| |
| IT fell about the Martinmas time, | |
| And a gay time it was then, | |
| When our good wife got puddings to make, | |
| And she’s boild them in the pan. | |
| |
| The wind sae cauld blew south and north, | 5 |
| And blew into the floor; | |
| Quoth our goodman to our goodwife, | |
| “Gae 1 out and bar the door.” | |
| |
| “My hand is in my hussyfskap, 2 | |
| Goodman, as ye may see; | 10 |
| An it shoud nae be barrd this hundred year, | |
| It’s no be barrd for me.” | |
| |
| They made a paction tween them twa, | |
| They made it firm and sure, | |
| That the first word whaeer shoud speak, | 15 |
| Shoud rise and bar the door. | |
| |
| Then by there came two gentlemen, | |
| At twelve o’clock at night, | |
| And they could neither see house nor hall, | |
| Nor coal nor candle-light. | 20 |
| |
| “Now whether is this a rich man’s house, | |
| Or whether is it a poor?” | |
| But neer a word wad ane o them speak, | |
| For barring of the door. | |
| |
| And first they ate the white puddings, | 25 |
| And then they ate the black; | |
| Tho muckle thought the goodwife to hersel, | |
| Yet neer a word she spake. | |
| |
| Then said the one unto the other, | |
| “Here, man, tak ye my knife; | 30 |
| Do ye tak aff the auld man’s beard, | |
| And I’ll kiss the goodwife.” | |
| |
| “But there’s nae water in the house, | |
| And what shall we do than?” | |
| “What ails thee at the pudding-broo, 3 | 35 |
| That boils into the pan?” | |
| |
| O up then started our goodman, | |
| An angry man was he: | |
| “Will ye kiss my wife before my een, | |
| And scad 4 me wi pudding-bree?” | 40 |
| |
| Then up and started our goodwife, | |
| Gied three skips on the floor: | |
| “Goodman, you’ve spoken the foremost word, | |
| Get up and bar the door.” | |
