Peter Robins, his website

I HERDE a carpyng of a clerk,
Al at yoone wodes ende,
Of gode Robyn and Gandeleyn;
Was ther non other thynge.
Robynn lyth in grene wode bowndyn

Stronge theuys wern tho chylderin non,
But bowmen gode and hende;
He wentyn to wode to getyn hem fleych,
If God wold it hem sende.

Al day wentyn tho chylderin too,
And fleych fowndyn he non,
Til it were a-geyn euyn;
THe chylderin wold gon hom.

Half an honderid of fat falyf der
He comyn a-yoon,
And alle he wern fayr and fat i-now,
But markyd was ther non:
`Be dere God,' seyde gode Robyn,
`Here of we xul haue on.'

Robyn bent his joly bowe,
ther in he set a flo;
THe fattest der of alle
THe herte he clef a to.

He hadde not the der i-flawe,
Ne half out of the hyde,
There cam a schrewde arwe out of the west,
that felde Robertes pryde.

Gandeleyn lokyd hym est and west,
Be euery syde:
`Hoo hat myn mayster slayin?
Ho hat don this dede?
Xal I neuer out of grene wode go
Til I se [his] sydis blede.'

Gandeleyn lokyd hym est and lokyd west,
And sowt vnder the sunne;
He saw a lytil boy
He clepyn Wrennok of Donne.

A good bowe in his hond,
A brod arwe ther ine,
And fowre and twenti goode arwys,
Trusyd in a thrumme:
`Be war the, war the, Gandeleyn,
Her-of thu xalt han summe.

`Be war the, war the, Gandeleyn,
Her of thu gyst plente:'
`Euer on for an other,' seyde Gandeleyn;
`Mysaunter haue he xal fle.

`Qwer-at xal our marke be?'
Seyde Gandeleyn:
`Eueryche at otheris herte,'
Seyde Wrennok ageyn.

Ho xal yoeue the ferste schote?'
Seyde Gandeleyn:
`And I xul yoeue the on be-forn,'
Seyde Wrennok ageyn.

Wrennok schette a ful good schote,
And he schet not to hye;
THrow the sanchothis of his bryk;
It towchyd neyther thye.

`Now hast thu yoouyn me on be-forn,'
Al thus to Wrennok seyde he,
`And throw the myyot of our lady
A bettere I xal yoeue the.'

Gandeleyn bent his goode bowe,
And set ther in a flo;
He schet throw his grene certyl,
His herte he clef on too.

`Now xalt thu neuer yoelpe, Wrennok,
At ale ne at wyn,
that thu hast slawe goode Robyn,
And his knaue Gandeleyn.

`Now xalt thu neuer yoelpe, Wrennok,
At wyn ne at ale,
that thu hast slawe goode Robyn,
And Gandeleyn his knaue.'
Robyn lyyoth in grene wode bowndyn