| 1 |
It was intill a pleasant time,
Upon a simmer's day,
The noble Earl of Mar's daughter
Went forth to sport and play. |
| 2 |
As thus she did amuse hersell,
Below a green aik tree,
There she was a sprightly doo
Set on a tower sae hie. |
| 3 |
'O Cow-me-doo, my love sae true,
If ye'll come down to me,
Ye'se hae a cage o guid red gowd
Instead o simple tree: |
| 4 |
'I'll put gowd hingers roun your cage,
And siller roun your wa;
I'll gar ye shine as fair a bird
As ony o them a'.' |
| 5 |
But she hadnae these words well spoke,
Nor yet these words well said,
Till Cow-me-doo flew frae the tower
And lighted on her head. |
| 6 |
Then she has brought this pretty bird
Hame to her bowers and ha,
And made him shine as fair a bird
As ony o them a'. |
| 7 |
When day was gane, and night was come,
About the evening tide,
This lady spied a sprightly youth
Stand straight up by her side. |
| 8 |
'From whence came ye, young man?' she said;
'That does surprise me sair;
My door was bolted right secure,
What way hae ye come here?' |
| 9 |
'O had your tongue, ye lady fair,
Lat a' your folly be;
Mind ye not on your turtle-doo
Last day ye brought wi thee?' |
| 10 |
'O tell me mair, young man,' she said,
'This does surprise me now;
What country hae ye come frae?
What pedigree are you?' |
| 11 |
'My mither lives on foreign isles,
She has nae mair but me;
She is a queen o wealth and state,
And birth and high degree. |
| 12 |
'Likewise well skilld in magic spells,
As ye may plainly see,
And she transformd me to yon shape,
To charm such maids as thee. |
| 13 |
'I am a doo the live-lang day,
A sprightly youth at night;
This aye gars me appear mair fair
In a fair maiden's sight. |
| 14 |
'And it was but this verra day
That I came ower the sea;
Your lovely face did me enchant;
I'll live and dee wi thee.' |
| 15 |
'O Cow-me-doo, my luve sae true,
Nae mair frae me ye'se gae;'
'That's never my intent, my luve,
As ye said, it shall be sae.' |
| 16 |
'O Cow-me-doo, my luve sae true,
It's time to gae to bed;'
'Wi a' my heart, my dear marrow,
It's be as ye hae said.' |
| 17 |
Then he has staid in bower wi her
For sax lang years and ane,
Till sax young sons to him she bare,
And the seventh she's brought hame. |
| 18 |
But aye as ever a child was born
He carried them away,
And brought them to his mither's care,
As fast as he coud fly. |
| 19 |
Thus he has staid in bower wi her
For twenty years and three;
There came a lord o high renown
To court this fari ladie. |
| 20 |
But still his proffer she refused,
And a' his presents too;
Says, I'm content to live alane
Wi my bird, Cow-me-doo. |
| 21 |
Her father sware a solemn oath
Amang the nobles all,
'The morn, or ere I eat or drink,
This bird I will gar kill.' |
| 22 |
The bird was sitting in his cage,
And heard what they did say;
And when he found they were dismist,
Says, Wae's me for this day! |
| 23 |
'Before that I do langer stay,
And thus to be forlorn,
I'll gang unto my mither's bower,
Where I was bred and born.' |
| 24 |
Then Cow-me-doo took flight and flew
Beyond the raging sea,
And lighted near his mither's castle,
On a tower a gowd sae hie. |
| 25 |
As his mither was wauking out,
To see what she coud see,
And there she saw her little son,
Set on the tower sae hie. |
| 26 |
'Get dancers here to dance,' she said,
'And minstrells for to play;
For here's my young son, Florentine,
Come here wi me to stay.' |
| 27 |
'get nae dancers to dance, mither,
Nor minstrells for to play,
For the mither o my seven sons,
The morn's her wedding-day.' |
| 28 |
'O tell me, tell me, Florentine,
Tell me, and tell me true,
Tell me this day without a flaw,
What I will do for you.' |
| 29 |
'Instead of dancers to dance, mither,
Or minstrells for to play,
Turn four-and-twenty wall-wight men
Like storks in feathers gray; |
| 30 |
'My seven sons in seven swans,
Aboon their heads to flee;
And I mysell a gay gos-hawk,
A bird o high degree.' |
| 31 |
Then sichin said the queen hersell,
'That thing's too high for me;'
But she applied to an auld woman,
Who had mair skill than she. |
| 32 |
Instead o dancers to dance a dance,
Or minstrells for to play,
Four-and-twenty wall-wight men
Turnd birds o feathers gray; |
| 33 |
Her seven sons in seven swans,
Aboon their heads to flee;
And he himsell a gay gos-hawk,
A bird o high degree. |
| 34 |
This flock o birds took flight and flew
Beyond the raging sea,
And landed near the Earl Mar's castle,
Took shelter in every tree. |
| 35 |
They were a flock o pretty birds,
Right comely to be seen;
The people viewd them wi surprise,
As they dancd on the green. |
| 36 |
These birds ascended frae the tree
And lighted on the ha,
And at the last wi force did flee
Amang the nobles a'. |
| 37 |
The storks there seized some o the men,
They coud neither fight nor flee;
The swans they bound the bride's best man
Below a green aik tree. |
| 38 |
They lighted next on maidens fair,
Then on the bride's own head,
And wi the twinkling o an ee
The bride and them were fled. |
| 39 |
There's ancient men at weddings been
For sixty years or more,
But sic a curious wedding-day
They never saw before. |
| 40 |
For naething coud the companie do,
Nor naething coud they say
But they saw a flock o pretty birds
That took their bride away. |
| 41 |
When the Earl Mar he came to know
Where his dochter did stay,
He signd a bond o unity,
And visits now they pay. |
