Skip to content

Scottish Poetry Library

Register/Sign in
Shopping Bag Shopping Bag
Bringing people and poems together
  • Home
  • Poetry
    • Poets
    • Poems
    • Makar – National Poet
      • Our Waking Breath: A Poem-letter from Scotland to Ukraine
      • A Woman’s A Woman
      • The story of the Makar – National Poet of Scotland
    • Best Scottish Poems
    • Spiorad an Àite
      Spirit of Place
    • The Trysting Thorns
    • Poetry Ambassadors
      Tosgairean na Bàrdachd
      • Poetry Commissions: Walter Scott 250
        Coimiseanan Bàrdachd: Walter Scott 250
      • Poetry Ambassadors 2021
    • Poetry Ambassadors 2020
    • Posters
    • Podcasts
  • Library
    • Become a borrower
    • Catalogue
    • Collections
    • Ask a librarian
    • Copyright enquiries
  • Learning
    • SQA set texts
    • Learning resources
    • Designing sensory poetry activities
    • Children’s poems in Scots
    • National Poetry Day archive
    • New to poetry?
    • Advice for poets
  • Events
    • What’s On
    • Meeting rooms and venue hire
    • Exhibitions
  • Shop
    • Poetry Highlights
    • Entropie Books
    • Stichill Marigold Press
    • Poems for Doctors, Nurses & Teachers
    • Scottish Poetry
    • Poetry Pamphlet Cards
    • Help
  • About us
    • Our story
    • Our people
    • Company Papers & Policies
    • Our projects
    • Our building
    • FAQs
    • Find us
  • Support us
    • Become a Friend
    • Donate
  • Blog
Shopping BagShopping Bag
Ask a librarian
  • Home
  • >
  • Poetry
  • >
  • Robert Henryson
  • >
  • from The Cock and the Fox
Donate Donate icon Ask a Librarian Ask a Librarian icon

from The Cock and the Fox

Robert Henryson

Thocht brutall beistis be irrationall –
That is to say, wantand discretioun –
Yet ilk ane in thair kynd naturall
Hes mony divers inclinatioun:
The bair busteous, the wolf, the wylde lyoun,
The fox feinyeit, craftie and cawtelows,
The dog to bark on nicht and keip the hows.

So different thay ar in properties,
Unknawin to man, and sa infinite,
In kynd havand sa fell diversiteis,
My cunning it excedis for to dyte.
For thy as now I purpose for to wryte
Ane cais I fand, quhilk fell this ather yeir
Betwix ane foxe and ane gentill Chantecleir.

Ane wedow dwelt in till ane drop thay dayis
Quhilk wan hir fude of spinning on hir rok
And na mair had, forsuth, as the fabill sayis,
Except of hennis scho had ane lytill flok;
And thame to keip scho had ane jolie cok,
Richt curageous, that to this wedow ay
Devydit nicht and crew befoir the day.

Ane lytill fra this foirsaid wedowis hows
Ane thornie schaw thair wes of grit defence,
Quhairin ane foxe, craftie and cautelous,
Maid his repair and daylie residence,
Quhilk to this wedow did grit violence
In pyking of pultrie baith day and nicht,
And na way be revengit on him scho micht.

This wylie tod, quhen that the lark couth sing,
Full sair hungrie unto the toun him drest
Quhair Chantecleir, in to the gray dawing
Werie for nicht, wes flowen fra his nest.
Lowrence this saw and in his mind he kest
The jeperdie, the wayis and the wyle,
Be quhat menis he micht this cok begyle …


Robert Henryson

from Selected poems of Henryson and Dunbar (Scottish Academic Press, 1992)

Tags:

15th century poems animals fables Poetry by Heart Scotland pre-1914 preditors Scots scottish poems
Share this
Facebook
Twitter
Email

Learn more

Robert Henryson1435 - 1505

Robert Henryson was one of the greatest medieval poets whose masterpiece is a retelling of the story of Troilus and Cressida.
More about Robert Henryson

Podcasts

Our audio programme of poets, poems and news for you to listen to.
Listen Now

Newsletter

Sign up for our regular email newsletter.
Subscribe now
  • Newsletter signup
  • Accessibility
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
Scottish Poetry Library
5 Crichton's Close, Canongate
Edinburgh EH8 8DT
Tel: +44 (0)131 557 2876
© Scottish Poetry Library 2022.
The Scottish Poetry Library is a registered charity (No. SCO23311).
City of Edinburgh logo Green Arts Initiative logo Creative Scotland logo
Scottish Poetry Library