The Thre Deid Pollis

O sinfull man! in to this mortal se,
Quhilk is the vaill of murning and of cair,
With gaistly sicht, behold our heidis thre,
Our hoi kit ene, our peilit pollis bair:
As ye ar now, into this warld we wair,
Als fresche, als fair, als lusty, to behald;
Quhan thow lukis on this suth examplair
Of thy self, man, thow may be richt unbald.

For suth it is, that every man mortall
Mon suffer deid, and de, that lyfe hes tane;
Na erdly stait aganis deid ma prevaill;
The hour of deth and place is uncertane,
Quhilk is referrit to the Hie God allane;
Heirfoir haif mynd of deth, that thow mon de;
This sair exampill to se quotidiane,
Suld cause all men fra wicket vycis fle.

O wanton youth! als fresche as lusty May,
Farest of flowris, renewit quhyt and reid,
Behald our heidis: O lusty gallandis gay,
Full laichly thus sail ly thy lustyheid,
Holkit and how, and wallowit as the weid;
Thy crampand hair, and eik thy cristall ene,
Full cairfully conclud sail dulefull deid;
Thy example heir be us it may be sene.

O Ladies quhyt, in claithis corruscant,
Poleist with perle, and mony pretius stane;
With palpis quhyt, and hals so elegant,
Circulit with gold, and sapheris mony ane;
Your fingaris small, quhyt as quhailis bane,
Arrayit with ringis, and mony rubeis reid:
As we ly thus, so sail ye ly ilk ane,
With peilit pollis, and holkit thus your heid.

O wofull pryd! the rute of all distres,
With humill hairt upoun our pollis penss:
Man, for thy miss, ask mercy with meikness;
Aganis deid na man may mak defenss.
The Empriour, for all his excellens,
King and Quene, and eik all erdly stait,
Peure and riche, sal be but differens,
Tumit in ass, and thus in erd translait.

This questioun, quha can absolve, lat see,
Quhat phisnamour, or perfyt palmester —
Quha was farest, or fowlest, of us thre?
Or quhilk of us of kin was gentillar?
Or maist excellent in science, or in lare,
In art, musik, or in astronomye?
Heir suld be your study and repair,
And think, as thus, all your heidis mon be.

O febill aige, ay drawand neir the dait
Of dully deid, and hes. thy dayis compleit,
Behald our heidis with murning and regrait;
Fall on thy kneis; ask grace at God greit,
With orisionis, and haly psalmis sweit,
Beseikand Him on the to haif mercy,
Now of our saulis bydand the decreit
Of His Godheid, when He sail call and cry.

Als we exhort, that every man mortall,
For His saik that maid of nocht all thing,
For our saulis to pray in general
To Jesus Chryst, of hevin and erd the King,
That throwch His.blude we may ay leif and ring
With the Hie Fader, be eternitie,
The Sone alswa, the Haly Gaist conding,
Thre knit in Ane be perfyt Unity.