by
William Dunbar (1465 - 1520?)
Of ane Blackamoor
See originalLanguage: Scottish (Scots)
Lang hae I made o’ ladies white.
Now of ane black I will indite,
That landit furth o’ the last ships.
Wha fain wad I descrive perfite,
My Ladie wi’ the meikle lips.
How she is tute-mowt like an ape
And like a gangrel unto gape;
And how her short cat nose up-skips;
And how she shines like ony saip:
My Ladie wi’ the meikle lips.
When she is clad in rich appar’l
She blinks as bricht as ane tar-barrel:
When she was born the sun tholt ‘clipse,
The nicht fain faucht in her quarrel:
My Ladie wi’ the meikle lips.
Wha for her sake, wi’ spear and shield
Proves maist michtlie in the field,
Shall kiss, and wi’ her go in grips;
And thence furth her love shall wield:
My Ladie wi’ the meikle lips.
Note: the text above is taken from stanzas 1-4 of the original text.
Composition:
Set to music by Francis George Scott (1880 - 1958), "Of ane Blackamoor", published 1936, stanzas 1-4 [ baritone and piano ], from Scottish Lyrics, Book 4, no. 10, Bayley & Ferguson; confirmed with Songs of Francis George Scott, selected and edited by Neil Mackay, Roberton Publications, Aylesbury, 1980, page 83
Text Authorship:
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Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Iain Sneddon) , "About a black woman", copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Iain Sneddon
[Guest Editor] This text was added to the website: 2018-11-27
Line count: 25
Word count: 172
Language: English after the Scottish (Scots)
Long have I written about ladies white,
Now of one black I will indict
That landed forth from the recent ships;
How happily I would describe as perfect
My lady with the large lips.
How she is large mouthed like an ape
And like a toad unto gape,
And how her short cat-like nose turns up
And how she shines like any soap -
My lady with the large lips.
When she is clad in rich apparel,
She gleams as bright as a tar barrel.
When she was born the sun suffered an eclipse,
The night is perhaps fought in her quarrel –
My lady with the large lips.
Whoever for her sake with spear and shield
Proves most mightily in the tournament,
Shall kiss and go with her hand in hand,
And from that time her love shall carry –
My lady with the large lips.
...
Note: the text above is taken from stanzas 1-4 of the original text.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from Scottish (Scots) to English copyright © 2018 by Iain Sneddon, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
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Based on:
Go to the general single-text view
This text was added to the website: 2018-11-27
Line count: 25
Word count: 176
