Classic Poem

The gypsies came to the Earl o Cassilis' gate,
And O but they sang bonnie!
They sang sae sweet and sae complete
That down cam our fair ladie.

And she cam tripping down the stair,
Wi her twa maids before her;
As soon as they saw her weel-far'd face,
They coost their glamer oer her.

‘O come wi me,’ says Johnnie Faw,
‘O come wi me, my dearie,
For I vow and swear, by the hilt of my sword,
Your lord shall nae mair come near ye.’

‘Here, tak frae me this gay mantile,
And gie to me a plaidie;
Tho kith and kin and a' had sworn,
I 'll follow the gypsie laddie.

‘Yestreen I lay in a weel-made bed,
And my gude lord beside me;
This night I 'll lie in a tenant's barn,
Whatever shall betide me.

‘Last night I lay in a weel-made bed,
Wi silken hangings round me;
But now I 'll lie in a farmer's barn,
Wi the gypsies all around me.

‘The first ale-house that we come at,
We 'll hae a pot o brandie;
The next ale-house that we came at,
We 'll drink to gypsie Geordie.’

Now when our lord cam home at een,
He speir'd for his fair lady;
The ane she cried, [the] tither replied,
‘She 's awa wi the gypsie laddie.’

‘Gae saddle me the gude black steed;
The bay was neer sae bonnie;
For I will neither eat nor sleep
Till I be wi my lady.’

Then he rode east, and he rode west,
And he rode near Strabogie,
And there he found his ain dear wife,
Drinking wi gypsie Geordie.

‘And what made you leave your houses and land?
Or what made you leave your money?
Or what made you leave your ain wedded lord,
To follow the gypsie laddie?

‘Then come thee hame, my ain dear wife,
Then come thee hame, my hinnie,
And I do swear, by the hilt of my sword,
The gypsies nae mair shall come near thee.’

Then we were seven weel-made men,
But lack! we were nae bonnie,
And we were a' put down for ane,
For the Earl o Cassilis' ladie.