Esther M. Zimmer Lederberg
Ane Blak Moir. William Dunbar
Original
Translation1
Ane Blak Moir2
An Black Moor
Lang heff I maed of ladyes quhytt
Long have I written of ladies white
Nou of ane blak I will indytt
Now of an black I will indite
That landet furth of the last schipps
That landed from the last ships
Quhou fain wald I descryve perfytt
Who pleased would I describe perfectly
My ladye with the mekle lippis.
My lady with the thick lips.
Quhou schou is tute mowitt lyk ane aep
How she is thick mouthed, like a monkey
And lyk a gangarall onto graep
And like a toad to hold
And quhou hir schort catt nois up skippis,
How her short catlike nose turns up,
And quhou schou schynes lyk ony saep
And how she shines as if soaped
My ladye with the mekle lippis.
My lady with the thick lips.
Quhen shou is claid in reche apparrall
When she is clad in rich apparel
Schou blinkis als brycht as ane tar barrell;
She gleams all bright as an tar Barrel;
Quhen schou was born the son tholit clippis,
When she was born the sun underwent an eclipse,
The nycht be fain faucht in hir querrel —
The night/knight eager to fight in her cause —
My ladye with the mekle lippis.
My lady with the thick lips.
Quhai for hir sack with speir and scheld
Why for her sake with spear and shield
Preffis maest mychttelye in the feld
Proves himself most mightily in the field
Sall kis and withe her go in grippis
Shall kiss her and grip her in his embrace
And fra thyne furth hir luff sall weld —
And from henceforth shall have her love —
My ladye with the mekle lippis.
My lady with the thick lips.
And quhai in felde receaves schaem
And who in field receives shame
And tynis thair his knychtlie naem
And loses there his knightly name
Sall cum behind and kis hir hippis
Shall come behind and kiss her hips
And nevir to uther confort claem:
And never to another comfort claim:
My ladye with the mekle lippis.
My lady with the thick lips.
It is fair to view this poem as deeply insulting, condescending, and
contemptuosly racist. However, this racist view is likely to be one
held by most people in "Great Brittain" at this time, thus we get a
better idea of what "Blackness", "Sun-burnt", "Smoky", "Darkness",
"Tawny", "Fair", or "Whiteness" truly meant.
"...having procured from James [IV] a renewal of their letters of
reprisal, fitted out a squadron, which intercepted and captured at
various times many richly laden carrachs returning from the Portuguese
settlements in India and Africa; and the unwonted appearance of
blackmoors at the Scottish court, and sable empresses presiding over
the royal tournaments, is to be traced to the spirit and success of
the Scottish privateers." 3
"As has been said, many of the Africans at court probably reached
Scotland by way of captured Portuguese shipping."
4
"We learn that she [Black Lady, Elen More] was arrayed in a gown
of damask flowered with gold, trimmed with green and yellow taffety;
she had sleeves and gloves of black 'semys' [seamed?] leather, and
the sleeves were themselves covered with 'plesaunce', of which
material she also had a kerchief abot her arm. She had two female
attendants, who were attired in gowns of green Flemish taffety
trimmed with yellow. She rode in state in a 'chair triumphal'
covered with Flemish taffety, one hundred and sixty ells of this
stuff – white, yellow, purple, green and gray – having
been purchased in Flanders at a cost of £88. She was attended
by two squires, William Ogilvy and Alexander Elphinstoun, clad in
white damask." 5, 6, 7
1
Gundara, Jagdish; Duffield, Ian; (Eds.)
"Essays on the History of Blacks in Britain: From Roman Times to the Mid-Twentieth Century",
Edwards, Paul; "The early African presence in the British Isles", pp. 9-29, see p.21, 22
2
Ibid., 1507 or 1508, p. 16
3
Ibid., The black Moore at the tournament in the poem was Elen More. p. 16
4
Ibid., p. 18
5
Ibid., p. 19
6
Clothing had color codes. Often the color "green"
signified sexual availability.
7
Ibid., p. 27, footnote 34.
"In 1504, two Blackmoor girls arrived in Scotland and were
baptised by the names Margaret and Elen. They were educated
at Court, where they remained as attendants upon the Queen."
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