| |
I
‘ADIEU, madame, my mother dear, | |
| But and my sisters three! | |
| Adieu, fair Robert of Orchardstane! | |
| My heart is wae for thee. | |
| |
II
‘Adieu, the lily and the rose, | 5 |
| The primrose fair to see; | |
| Adieu, my ladye, and only joy! | |
| For I may not stay with thee. | |
| |
III
‘Though I hae slain the Lord Johnstone, | |
| What care I for their feid? | 10 |
| My noble mind does still incline— | |
| He was my father’s deid. | |
| |
IV
‘Both night and day I labour’d oft | |
| Of him avenged to be; | |
| But now I’ve got what lang I sought | 15 |
| And I may not stay with thee. | |
| |
V
‘Adieu! Drumlanrig, false wert aye, | |
| And Closeburn in a band! | |
| The Laird of Lag, frae my father that fled, | |
| When the Johnstone struck aff his hand. | 20 |
| |
VI
‘They were three brethren in a band— | |
| Joy may they never see! | |
| Their treacherous art, and cowardly heart, | |
| Has twined my love and me. | |
| |
VII
‘Adieu! Dumfries, my proper place, | 25 |
| But and Carlaverock fair! | |
| Adieu! my castle of the Thrieve, | |
| Wi’ a’ my buildings there! | |
| |
VIII
‘Adieu! Lochmaben’s gate sae fair, | |
| And Langholm, where birks there be; | 30 |
| Adieu! my ladye, and only joy, | |
| For I may not stay wi’ thee. | |
| |
IX
‘Adieu! Fair Eskdale up and down, | |
| Where my puir friends do dwell; | |
| The bangisters will ding them down, | 35 |
| And will them sair compell. | |
| |
X
‘But I’ll avenge their feid mysell, | |
| When I come o’er the sea; | |
| Adieu! my ladye, and only joy, | |
| For I may not stay wi’ thee.’— | 40 |
| |
XI
‘Lord of the land, will you go then | |
| Unto my father’s place, | |
| And walk into their gardens green, | |
| And I will you embrace. | |
| |
XII
‘There Hamiltons, and Douglas baith, | 45 |
| Shall rise to succour thee.’— | |
| ‘Thanks for thy kindness, fair my dame, | |
| But I may not stay wi’ thee.’— | |
| |
XIII
Then he tuik aff a gay gold ring, | |
| Thereat hang signets three; | 50 |
| ‘Hae, tak thee that, mine ain kind thing, | |
| And still hae mind o’ me! | |
| |
XIV
‘But if thou take another lord, | |
| Ere I come ower the sea, | |
| His life is but a three days’ lease, | 55 |
| Though I may not stay wi’ thee.’ | |
| |
XV
The wind was fair, the ship was clear, | |
| That good lord went away; | |
| And most part of his friends were there, | |
| To give him a fair convey. | 60 |
| |
XVI
They drank the wine, they didna spare | |
| Even in that gude lord’s sight— | |
| Sae now he ’s o’er the floods sae gray, | |
| And Lord Maxwell has ta’en his Goodnight. | |
| | | GLOSS: my father’s deid] the death of my father. twined] parted. bangisters] lawless folk. |
|
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