Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, III, 64,
ed. 1803; I, 299, ed. 1833; "taken from two manuscript copies,
collated with several verses recited by the editor's friend, Robert Hamilton, Esq., Advocate."
| 1 |
The king sits in Dumfermline town,
Drinking the blude-red wine: O
'O whare will I get a skeely skipper,
To sail this new ship of mine?' O |
| 2 |
O up and spake an eldern knight,
Sat at the king's right knee:
'Sir Patrick Spens is the best sailor
That ever saild the sea.' |
| 3 |
Our king has written a braid letter,
And seald it with his hand,
And sent it to Sir Patrick Spens,
Was walking on the strand. |
| 4 |
'To Noroway, to Noroway,
To Noroway oer the faem;
The king's daughter of Noroway,
'Tis thou maun bring her hame.' |
| 5 |
The first word that Sir Patrick read,
Sae loud, loud laughed he;
The neist word that Sir Patrick read,
The tear blinded his ee. |
| 6 |
'O wha is this has done this deed,
And tauld the king o me,
To send us out at this time of the year
To sail upon the sea? |
| 7 |
'Be it wind, be it weet, be it hail, be it sleet,
Our ship must sail the faem;
The king's daughter of Noroway,
'Tis we must fetch her hame.' |
| 8 |
They hoysed their sails on Monenday morn,
Wi a' the speed they may;
They hae landed in Noroway,
Upon a Wodensday. |
| 9 |
They hadna been a week, a week
In Noroway but twae,
When that the lords o Noroway
Began aloud to say: |
| 10 |
'Ye Scottishmen spend a' our king's goud,
And a' our queenis fee!'
'Ye lie, ye lie, ye liars loud,
Fu loud I hear ye lie! |
| 11 |
'For I brought as much white monie
As gane my men and me,
And I brought a half-fou o gude red goud
Out oer the sea wi me. |
| 12 |
'Make ready, make ready, my merrymen a',
Our gude ship sails the morn:'
'Now, ever alake! my master dear,
I fear a deadly storm! |
| 13 |
'I saw the new moo late yestreen,
Wi the auld moon in her arm;
And if we gang to sea, master,
I fear we'll come to harm.' |
| 14 |
They hadna sailed a league, a league,
A league but barely three,
When the lift grew dark, and the wind blew loud,
And gurly grew the sea. |
| 15 |
The ankers brak, and the topmasts lap,
It was sic a deadly storm,
And the waves came oer the broken ship,
Till a' her sides were torn. |
| 16 |
'O where will I get a gude sailor,
To take my helm in hand,
Till I get up to the tall topmast,
To see if I can spy land?' |
| 17 |
'O here am I, a sailor gude,
To take the helm in hand,
Till you go up to the tall topmast;
But I fear you'll neer spy land.' |
| 18 |
He hadna gane a step, a step,
A step but barely ane,
When a bout flew out of our goodly ship,
And the salt sea it came in. |
| 19 |
'Gae fetch a web o the silken claith,
Another o the twine,
And wap them into our ship's side,
And letna the sea come in.' |
| 20 |
They fetched a web o the silken claith,
Another o the twine,
And they wapped them roun that gude ship's side,
But still the sea came in. |
| 21 |
O laith, laith were our gude Scots lords
To weet their cork-heeld shoon;
But lang or a' the play was playd,
They wat their hats aboon. |
| 22 |
And mony was the feather-bed
That flattered on the faem,
And mony was the gude lord's son
That never mair cam hame. |
| 23 |
The ladyes wrang their fingers white,
The maidens tore their hair,
A' for the sake of their true loves,
For them they'll see na mair. |
| 24 |
O lang, lang may the ladyes sit,
Wi their fans into their hand,
Before they see Sir Patrick Spens
Come sailing to the strand. |
| 25 |
And lang, lang may the maidens sit,
Wi their goud kaims in their hair,
A' waiting for their ain dear loves,
For them they'll see na mair. |
| 26 |
O forty miles off Aberdeen
'Tis fifty fathoms deep,
And there lies gude Sir Patrick Spens,
Wi the Scots lords at his feet. |
