She's taen her mantle her about,
Her coiffer by the band;
And she is on to Charter-woods,
As fast as she coud gang.
65 She hadna poud a rose, a rose,
Nor braken a branch but ane,
Till by it came him, Tam-a-Line,
Says, "Ladye, lat alane."
"O! why pou ye the pile, Margaret,
70 The pile o' the gravil green,
For to destroy the bonny bairn
That we got us between?
"O! why pou ye the pile, Margaret,
The pile o' the gravil gray,
75 For to destroy the bonny bairn
That we got in our play?
"For if it be a knave bairn,
He's heir o' a' my land;
But if it be a lass bairn,
80 In red gowd she shall gang."
"If my luve were an earthly man,
As he's an elfin grey,
I coud gang bound, luve, for your sake,
A twalmonth and a day."
85 "Indeed your luve's an earthly man,
The same as well as thee;
And lang I've haunted Charter-woods,
A' for your fair bodie."
"O! tell me, tell me, Tam-a-Line,
90 O! tell, an' tell me true;
Tell me this nicht, an' mak' nae lee,
What pedigree are you?"
"O! I hae been at gude church-door,
An' I've got christendom;
95 I'm the Earl o' Forbes' eldest son,
An' heir ower a' his land.