F
a. Manuscript of David Louden, Morham, Haddington, p. 7, 1873; from Mrs Dickson, Rentonhall, derived from her great-grandmother. b. Macmath MS., p. 13; from Mr William Traquair, S. S. C., Edinburgh, obtained originally in Perthshire.
1
‘Oh, will ye fancy me, fair maid?
Oh, will ye fancy me? O
Or will ye go to be ladye o the Drum,
An let a’ your shearin abe? O
An let a’ your shearin abe? O
An let a’ your shearin abe ?’ O
2
‘I can neither read nor write,
Nor neer been brocht up at schule;
But I can do all other things,
An keep a hoose richt weel.
3
‘My faither he’s a puir shepherd-man,
Herds his hogs on yonder hill;
Gin ye will go get his consent,
Then I’ll be at your call.’
4
He has gane to her father,
That herds hogs on yonder hill;
He said, ‘You’ve got a pretty daughter,
I’d fain tak her to my sel.’
5
‘She can neither read nor write,
Was neer brocht up at schule;
But she can do all other things,
An I learnt aye the lassie my sel.
6
‘She’ll milk your cows, she’ll carry your corn,
She’ll gang to the mill or the kiln;
She’ll saddle your steed at any time of need,
And she’ll brush up your boots hersel.’
7
‘It’s who will bake my bridal bread?
Or who will brew my ale?
Or who will welcome this bonnie lassie in?
For it’s more than I can tell.’
8
There’s four-and-twenty gentlemen
Stand doun at the gate o the Drum;
Not one of them all would take off his hat
For to welcome the bonnie lassie in.
9
. . . . . . .
. . . . . . .
‘Oh, brother, you’ve married a wife this day
A disgrace to all our kin.’
10
‘Oh, brother, I’ve married a wife to win,
And ye’ve got one to spen,
And as long as the bonnie lassie walks out and in
She shall aye be the ladye o the Drum.’
11
When all was done, and no bells rung,
And all men bound for their bed,
The laird and the shepherd’s bonnie daughter
In one bed they were laid.
12
‘Though I’m not of as noble blood,
Nor yet of as high degree,
Now I lie locked in your arms two,
And you must be contented wi me.
13
‘If you were dead, and I were dead,
And baith laid in one grave,
If we were baith to be raised up again,
Wha would ken your dust frae mine?
A. a.
13. wellfar’d May.
21. fair May: rare May.
24. as thee May.
17. This stanza looks like a spurious addition.
b. Kinloch has taken fourteen of the seventeen stanzas of a (all but 1, 2, 17) into his printed copy, with a change of a word here and there (not here noticed), as was his way. The remaining ten stanzas must be from recitation, if Kinloch is to be understood strictly.
1.
The laird o Drum is a-wooing gane;
It was on a morning early;
And he has fawn in wi a bonnie may,
A-shearing at her barley.
2.
‘My bonnie may, my weel-faurd may,
O will ye fancy me, O
And gae and be the lady o Drum,
And lat your shearing abee?’ O
3.
‘It’s I canna fancy thee, kind sir,
I winna fancy thee;
I winna gae and be lady o Drum,
And lat my shearing abee.’
After 3.
My father he is a shepherd mean,
Keeps sheep on yonder hill,
And ye may gae and spier at him,
For I am at his will.
4. Drum: and always.
After 7:
‘I’ll learn your lassie to read and write,
And I’ll put her to the scheel;
She’ll neither need to saddle my steed,
Nor draw aff my boots hersell.
‘But wha will bake my bridal bread,
Or brew my bridal ale,
And wha will welcome my bonnie bride,
Is mair than I can tell.’
104. lake for stain, and so entered in pencil in the MS.
After 12:
‘The first wife that I did wed,
She was far abeen my degree;
She wadna hae walkd to the yetts o Drum
But the pearls abeen her bree.
‘But an she was adord for as much gold
As Peggie’s for beautie,
She micht walk to the yetts o Drum
Amang gueed companie.’
163. in my command, a plausible reading.
After 16:
‘But I told ye afore we war wed
I was owre low for thee;
But now we are wed, and in ae bed laid,
And ye maun be content wi me.
‘For an I war dead, and ye war dead,
And baith in ae grave laid,
And ye and I war tane up again,
Wha could distan your mouls frae mine?’
O is added to the second and fourth lines except when the rhyme is in two syllables, as in 1.
B.
Title. The Laird o Doune. So written twice: at p. 75 by anticipation, again at p. 78.
14. daighterie (i undotted): daghter he?
31. May: and always.
44, 114. May added, for singing.
64. Sir added for singing.
No division into stanzas, and no indication of gaps. The deficiency at the end of 163 is noted by ...
D. a.
O is added (for singing) to the second and fourth verse of every stanza except 1, 4, which have two-syllable rhyme.
19 is by mistake printed twice.
b. O added as in a.
21. me, bonny lassie.
23. O will ye fancy me, bonny lassie.
24. And lat your shearing be.
34, 44. whore for miss.
41. ye cast.
74. And wanting.
12, 13. Wanting.
162,4, 192. above for abeen.
165. durst not.
172. all man.
19. Repeated, as in a.
202. in your grave: lien.
Dixon made changes in printing this copy.
c.
O is not added as in a.
13. he has spied.
21. you.
33. lady o.
51. go you.
71. winn.
72. mill or.
94. Drum was come.
104. is a’ your ain.
122. in robes.
144. all your.
191. you weel ere.
20.
Gin we were dead, and in grave laid,
And then taen up again,
I doubt they would look wi a gay clear ee
That would ken your dust frae mine.
In Robertson’s annotated and interleaved copy, besides some readings from E, there are noted in the margin the following:
72. to your mill and your kill.
93. But there was nae ane did lift.
173. and the herd’s dochter.
191. you before that we. This stanza twice, as in a.
20 as in a.
d.
O is not added as in a, b.
12. Upon a.
13. he has spied.
22. O will you fancy me.
24. An let your shearin abee.
31. said.
32. abee.
33. For wanting. I’m far ower: lady o.
34. your whore I winna.
4, 5. Wanting.
61. her auld faither.
62. Kept sheep upon the.
63. Wanting.
64. That the may was at his will.
7.
But my daughter can neither read nor write,
She was never at the schule;
But she’ll saddle your steed in time of need,
An draw aff your boots hersel.
83. my bonny bride.
84. Is more.
91. gentlemen.
92. Stood at.
93. There was na ane that lifted.
94. Drum was come.
103. lady o.
104. is a’ your ain.
11–13. Wanting.
141. Out an spake his brither John.
144. a’ your.
151. Out an.
153. to save my gear.
161. the first time I had a wife.
163,4. I durstna, etc., 5,6 come before 3,4.
172. to bed.
173. an the weel-faured may.
191. afore we.
193. we are: in ae.
194. An I’m: as thee.
202. in ae grave lain.
203. were come an gane.
204. Wha could ken your mools.
E.
O is appended, as in D a, b, except in 1, 4, 5.
F. a.
“Mrs Dickson says her mother used to say she has heard her (her mother’s) grandmother sing the following ballad with great glee. Air, Boyne Water.”
93,4, 10 are given as one stanza, the last two lines “instead of repeat.”
O is appended throughout.
b.
Variations given only in part.
O is appended as in D, E.
Begins:
The laird o the Drum a hunting went,
One morning very early,
And there he spied a bonny, bonny may,
A shearing at the barley.
1.
‘And could ye fancy a gentleman?
An wad ye married be? O
Or wad ye be the lady o the Drum?
I pray ye tell to me.’
‘I could, etc.
And I wad, etc.
But for to be the lady o the Drum,
It’s by far too high for me.’
2. Wanting.
32, 42. Feeding sheep.
34. I’m entirely at his will. (Good prose: cf. 53.)
43,4. It’s I am in love wi your daughter, And I’ll.
53. But for all other things she’ll do very well.
61,2. Wanting.
7. Wanting.
82. Stood all at.
83. And nane o them would put their hand to their hat.
9.
‘O brother, you’ve married a wife the day,
And you have done much ill;
O brother you’ve married a wife today
A scorn to a’ your kin.’
101,2. I’ve got a wife to win my bread, And you’ve got ane to spend it.
103,4. Wanting.
After 10:
The first wife that I married,
She was far above my degree;
I durst na enter the room she was in
But wi hat below my knee.
11–13. Wanting.