67 The Twa Corbies — (Scottish Version)
I
As I was walking all alane,
I heard twa corbies434 making a mane:
The tane unto the tither did say,
‘Whar sall we gang and dine the day?’
II
‘—In behint yon auld fail435 dyke
I wot there lies a new-slain knight;
And naebody kens that he lies there
But his hawk, his hound, and his lady fair.
III
‘His hound is to the hunting gane,
His hawk to fetch the wild-fowl hame,
His lady’s ta’en anither mate,
So we may mak’ our dinner sweet.
IV
‘Ye’ll sit on his white hause436-bane,
And I’ll pike out his bonny blue e’en:
Wi’ ae lock o’ his gowden hair
We’ll theek437 our nest when it grows bare.
V
‘Mony a one for him maks mane,
But nane sall ken whar he is gane:
O’er his white banes, when they are bare,
The wind sall blaw for evermair.’
Footnotes
434 corbies = ravens.
435 fail = turf.
436 hause = neck.
437 theek = thatch.