The English and Scottish Popular Ballads :: :: University of Virginia Library

a. Buchan's Ballads of the North of Scotland, II, 194. b. Buchan's MSS, II, 101. c. The New Deeside Guide, by James Brown [Joseph Robertson], [1832], p. 11. d. Gibb MS., p. 21, No 4, from the recitation of a schoolfellow at Auchinblae, Kincardineshire, about 1851.

1

The laird o Drum is a hunting gane,
All in a morning early,
And he did spy a well-far'd may,
Was shearing at her barley.

2

‘O will ye fancy me, fair may,
And let your shearing be, O
And gang and be the lady o Drum?
O will ye fancy me?’ O

3

‘I winna fancy you,’ she says,
‘Nor let my shearing be;
For I'm ower low to be Lady Drum,
And your miss I'd scorn to be.’

4

‘But ye'll cast aff that gown o grey,
Put on the silk and scarlet;

326

I'll make a vow, and keep it true,
You'll neither be miss nor harlot.’

5

‘Then dee you to my father dear,
Keeps sheep on yonder hill;
To ony thing he bids me do
I'm always at his will.’

6

He has gane to her father dear,
Keeps sheep on yonder hill:
‘I'm come to marry your ae daughter,
If ye'll gie me your gude will.’

7

‘She'll shake your barn, and winna your corn,
And gang to mill and kill;
In time of need she'll saddle your steed;
And I'll draw your boots mysell.’

8

‘O wha will bake my bridal bread,
And wha will brew my ale,
And wha will welcome my lady hame,
It's mair than I can tell.’

9

Four an twenty gentle knights
Gied in at the yetts o Drum;
But nae a man lifted his hat
Whan the lady o Drum came in.

10

But he has taen her by the hand,
And led her but and ben;
Says, You'r welcome hame, my lady Drum,
For this is your ain land.

11

For he has taen her by the hand,
And led her thro the ha;
Says, You'r welcome hame, my lady Drum,
To your bowers ane and a'.

12

Then he['s] stript her o the robes o grey,
Drest her in the robes o gold,
And taen her father frae the sheep-keeping,
Made him a bailie bold.

13

She wasna forty weeks his wife
Till she brought hame a son;
She was as well a loved lady
As ever was in Drum.

14

Out it speaks his brother dear,
Says, You've dune us great wrang;
You've married a wife below your degree,
She's a mock to all our kin.

15

Out then spake the Laird of Drum,
Says, I've dune you nae wrang;
I've married a wife to win my bread,
You've married ane to spend.

16

‘For the last time that I was married,
She was far abeen my degree;
She wadna gang to the bonny yetts o Drum
But the pearlin abeen her ee,
And I durstna gang in the room where she was
But my hat below my knee.’

17

When they had eaten and well drunken,
And all men bound for bed,
The Laird o Drum and his lady gay
In ae bed they were laid.

18

‘Gin ye had been o high renown,
As ye are o low degree,
We might hae baith gane down the streets
Amang gude companie.’

19

‘I tauld you ere we were wed
You were far abeen my degree;
But now I'm married, in your bed laid,
And just as gude as ye.

20

‘Gin ye were dead, and I were dead,
And baith in grave had lain,
Ere seven years were at an end,
They'd not ken your dust frae mine.’

The Laird of Drum

THE LAIRD O DRUM—E

[_]

From Dr Joseph Robertson's interleaved and annotated copy of The New Deeside Guide, [nominally] by James Brown [but written by Joseph Robertson], Aberdeen [1832]; inserted at p. 12.

1

The Laird of Drum is a wooing gane,
All in a morning early,
And there he spied a weel-far'd may,
She was shearing at her barley.

2

‘Will you fancy me, my bonny may,
And will you fancy me? O
And will you come and be Lady Drum,
And let your shearing a be?’ O

327

3

‘It's I winna fancy you, kind sir,
I winna fancy thee;
For I'm too low to be lady o Drum,
And your whore I would scorn to be.’

4

‘Ye'll cast aff the robes of gray,
And put on the silk and the scarlet,
And here to you I'll make a vow
Ye'se neither be whore nor harlot.’

5

‘I winna cast aff the robes o gray,
To put on the silk and the scarlet,
But I'll wear the colour of the ewe,
For they set me better than a' that.

6

‘But ye'll do you doun to my father dear,
Keeping sheep on yonder hill,
And the first ae thing that he bids me I'll do,
For I wirk aye at his will.’

7

He's done him doun to her father dear,
Keeping sheep on yonder hill:
‘Ye hae a pretty creature for your daughter;
Dear me! but I like her well.’

8

‘It's she can neither read nor write,
She was never brought up at the squeel;
She canna wash your china cups,
Nor yet mak a dish o tea.

9

‘But well can she do a' ither thing,
For I learnt the girly mysell;
She'll fill in your barn, and winnow your corn,
She'll gang to your kill and your mill,
And, time o need, she'll saddle your steed,
And draw your boots hersell.’

10

‘Wha will bake my bridal bread,
And wha will brew my ale?
Wha will welcome my lady in?
For it's more than I can tell.’

11

There was four-and-twenty gentlemen
Stood a' in the yetts o Drum,
But there was nane o them lifted their hats
To welcome the young lady in.

12

But up spake his ae brither,
Says, Brither, ye hae done wrang;
Ye have married a wife this day
A lauch to a' our kin.

13

‘I've married ane to win my bread,
But ye married ane to spend;
But as lang's I'm able to walk to the yetts o Drum
On me she may depend.

14

‘The last lady that I did wed
Was far above my command;
I durst not enter the bower where she was
But my hat low in my hand.’

15

When bells were rung, and mass was sung,
And a' man bound for bed,
The Laird o Drum and the shepherd's dother
In one bed they were laid.

16

‘If ye were come o noble bleed
An were as high as me,
We could gang to the yetts o Drum
Amangst gueed companie.’

17

‘I tald you ere we was wed
I was oer low for thee,
But now we are wedd and in ae bed laid,
And you must be content wi me.

18

‘For an ye were dead, an I were dead,
And laid in the dust low down,
When we were baith turnd up again
Wha could ken your mould frae mine?’

The Ladye o the Drum; or, The Laird o the Drum

THE LAIRD O DRUM—F

[_]

a. Manuscript of David Louden, Morham, Haddington, p. 7, 1873; from Mrs Dickson, Rentonhall, derived from her great-grandmother. b. Macmath MS., p. 13; from Mr William Traquair, S.S.C., Edinburgh, obtained originally in Perthshire.

1

‘Oh, will ye fancy me, fair maid?
Oh, will ye fancy me? O
Or will ye go to be ladye o the Drum,
An let a' your shearin abe? O
An let a' your shearin abe? O
An let a' your shearin abe?’ O

2

‘I can neither read nor write,
Nor neer been brocht up at schule;
But I can do all other things,
An keep a hoose richt weel.

328

3

‘My faither he's a puir shepherd-man,
Herds his hogs on yonder hill;
Gin ye will go get his consent,
Then I'll be at your call.’

4

He has gane to her father,
That herds hogs on yonder hill;
He said, ‘You've got a pretty daughter,
I'd fain tak her to my sel.’

5

‘She can neither read nor write,
Was neer brocht up at schule;
But she can do all other things,
An I learnt aye the lassie my sel.

6

‘She'll milk your cows, she'll carry your corn,
She'll gang to the mill or the kiln;
She'll saddle your steed at any time of need,
And she'll brush up your boots hersel.’

7

‘It's who will bake my bridal bread?
Or who will brew my ale?
Or who will welcome this bonnie lassie in?
For it's more than I can tell.’

8

There's four-and-twenty gentlemen
Stand doun at the gate o the Drum;
Not one of them all would take off his hat
For to welcome the bonnie lassie in.

9

[OMITTED]
[OMITTED]
‘Oh, brother, you've married a wife this day
A disgrace to all our kin.’

10

‘Oh, brother, I've married a wife to win,
And ye've got one to spen,
And as long as the bonnie lassie walks out and in
She shall aye be the ladye o the Drum.’

11

When all was done, and no bells rung,
And all men bound for their bed,
The laird and the shepherd's bonnie daughter
In one bed they were laid.

12

‘Though I'm not of as noble blood,
Nor yet of as high degree,
Now I lie locked in your arms two,
And you must be contented wi me.

13

‘If you were dead, and I were dead,
And baith laid in one grave,
If we were baith to be raised up again,
Wha would ken your dust frae mine?