| |
| IT fell about the Lammas-tide, | |
| When the muir-men win their hay, | |
| The doughty Douglas bound him to ride | |
| Into England, to drive a prey. | |
| |
| He chose the Gordons and the Græmes, | 5 |
| With them the Lindesays, light and gay; | |
| But the Jardines wald not with him ride, | |
| And they rue it to this day. | |
| |
| And he has burned the dales of Tyne, | |
| And part of Bambrough shire; | 10 |
| And three good towers on Reidswire fells, | |
| He left them all on fire. | |
| |
| And he marched up to Newcastle, | |
| And rode it round about; | |
| “O, wha ’s the lord of this castle, | 15 |
| Or wha ’s the lady o’t?” | |
| |
| But up spake proud Lord Percy then, | |
| And O but he spake hie! | |
| “I am the lord of this castle, | |
| My wife ’s the lady gay.” | 20 |
| |
| “If thou ’rt the lord of this castle, | |
| Sae weel it pleases me! | |
| For, ere I cross the Border fells, | |
| The tane of us shall dee.” | |
| |
| He took a lang spear in his hand, | 25 |
| Shod with the metal free, | |
| And for to meet the Douglas there | |
| He rode right furiouslie. | |
| |
| But O how pale his lady looked, | |
| Frae aff the castle wa’, | 30 |
| When down before the Scottish spear | |
| She saw proud Percy fa’. | |
| |
| “Had we twa been upon the green, | |
| And never an eye to see, | |
| I wad hae had you, flesh and fell; | 35 |
| But your sword sail gae wi’ me. | |
| |
| “But gae ye up to Otterbourne, | |
| And wait there dayis three; | |
| And if I come not ere three dayis end, | |
| A fause knight ca’ ye me.” * * * * * | 40 |
| They lighted high on Otterbourne, | |
| Upon the bent sae brown; | |
| They lighted high on Otterbourne, | |
| And threw their pallions down. | |
| |
| And he that had a bonnie boy | 45 |
| Sent out his horse to grass; | |
| And he that had not a bonnie boy | |
| His ain servant he was. | |
| |
| But up then spake a little page, | |
| Before the peep of dawn,— | 50 |
| “O, waken ye, waken ye, my good lord, | |
| For Percy ’s hard at hand.” | |
| |
| “Ye lie, ye lie, ye liar loud! | |
| Sae loud I hear ye lie: | |
| For Percy had not men yestreen | 55 |
| To dight my men and me. | |
| |
| “But I have dreamed a dreary dream, | |
| Beyond the Isle of Sky; | |
| I saw a dead man win a fight, | |
| And I think that man was I.” | 60 |
| |
| He belted on his guid braid sword, | |
| And to the field he ran; | |
| But he forgot the helmet good, | |
| That should have kept his brain. | |
| |
| When Percy wi’ the Douglas met, | 65 |
| I wat he was fu’ fain; | |
| They swakked their swords, till sair they swat, | |
| And the blood ran down like rain. | |
| |
| But Percy with his good broad sword, | |
| That could so sharply wound, | 70 |
| Has wounded Douglas on the brow, | |
| Till he fell to the ground. * * * * * | |
| This deed was done at the Otterbourne, | |
| About the breaking of the day; | |
| Earl Douglas was buried at the braken bush, | 75 |
| And the Percy led captive away. | |
| |
