| |
I
GOD send the land deliverance | |
| Frae every reaving, riding Scot; | |
| We’ll sune hae neither cow nor ewe, | |
| We’ll sune hae neither staig nor stot. | |
| |
II
The outlaws come frae Liddesdale, | 5 |
| They herry Redesdale far and near; | |
| The rich man’s gelding it maun gang, | |
| They canna pass the puir man’s mare. | |
| |
III
Sure it were weel, had ilka thief | |
| Around his neck a halter strang; | 10 |
| And curses heavy may they light | |
| On traitors vile oursels amang! | |
| |
IV
Now Parcy Reed has Crosier taen, | |
| He has delivered him to the law; | |
| But Crosier says he’ll do waur than that, | 15 |
| He’ll make the tower o’ Troughend fa’. | |
| |
V
And Crosier says he will do waur, | |
| He will do waur if waur can be; | |
| He’ll make the bairns a’ fatherless, | |
| And then, the land it may lie lee. | 20 |
| |
VI
‘To the hunting, ho!’ cried Parcy Reed, | |
| ‘The morning sun is on the dew; | |
| The cauler breeze frae off the fells | |
| Will lead the dogs to the quarry true. | |
| |
VII
‘To the hunting, ho!’ cried Parcy Reed, | 25 |
| And to the hunting he has gane; | |
| And the three fause Ha’s o’ Girsonsfield | |
| Alang wi’ him he has them taen. | |
| |
VIII
They hunted high, they hunted low, | |
| By heathery hill and birken shaw; | 30 |
| They raised a buck on Rooken Edge, | |
| And blew the mort at fair Ealylawe | |
| |
IX
They hunted high, they hunted low, | |
| They made the echoes ring amain; | |
| With music sweet o’ horn and hound, | 35 |
| They merry made fair Redesdale glen. | |
| |
X
They hunted high, they hunted low, | |
| They hunted up, they hunted down, | |
| Until the day was past the prime, | |
| And it grew late in the afternoon. | 40 |
| |
XI
They hunted high in Batinghope, | |
| When as the sun was sinking low; | |
| Says Parcy then, ‘Ca’ off the dogs, | |
| We’ll bait our steeds and homeward go.’ | |
| |
XII
They lighted high in Batinghope, | 45 |
| Atween the brown and benty ground; | |
| They had but rested a little while | |
| Till Parcy Reed was sleeping sound. | |
| |
XIII
There ’s nane may lean on a rotten staff, | |
| But him that risks to get a fa’; | 50 |
| There ’s nane may in a traitor trust, | |
| And traitors black were every Ha’. | |
| |
XIV
They’ve stown the bridle off his steed, | |
| And they’ve put water in his lang gun; | |
| They’ve fixed his sword within the sheath | 55 |
| That out again it winna come. | |
| |
XV
‘Awaken ye, waken ye, Parcy Reed, | |
| Or by your enemies be ta’en! | |
| For yonder are the five Crosiers | |
| A-coming owre the Hingin-stane!’— | 60 |
| |
XVI
‘If they be five, and we be four, | |
| Sae that ye stand alang wi’ me, | |
| Then every man ye will take one, | |
| And only leave but two to me: | |
| We will them meet as brave men ought, | 65 |
| And make them either fight or flee.’— | |
| |
XVII
‘We mayna stand, we canna stand, | |
| We daurna stand alang wi’ thee; | |
| The Crosiers haud thee at a feud, | |
| And they wad kill baith thee and we.’— | 70 |
| |
XVIII
‘O turn thee, turn thee, Johnie Ha’, | |
| O turn thee, man, and fight wi’ me; | |
| When ye come to Troughend again, | |
| My gude black naig I will gie thee; | |
| He cost full twenty pound o’ gowd, | 75 |
| Atween my brother John and me.’— | |
| |
XIX
‘I mayna turn, I canna turn, | |
| I daurna turn and fight wi’ thee; | |
| The Crosiers haud thee at a feud, | |
| And they wad kill baith thee and me.’— | 80 |
| |
XX
‘O turn thee, turn thee, Willie Ha’, | |
| O turn thee, man, and fight wi’ me; | |
| When ye come to Troughend again, | |
| A yoke o’ owsen I’ll gie thee.’— | |
| |
XXI
‘I mayna turn, I canna turn, | 85 |
| I daurna turn and fight wi’ thee; | |
| The Crosiers haud thee at a feud, | |
| And they wad kill baith thee and me.’— | |
| |
XXII
‘O turn thee, turn thee, Tommy Ha’, | |
| O turn now, man, and fight wi’ me; | 90 |
| If ever we come to Troughend again, | |
| My daughter Jean I’ll gie to thee.’— | |
| |
XXIII
‘I mayna turn, I canna turn, | |
| I daurna turn and fight wi’ thee; | |
| The Crosiers haud thee at a feud, | 95 |
| And they wad kill baith thee and me.’— | |
| |
XXIV
‘O shame upon ye, traitors a’! | |
| I wish your hames ye may never see; | |
| Ye’ve stown the bridle off my naig, | |
| And I can neither fight nor flee. | 100 |
| |
XXV
‘Ye’ve stown the bridle off my naig, | |
| And ye’ve put water i’ my lang gun; | |
| Ye’ve fixed my sword within the sheath | |
| That out again it winna come.’ | |
| |
XXVI
He had but time to cross himsel’ | 105 |
| A prayer he hadna time to say, | |
| Till round him came the Crosiers keen, | |
| All riding graith’d and in array. | |
| |
XXVII
‘Weel met, weel met, now, Parcy Reed, | |
| Thou art the very man we sought; | 110 |
| Owre lang hae we been in your debt, | |
| Now will we pay you as we ought. | |
| |
XXVIII
‘We’ll pay thee at the nearest tree, | |
| Where we shall hang thee like a hound.’— | |
| Brave Parcy rais’d his fankit sword, | 115 |
| And fell’d the foremost to the ground. | |
| |
XXIX
Alake, and wae for Parcy Reed! | |
| Alake, he was an unarmed man! | |
| Four weapons pierced him all at once, | |
| As they assail’d him there and than. | 120 |
| |
XXX
They fell upon him all at once, | |
| They mangled him most cruellie; | |
| The slightest wound might caused his deid, | |
| And they hae gi’en him thirty-three; | |
| They hackit off his hands and feet, | 125 |
| And left him lying on the lee. | |
| |
XXXI
‘Now, Parcy Reed, we’ve paid our debt, | |
| Ye canna weel dispute the tale,’ | |
| The Crosiers said, and off they rade; | |
| They rade the airt o’ Liddesdale. | 130 |
| |
XXXII
It was the hour o’ gloaming gray, | |
| When herds come in frae fauld and pen; | |
| A herd he saw a huntsman lie, | |
| Says he, ‘Can this be Laird Troughen’?’— | |
| |
XXXIII
‘There ’s some will ca’ me Parcy Reed, | 135 |
| And some will ca’ me Laird Troughen’; | |
| It ’s little matter what they ca’ me, | |
| My faes hae made me ill to ken. | |
| |
XXXIV
‘There ’s some will ca’ me Parcy Reed, | |
| And speak my praise in tower and town; | 140 |
| It ’s little matter what they do now, | |
| My life-blood rudds the heather brown. | |
| |
XXXV
‘There ’s some will ca’ me Parcy Reed, | |
| And a’ my virtues say and sing; | |
| I would much rather have just now | 145 |
| A draught o’ water frae the spring.’ | |
| |
XXXVI
The herd flung aff his clouted shoon | |
| And to the nearest fountain ran; | |
| He made his bonnet serve a cup, | |
| And wan the blessing o’ the dying man. | 150 |
| |
XXXVII
‘Now, honest herd, ye maun do mair, | |
| Ye maun do mair, as I you tell; | |
| Ye maun bear tidings to Troughend, | |
| And bear likewise my last farewell. | |
| |
XXXVIII
‘A farewell to my wedded wife, | 155 |
| A farewell to my brother John, | |
| Wha sits into the Troughend tower | |
| Wi’ heart as black as any stone. | |
| |
XXXIX
‘A farewell to my daughter Jean, | |
| A farewell to my young sons five; | 160 |
| Had they been at their father’s hand, | |
| I had this night been man alive. | |
| |
XL
‘A farewell to my followers a’, | |
| And a’ my neighbours gude at need; | |
| Bid them think how the treacherous Ha ’s | 165 |
| Betrayed the life o’ Parcy Reed. | |
| |
XLI
‘The laird o’ Clennel bears my bow, | |
| The laird o’ Brandon bears my brand; | |
| Whene’er they ride i’ the Border-side, | |
| They’ll mind the fate o’ the laird Troughend.’ | 170 |
| | | GLOSS: Sophia Hay] wife of Lord John [Gordon], burned in this fire. She had jilted the young lord of Tolquhon to marry him, which explains the allusion in the last stanza. stot] steer. mort] death of the deer. graith’d] harnessed, in armour. fankit] entangled. airt] direction. |
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