JOHNNIE OF BREADISLEE
Johnnie rose up in a May morning,
Call'd for water to wash his hands—
"Gar loose to me the gude gray dogs,
That are bound wi' iron bands."
When Johnnie's mother gat word o' that,
Her hands for dule she wrang—
"O Johnnie! for my benison,
To the greenwood dinna gang!
"Enough ye hae o' gude wheat bread,
And enough o' the blood-red wine;
And therefore, for nae venison, Johnnie,
I pray ye, stir frae hame."
But Johnnie's busk'd up his gude bent bow,
His arrows, ane by ane,
And he has gane to Durrisdeer,
To hunt the dun deer down.
As he came down by Merriemass,
And in by the benty line,
There has he espied a deer lying
Aneath a bush of ling.
Johnnie he shot, and the dun deer lap,
And he wounded her on the side;
But atween the water and the brae,
His hounds they laid her pride.
And Johnnie has bryttled the deer sae weel,
That he's had out her liver and lungs;
And wi' these he has feasted his bluidy hounds,
As if they had been earl's sons.
They eat sae much o' the venison,
And drank sae much o' the blude,
That Johnnie and a' his bluidy hounds
Fell asleep as they had been dead.
And by there came a silly auld carle,
An ill death mote he die!
For he's awa' to Hislinton,
Where the seven Foresters did lie.
(benty line, path covered with bent (?). bryttled, cut up. carle, churl.)
"What news, what news, ye gray-headed carle,
What news bring ye to me?"
"I bring nae news," said the gray-headed carle,
"Save what these eyes did see.
"As I came down by Merriemass,
And down among the scroggs,
The bonniest child that ever I saw
Lay sleeping amang his dogs.
"The shirt that was upon his back
Was o' the Holland fine;
The doublet which was over that
Was o' the Lincoln twine.
"The buttons that were on his sleeve
Were o' the goud sae gude;
The gude gray hounds he lay amang,
Their mouths were dyed wi' blude"
Then out and spak the First Forester
The head man ower them a'—
"If this be Johnnie o' Breadislee,
Nae nearer will we draw."
But up and spak the Sixth Forester,
(His sister's son was he,)
"If this be Johnnie o' Breadislee,
We soon shall gar him die."
(scroggs, stunted trees.)
The first flight of arrows the Foresters shot,
They wounded him on the knee;
And out and spak the Seventh Forester,
"The next will gar him die."
Johnnies set his back against an aik,
His foot against a stane;
And he has slain the Seven Foresters,
He has slain them a' but ane.
He has broke three ribs in that ane's side,
But and his collar bane;
He's laid him twa-fald ower his steed,
Bade him carry the tidings hame.
"O is there nae a bonny bird
Can sing as I can say,
Could flee away to my mother's bower,
And tell to fetch Johnnie away?"
The starling flew to his mother's window stane,
It whistled and it sang;
And aye the ower word o' the tune
Was—"Johnnie tarries lang!"
They made a rod o' the hazel bush,
Another o' the sloe-thorn tree,
And mony mony were the men
At fetching o'er Johnnie.
(aik, oak. the ower word, the refrain.)
Then out and spake his auld mother,
And fast her tears did fa'—
"Ye wad nae be warn'd, my son Johnnie,
Frae the hunting to bide awa'.
'' Aft hae I brought to Breadislee
The less gear and the mair,
But I ne'er brought to Breadislee
What grieved my heart sae sair.
"But wae betide that silly auld carle!
An ill death shall he die!
For the highest tree in Merriemas
Shall be his morning's fee."
Now Johnnie's gude bend bow is broke,
And his gude gray dogs are slain;
And his body lies dead in Durrisdeer,
And his hunting it is done.