| |
I
IT fell about the Martinmas, | |
| When the wind blew shrill and cauld, | |
| Said Edom o’ Gordon to his men, | |
| ‘We maun draw to a hauld. | |
| |
II
‘And what a hauld sall we draw to, | 5 |
| My merry men and me? | |
| We will gae to the house o’ the Rodes, | |
| To see that fair ladye.’ | |
| |
III
The lady stood on her castle wa’, | |
| Beheld baith dale and down; | 10 |
| There she was ’ware of a host of men | |
| Cam’ riding towards the town. | |
| |
IV
‘O see ye not, my merry men a’, | |
| O see ye not what I see? | |
| Methinks I see a host of men; | 15 |
| I marvel wha they be.’ | |
| |
V
She ween’d it had been her lovely lord, | |
| As he cam riding hame; | |
| It was the traitor, Edom o’ Gordon, | |
| Wha reck’d nae sin nor shame. | 20 |
| |
VI
She had nae sooner buskit hersell, | |
| And putten on her gown, | |
| But Edom o’ Gordon an’ his men | |
| Were round about the town. | |
| |
VII
They had nae sooner supper set, | 25 |
| Nae sooner said the grace, | |
| But Edom o’ Gordon an’ his men | |
| Were lighted about the place. | |
| |
VIII
The lady ran up to her tower-head, | |
| Sae fast as she could hie, | 30 |
| To see if by her fair speeches | |
| She could wi’ him agree. | |
| |
IX
‘Come doun to me, ye lady gay, | |
| Come doun, come doun to me; | |
| This night sall ye lig within mine arms, | 35 |
| To-morrow my bride sall be.’— | |
| |
X
‘I winna come down, ye fals Gordon, | |
| I winna come down to thee; | |
| I winna forsake my ain dear lord, | |
| That is sae far frae me.’— | 40 |
| |
XI
‘Gie owre your house, ye lady fair, | |
| Gie owre your house to me; | |
| Or I sall brenn yoursel therein, | |
| But and your babies three.’— | |
| |
XII
‘I winna gie owre, ye fals Gordon, | 45 |
| To nae sic traitor as yee; | |
| And if ye brenn my ain dear babes, | |
| My lord sall mak ye dree. | |
| |
XIII
‘Now reach my pistol, Glaud, my man, | |
| And charge ye weel my gun; | 50 |
| For, but an I pierce that bluidy butcher, | |
| My babes, we been undone!’ | |
| |
XIV
She stood upon her castle wa’, | |
| And let twa bullets flee: | |
| She miss’d that bluidy butcher’s heart, | 55 |
| And only razed his knee. | |
| |
XV
‘Set fire to the house!’ quo’ fals Gordon, | |
| All wud wi’ dule and ire: | |
| ‘Fals lady, ye sall rue this deid | |
| As ye brenn in the fire!’— | 60 |
| |
XVI
‘Wae worth, wae worth ye, Jock, my man! | |
| I paid ye weel your fee; | |
| Why pu’ ye out the grund-wa’ stane, | |
| Lets in the reek to me? | |
| |
XVII
‘And e’en wae worth ye, Jock, my man! | 65 |
| I paid ye weel your hire; | |
| Why pu’ ye out the grund-wa’ stane, | |
| To me lets in the fire?’— | |
| |
XVIII
‘Ye paid me weel my hire, ladye, | |
| Ye paid me weel my fee: | 70 |
| But now I’m Edom o’ Gordon’s man, | |
| Maun either do or dee.’ | |
| |
XIX
O then bespake her little son, | |
| Sat on the nurse’s knee: | |
| Says, ‘Mither dear, gie owre this house, | 75 |
| For the reek it smithers me.’— | |
| |
XX
‘I wad gie a’ my gowd, my bairn, | |
| Sae wad I a’ my fee, | |
| For ae blast o’ the western wind, | |
| To blaw the reek frae thee.’ | 80 |
| |
XXI
O then bespake her dochter dear— | |
| She was baith jimp and sma’: | |
| ‘O row me in a pair o’ sheets, | |
| And tow me owre the wa’!’ | |
| |
XXII
They row’d her in a pair o’ sheets, | 85 |
| And tow’d her owre the wa’; | |
| But on the point o’ Gordon’s spear | |
| She gat a deadly fa’. | |
| |
XXIII
O bonnie, bonnie was her mouth, | |
| And cherry were her cheiks, | 90 |
| And clear, clear was her yellow hair, | |
| Whereon the red blood dreips. | |
| |
XXIV
Then wi’ his spear he turn’d her owre; | |
| O gin her face was wane! | |
| He said, ‘Ye are the first that e’er | 95 |
| I wish’d alive again.’ | |
| |
XXV
He turn’d her owre and owre again; | |
| O gin her skin was white! | |
| ‘I might hae spared that bonnie face | |
| To hae been some man’s delight. | 100 |
| |
XXVI
‘Busk and boun, my merry men a’, | |
| For ill dooms I do guess; | |
| I canna look in that bonnie face | |
| As it lies on the grass.’— | |
| |
XXVII
‘Wha looks to freits, my master dear, | 105 |
| It’s freits will follow them; | |
| Let it ne’er be said that Edom o’ Gordon | |
| Was daunted by a dame.’ | |
| |
XXVIII
But when the lady saw the fire | |
| Come flaming owre her head, | 110 |
| She wept, and kiss’d her children twain, | |
| Says, ‘Bairns, we been but dead.’ | |
| |
XXIX
The Gordon then his bugle blew, | |
| And said, ‘Awa’, awa’! | |
| This house o’ the Rodes is a’ in a flame; | 115 |
| I hauld it time to ga’.’ | |
| |
XXX
And this way lookit her ain dear lord, | |
| As he cam owre the lea; | |
| He saw his castle a’ in a lowe, | |
| As far as he could see. | 120 |
| |
XXXI
Then sair, O sair, his mind misgave, | |
| And all his heart was wae: | |
| ‘Put on, put on, my wighty men, | |
| Sae fast as ye can gae. | |
| |
XXXII
‘Put on, put on, my wighty men, | 125 |
| Sae fast as ye can drie! | |
| For he that’s hindmost o’ the thrang | |
| Sall ne’er get good o’ me.’ | |
| |
XXXIII
Then some they rade, and some they ran, | |
| Out-owre the grass and bent; | 130 |
| But ere the foremost could win up, | |
| Baith lady and babes were brent. | |
| |
XXXIV
And after the Gordon he is gane, | |
| Sae fast as he might drie; | |
| And soon i’ the Gordon’s foul heart’s blude | 135 |
| He’s wroken his dear ladye. | |
| | | GLOSS: hauld] place of shelter. town] stead. buskit] attired. dree] suffer. wud] mad. grund-wa’] ground-wall. jimp] slender, trim. row] wrap. Busk and boun] trim up and prepare to go. freits] ill omens. lowe] flame. wighty] sturdy, active. wroken] avenged. |
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