THE LAIRD O' DRUM
[Original]
The Laird o' Drum is a wooing gane,
It was on a morning early,
And he has fawn in wi' a bonny may,
A-shearing at her barley.
"My bonny may, my weel-faur'd may,
O will you fancy me, O;
And gae and be the Lady o' Drum,
And lat your shearing abee, O?"
(fawn, fallen.)
"It's I canna fancy thee, kind sir,
I winna fancy thee, O,
I winna gae and be Lady o' Drum,
And lat my shearing abee, O.
"But set your love on anither, kind sir,
Set it not on me, O,
For I am not fit to be your bride,
And your whore I'll never be, O.
"My father he is a shepherd mean,
Keeps sheep on yonder hill, O,
And ye may gae and speer at him,
For I am at his will, O."
Drum is to her father gane,
Keeping his sheep on yon hill, O;
And he has gotten his consent
That the may was at his will, O.
"But my dochter can neither read nor write,
She was ne er brought up at scheel, O;
But weel can she milk cow and ewe,
And mak a kebbuck weel, O.
"She'll win in your barn at bear-seed time,
Cast out your muck at Yule, O,
She'll saddle your steed in time o' need,
And draw off your boots hersel', O."
(kebbuck, cheese. win, go.)
"Have not I no clergymen?
Pay I no clergy fee, O?
Ill scheel her as I think fit,
And as I think weel to be, O.
[Original]
"I'll learn your lassie to read and write,
And I'll put her to the scheel, O;
Shell neither need to saddle my steed,
Nor draw off my boots hersel', O.
"But wha will bake my bridal bread,
Or brew my bridal ale, O;
And wha will welcome my bonny bride,
Is mair than I can tell, O."
Drum is to the hielands gane,
For to mak a' ready,
And a' the gentry round about,
Cried, "Yonder's Drum and his lady!
"Peggy Coutts is a very bonny bride,
And Drum is a wealthy laddy,
But he might hae chosen a higher match,
Than ony shepherd's lassie."
Then up bespak his brither John,
Says, "Ye've deen us mickle wrang, O;
Ye've married een below our degree,
A lake to a' our kin, O."
"Hold your tongue, my brither John,
I have deen you na wrang, O;
For I've married een to work and win,
And ye've married een to spend, O.
"The first time that I had a wife,
She was far abeen my degree, O;
I durst na come in her presence,
But wi' my hat upo' my knee, O.
(lake, reproach.)
"The first wife that I did wed,
She was far abeen my degree, O;
She wadna hae walk'd to the yetts o' Drum,
But the pearls abeen her bree, O.
"But an' she was ador'd for as much gold,
As Peggy's for beauty, O,
She might walk to the yetts o' Drum,
Amang geed company, O."
There war four and twenty gentlemen
Stood at the yetts o' Drum, O;
There was na ane amang them a'
That welcom'd his lady in, O.
He has tane her by the milk-white hand,
And led her in himsel', O,
And in thro' ha's, and in thro' bowers,—
"And ye're welcome, Lady o' Drum, O."
Thrice he kissed her cherry cheek,
And thrice her cherry chin, O;
And twenty times her comely mou',—
"And ye're welcome, Lady o' Drum, O.
"Ye sall be cook in my kitchen,
Butler in my ha', O;
Ye sall be lady in my command,
Whan I ride far awa, O."—
(bree, brow.)
"But I told ye afore we war wed,
I was ower low for thee, O;
But now we are wed, and in ae bed laid,
And ye maun be content wi' me, O.
"For an' I war dead, and ye war dead,
And baith in ae grave laid, O,
And ye and I war tane up again,
Wha could distan your moulds frae mine, O?"