Classic Poem

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.

" 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

" 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."

" But ye 'll cast aff that gown o grey,
Put on the silk and scarlet;
I 'll make a vow, and keep it true,
You 'll neither be miss nor harlot."

" 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."

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."

" 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."

" 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."

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.

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.

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'.

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.

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

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.

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.

" 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."

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.

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

" 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.

" 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."