intill Cragfergus it caryit be, Syne thidder went his men and he And held the sege full stalwartly 100 Quhill Palme Sonday wes passit by. Than quhill the Twysday in Pays wouk On ather half thai trewys touk Sua that thai mycht that haly tid In pennance and in prayer bid. 105 Bot apon the Pasche evyn rycht To the castell into the nycht Fra Devillyne schippis come fyften Chargyt with armyt men bedene, Four thousand trow I weill thai war, 110 In the castell thai entryt ar. The Maundveill auld Schyr Thomas Capitane of that menye was. Intill the castell prively Thai entryt for thai had gert spy 115 That mony of Schyr Edwardis men War scalyt in the contre then, Tharfor thai thocht in the mornyng Till isch but langer delaying And to suppris thaim suddanly, 120 For thai thocht thai suld traistly For the trewys that takyn war, Bot I trow falset evermar Sall have unfayr and evill ending. [The new force attacks the besieging Scots; Sir Neil Campbell wounded] Schyr Edward wist of this nathing 125 For off tresoun had he na thoucht, Bot for the trew he levyt nocht To set wachis to the cast