The Complaint and Testament of a Popinjay, Poem 1
Who clymmis to hyghe ꝑforce his fete page missing
Expresse I shall that by experience
Yf that ye please to here a pituouse tale
How a faire bird by fatale violence
Deuourid was and myght make no defence
Contrary the deth so fayleth naturall strength
As after I shall shewe you at more length
A papingo ryght pleasant and perfyte
Presentid was to our most noble kyng
Of whom his grace long tyme had great delite
More faire of forme I wote flew neuer with whing
This proper bird he gaue in gouerning
To me whylk was his semple seruiture
On whom I did my deligence and cure
To lerne her language artificiall
To play plat fote and whissill fot before
But of her inclination naturall
She countrefeted all foulis lesse and more
Of her corage she wolde with out my lore
Sing like the merle / and kraw like the cocke
Pew like the gled / and chant like the lauerocke.
Bark like a dog / and kekill like a ka
Blait like a hog / and buller like a bulle
Gaile like a gock / and great when she was wa
Clyme on a cord / synge laughe and play the fule
She myght hauehave bene a menstrell agaynst youle
This blisfull bird was to me so pleasand
Where euer I went / I bare her on my hand.
¶The discription of her murnyng.
And so befell vponupon a mirthfull morowe
In to my garth I past me to repose
This bird and I as we were wont afforowe
Among the floures fresshe fragrant & formose
My vitall sprete duly did reioyse
When phebus rose and raise the cloudis sable
Through bryghtnes of his bemes amiable
Without vapoure was well purificate
The temperat ayre soft sober and serene
The erth by nature so edificate
With holsome herbes blewe / white / reed / and grene
Whilkis eleuate my spretis frome the splene
That day Saturne nor Mars did not appere
Nor Eol out of his caue durst not stere.
That day perforce behoued to be fayre
By influence and course celestiall
No planet pressid for to perturbe the ayre
For Mercurius be mouing naturall
Exalted was in to the trone triumphall
Of his mansion vntounto the fyftene gre
In his owne souerayn signe of virginye
That day did phebus plesantly depart
From Gemini and enterid in Cancer
That day cupido did extend his dart
Uenus that day communed with Iupiter
That day Neptunus hid him like a sker
That daye dame nature with gret besines
Furth…d flora to proue hir craftines
And retrograid was Mars in Capricorne
And sinthea in sagittar assesid
That day dame Ceres goddes of the corne
Full ioyfully Iohan vpland applesid
The bad aspect of Saturne was appesid
That day by Iuno of Iupiter the Ioy
Perturbynge spretis caused to hold coy.
The sound of birdis surmounted all the skyes
With melody of notis musicall
The balmy droppis of dew Tytan vp dryis
Hanging vponupon the tender twystis small
The heuenly hewe and sound angelicall
Sik perfyte plesure prentid in my hart
That with great payne from thens I myght depart
So still among the herbis amyable
I did remayn a space for my pastance
But wordly pleasure bene so variable
Mixid with sorowe, drede and inconstance
That founde therin is no contynuance
So myght I say my short solace alas
Was dryuen in dolour in a lytle space.
For in that garth among the fragrant floures
Walkyng alone none but my bird and I
Unto the tyme that I had said my houres
This birde I set apon a branche me by
But she began to clymbe ryght spedely
And in that tre she did so hie ascend
That by no way I myght hir apprehend
page missingde I sayd beware, mount not ouer hye
page missing in tyme, perchaunce thy fete may fayle
Thou art ryght fat, and not well vsed to fle
The gredy glede, I drede shall the assayle
I wyll ascende ꝙ she, chaunce what be chaunce me
It is my kynde to clym ay to the hyght
Of fether and bone, I wote wele I am wyght
So on the hyghest lytell tender twyst
With whynges displayde she sate full wantonly
But Boreas blewe a blast or euer she wyst
Whylk brake the braunche, and blewe her sodeynly
Downe to the ground with many a carefull crye
Upon a stub she lyght on her breest
The bloode russhed out, and she cryed for a preest
God wote yf than my hert was wo begone
To se that foule flytter amonge the floures
Whylk with great mournyng gan to make her mone
Now are come sayd she my fatale houres
Of bytter deth now must I suffre the shoures
O dame nature I pray the of thy grace
Lende me leysure to speke a lytell space
For to complayne my fate infortunate
And bequeth my naturall gere or I departe
Seynge of all comfort I am desolate
Alone excepte the deth with his darte
With awfull chere redy to perse my harte
And with that worde she toke a passion
Syne flatiynges fell and swapped in to swowne
With sory hert persed with compassion
And salt teres distelling from mynt eyne
To heare that birdis lamentation
I did approche vnderunder a hauthorne grene
Where I myght here and se, and not be sene
And when this bird had swowned twyse or thryse
She gan to speke sayeng on this wyse
O false fortune why hast thou me begyled
This day at morne who knewe this carefull case
Uayne hope in the my reason hath exiled
Hauing sik trust in to thy feyned face
That euer I was brought to the court alas
Had I in forest flowne amonge my feres
I myght full well hauehave lyued many yeres.
Wyse and true counsell alas I dyd refuse
Agayne reason vsyng my appetite
Ambition did so my hert abuse
That Eolus had me in great dispite
Poetis of me hath mater to indyte
Whylk clam so hye and wo is me therfore
Not doubtyng that deth durst me deuore.
This day at morne my forme and fetheren fayre
Aboue the proude pecok were prece land
And nowe a caytyfe carion full of care
Bathing in blode downe from my hert distelland
And in my eare the bell of deth bene knelland
O false world fy on thy felicite
Thy pryde, auarice, and immundicite.
In the I se nothing bene permanent
Of thy short solace sorow is the ende
Thy false infortunate gyftes bene but lent
This day full proude the morne nothing to spend
O ye that dothe pretende ay till ascend
My fatale end hauehave in remembraunce
And you defend frome sik vnhappy chaunce.
Whether I was stryken in extasy
Or through a stark ymagination
But it appereth in my fantasy
I herd this dolent lamentation
Thus dullid in to desolation
Me thought this bird dyd discriue in hyr manere
Her counssall to the king as ye shall here.