Of Ane Blak-Moir

The lady addressed is apparently an African woman playing a role in a tournament or chivalric pageant.

[6] In the first two stanzas, the poet describes his subject's unfamiliar complexion and features in impolite terms.

The reign of James IV (1488 to 1513) coincided with the era of Portuguese exploration which established firm contact between Europe and Africa.

[14] The King staged elaborate tournaments which included scripted spectacle as much as genuine sporting competition.

The poem seems to be associated with a recorded tournament called "The justing of the wyld knicht for the blak lady" held in June 1507 and again in May 1508.

[18] It was issued by the Marchmont Herald on behalf of the 'Chevalier Sauvage à la Dame Noire', the Wild Knight to the Black Lady, and gave details of the events to be held at Edinburgh.

[21] William Ogilvy and Alexander Elphinstone dressed in white damask as the "Squires of the Black Lady" and escorted her from Edinburgh Castle to the field of the tournament.

A tournament of the 16th century. The print depicts the joust of 1559 in which Henri II of France was fatally wounded.