| |
I
IT fell on a day, and a bonnie simmer day, | |
| When green grew aits and barley, | |
| That there fell out a great dispute | |
| Between Argyll and Airlie. | |
| |
II
Argyll has raised an hunder men, | 5 |
| An hunder harness’d rarely, | |
| And he’s awa’ by the back of Dunkell, | |
| To plunder the castle of Airlie. | |
| |
III
Lady Ogilvie looks o’er her bower-window, | |
| And O but she looks warely! | 10 |
| And there she spied the great Argyll, | |
| Come to plunder the bonnie house of Airlie. | |
| |
IV
‘Come down, come down, my Lady Ogilvie, | |
| Come down and kiss me fairly.’— | |
| ‘O I winna kiss the fause Argyll, | 15 |
| If he shouldna leave a standing stane in Airlie.’ | |
| |
V
He hath taken her by the left shoulder, | |
| Says, ‘Dame, where lies thy dowry?’— | |
| ‘O it’s east and west yon wan water side, | |
| And it’s down by the banks of the Airlie.’ | 20 |
| |
VI
They hae sought it up, they hae sought it down, | |
| They hae sought it maist severely, | |
| Till they fand it in the fair plum-tree | |
| That shines on the bowling-green of Airlie. | |
| |
VII
He hath taken her by the middle sae small, | 25 |
| And O but she grat sairly! | |
| And laid her down by the bonnie burn-side, | |
| Till they plunder’d the castle of Airlie. | |
| |
VIII
‘Gif my gude lord war here this night, | |
| As he is with King Charlie, | 30 |
| Neither you, nor ony ither Scottish lord, | |
| Durst avow to the plundering of Airlie. | |
| |
IX
‘Gif my gude lord war now at hame, | |
| And he is with his king, | |
| There durst nae a Campbell in a’ Argyll | 35 |
| Set fit on Airlie green. | |
| |
X
‘Ten bonnie sons I have borne unto him, | |
| The eleventh ne’er saw his daddy; | |
| But though I had an hunder mair, | |
| I’d gie them a’ to King Charlie!’ | 40 |
| | | GLOSS: sheen] shoes. aits] oats. grat] cried. fit] foot. |
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