So sweet a kiss ...

This is a gorgeous, sensual poem, albeit slightly disturbing too.  It's a sonnet by Montgomerie (?1547 - 1597), written in Scots.  It's not at all as difficult as it might look on a quick glance, with only one word really puzzling - yistrene means 'last night'.  It's a sonnet to his mistress, and it says, roughly: I stole such a kiss from you that I left my life within your lips; my spirit followed, and then I sent my heart to look for my spirit, and you have kept all three; so if your breath had not kept me going, I would have died.  This is Captain Alexander Montgomerie's To his Maistres:

 

So swete a kis yistrene fra thee I reft,
In bowing down thy body on the bed,
That evin my lyfe within thy lippis I left;
Sensyne from thee my spirits wald never shed;
To folow thee it from my body fled,
And left my corps als cold as ony kie.
Bot when the danger of my death I dred,
To seik my spreit I sent my harte to thee;
Bot it wes so inamored with thyn ee,
With thee it myndit lykwyse to remane:
So thou hes keepit captive all the thrie,
More glaid to byde then to returne agane.
Except thy breath thare places had suppleit,
Even in thyn armes, thair doutles had I deit.

 

Comments

[Dark Puss]

This wee Scottish Lad knows him not. You would be amazed at the depths of my ignorance.

[Lindsay]

I'm glad you liked it, but shocked that a braw scots lassie disna ken Montgomerie!

[Cornflower]

Knowing nothing about Montgomerie or his work I had to look him up, and I see one reviewer describes this poem as 'turgid', but I don't agree at all. It's beautiful, and a good, interesting find.