| |
I
O HEARD ye na o’ the silly blind Harper, | |
| How long he lived in Lochmaben town? | |
| And how he wad gang to fair England, | |
| To steal King Henry’s Wanton Brown? | |
| |
II
But first he gaed to his gude wyfe, | 5 |
| Wi’ a’ the haste that he could thole— | |
| ‘This wark,’ quo’ he, ‘will ne’er gae weel, | |
| Without a mare that has a foal.’— | |
| |
III
Quo’ she, ‘Thou hast a gude gray mare, | |
| That’ll rin o’er hills baith laigh and hie; | 10 |
| Sae set thee on the gray mare’s back, | |
| And leave the foal at hame wi’ me.’ | |
| |
IV
So he is up to England gane, | |
| And even as fast as he can hie; | |
| And when he cam to Carlisle gate, | 15 |
| O whae was there but the King Henrye? | |
| |
V
‘Come into my hall, thou silly blind Harper, | |
| And of thy harping let me hear!’— | |
| ‘O, by my sooth,’ quo’ the silly blind Harper, | |
| ‘I’d rather hae stabling for my mare.’ | 20 |
| |
VI
The King look’d ower his left shoulder, | |
| And said unto his stable groom; | |
| ‘Gae take the silly blind Harper’s mare, | |
| And tie her beside my Wanton Brown.’ | |
| |
VII
Then aye he harpit, and aye he carpit, | 25 |
| Till a’ the lordlings footed the floor; | |
| They thought the music was sae sweet, | |
| They had nae mind o’ the stable door. | |
| |
VIII
And aye he harpit, and aye he carpit, | |
| Till a’ the nobles were fast asleep; | 30 |
| Then quietly he took aff his shoon, | |
| And saftly down the stair did creep. | |
| |
IX
Syne to the stable door he hied, | |
| Wi’ tread as light as light could be; | |
| And when he open’d and gaed in, | 35 |
| There he fand thirty steeds and three. | |
| |
X
He took a colt halter frae his hose, | |
| And o’ his purpose he didna fail; | |
| He slipt it owre the Wanton’s nose, | |
| And tied it to his gray mare’s tail. | 40 |
| |
XI
He turn’d them loose at the castle gate, | |
| Owre muir and moss and ilka dale; | |
| And she ne’er let the Wanton bait, | |
| But kept him still gaun to her tail. | |
| |
XII
The mare she was right swift o’ foot, | 45 |
| She didna fail to find the way; | |
| For she was at Lochmaben gate | |
| Fu’ lang three hours before the day. | |
| |
XIII
When she came to the Harper’s door, | |
| There she gave mony a nicker and sneer— | 50 |
| ‘Rise up,’ quo’ the wife, ‘thou lazy lass; | |
| Let in thy master and his mare!’ | |
| |
XIV
Then up she rose, put on her clothes, | |
| And keekit out through the lock-hole— | |
| ‘O! by my sooth,’ then cried the lass, | 55 |
| ‘Our mare has gotten a braw brown foal!’— | |
| |
XV
‘Come haud thy tongue, thou foolish lass! | |
| The moon ’s but glancing in your ee. | |
| I’ll wad my hail fee against a groat, | |
| He ’s bigger than e’er our foal will be.’ | 60 |
| |
XVI
Now all this while in merry Carlisle | |
| The Harper harpit to hie and law; | |
| And the fiend dought they do but listen him to, | |
| Until that the day began to daw. | |
| |
XVII
But on the morn at fair daylight, | 65 |
| When they had ended a’ their cheer, | |
| Behold the Wanton Brown was gane, | |
| And eke the poor blind Harper’s mare! | |
| |
XVIII
‘Allace! allace!’ quo’ the silly blind Harper, | |
| ‘And ever allace that I cam here! | 70 |
| In Scotland I’ve tint a braw colt-foal, | |
| In England they’ve stown my gude gray mare!’— | |
| |
XIX
‘Come! cease thy allacing, thou silly blind Harper, | |
| And again of thy harping let us hear; | |
| And weel paid sall thy colt-foal be, | 75 |
| And thou sall have a far better mare.’ | |
| |
XX
Then aye he harpit, and aye Le carpit; | |
| Sae sweet were the harpings he let them hear! | |
| He was paid for the foal he had never lost, | |
| And three times ower for the gude gray mare. | 80 |
| | | GLOSS: thole] suffer, be capable of. laigh] low. carpit] sang, recited. nicker and sneer] whinny and snort. wad my hail fee] bet my whole wages. fiend dought they do] the deuce could they do. |
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