"O I sleep saft, and I wake aft; It's lang since sleeping was fley'd frae me! Gie my service back to my wife and bairns, And a' gude fellows that speir for me." Then Red Rowan has hente him up, The starkest man in Teviotdale"Abide, abide now, Red Rowan, Till of my lord Scroope I take farewell. "Farewell, farewell, my gude lord Scroope! My gude lord Scroope, farewell!" he cried "I'll pay you for my lodging maill, When first we meet on the border side.” Then shoulder high, with shout and cry, We bore him down the ladder lang; every stride Red Rowan made, At I wot the Kinmont's airns play'd clang! 145 150 155 "O mony a time," quo' Kinmont Willie, "I have ridden horse baith wild and wud; But a rougher beast than Red Rowan I ween my legs have ne'er bestrode. "And mony a time," quo' Kinmont Willie, We scarce had won Staneshaw-bank, 160 165 Buccleuch has turn'd to Eden Water, Even where it flowed frae bank to brim, And he has plunged in wi' a' his band, And safely swam them through the stream. He turn'd him on the other side, And at lord Scroope his glove flung he- All sore astonish'd stood lord Scroope, When through the water he had gane. "He is either himsell a devil frae hell, Or else his mother a witch maun be; I wadna have ridden that wan water For a' the gowd in Christentie." 170 175 180 SIR PATRICK SPENS THE king sits in Dunfermline towne, To sail this new ship of mine?" O up and spake an eldern knight, "Sir Patrick Spens is the best sailor, That ever sailed the sea." Our king has written a braid letter And seal'd it with his hand, And sent it to sir Patrick Spens, Was walking on the strand. 5 ΙΟ "To Noroway, to Noroway, To Noroway o'er the faem; The king's daughter of Noroway, 'Tis thou maun bring her hame." The first word that sir Patrick read The neist word that sir Patrick read, "O wha is this has done this deed, And tauld the king o' me, To send us out, at this time of the year, To sail upon the sea? 15 20 "Be it wind, be it weet, be it hail, be it sleet, 25 "Ye Scottishmen spend a' our king's goud, And a' our queenis fee." "Ye lie, ye lie, ye liars loud! Fu' loud I hear ye lie: 35 40 "For I brought as much white monie, As gane my men and me, And I brought a half-fou of gude red goud, Out o'er the sea wi' me. "Make ready, make ready, my merrymen a'! 45 Our gude ship sails the morn," "Now, ever alake, my master dear, I fear a deadly storm! "I saw the new moon, late yestreen, Wi' the auld moon in her arm; And, if we gang to sea, master, I fear we'll come to harm." They hadna sail'd a league, a league, A league but barely three, 50 When the lift grew dark, and the wind blew loud, 55 And gurly grew the sea. The ankers brak, and the top-masts lap, It was sic a deadly storm; And the waves cam o'er the broken ship, Till a' her sides were torn. "O where will I get a gude sailor, To take my helm in hand Till I get up to the tall top-mast, To see if I can spy land?". "O here am I, a sailor gude To take the helm in hand, Till you go up to the tall top-mast; But I fear you'll ne'er spy land." 60 65 He hadna gane a step, a step, A step, but barely ane, When a bout flew out of our goodly ship, And the salt sea it cam in. "Gae, fetch a web o' silken claith, 70 Another o' the twine, And wap them into our ship's side, 75 And let nae the sea come in." They fetched a web o' the silken claith, 80 85 And they wapp'd them round the gude ship's side, O laith, laith, were our gude Scots lords To weet their cork-heel'd shoon ! But lang or a' the play was play'd, And mony was the feather bed That flatter'd on the faem; And mony was the gude lord's son The ladyes wrang their fingers white, A' for the sake of their true loves; O lang, lang, may the ladyes sit |