The Queen was sitting at the cards,
The King ahint her back;
And aye she dealed the red honours,
And aye she dealed the black;
And syne unto the dourest Prince
She spak richt courteouslie;—
"Now will ye play, Lord Admiral,
Now will ye play wi' me?"
The dourest Prince he bit his lip,
And his brow was black as glaur;
"The only game that e'er I play
Is the bluidy game o' war!"
"And gin ye play at that, young man,
It weel may cost ye sair;
Ye'd better stick to the game at cards,
For you'll win nae honours there!"
The King he leuch, and the Queen she leuch,
Till the tears ran blithely doon;
But the Admiral he raved and swore,
Till they kicked him frae the room.
The harper came, and the harper sang,
And O but they were fain;
For when he had sung the gude sang twice,
They called for it again.
It was the sang o' the Field o' Gowd,
In the days of anld langsyne;
When bauld King Henry crossed the seas,
Wi' his brither King to dine.
And aye he harped, and aye he carped,
Till up the Queen she sprang—
"I'll wad a County Palatine,
Gude Walter made that sang."
Three days had come, three days had gane,
The fourth began to fa',
When our gude Queen to the Frenchman said,
"It's time I was awa!
"O, bonny are the fields o' France,
And saftly draps the rain;
But my barnies are in Windsor Tower,
And greeting a' their lane.