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Tales of the Olden Time

66

"O Coo-my-doo, my love sae true,
Nae mair frae me ye'se gae."
"That's never my intent, my love;
As ye said, it shall be sae."

There he has lived in bower wi' her,
For six lang years and ane;

Till sax young sons to him she bare,
And the seventh she's brought hame.

But aye, as soon's a child was born,
He carried them away,

And brought them to his mither's care,
As fast as he could fly.

Thus he has stay'd in bower wi' her
For seven lang years and mair;
Till there cam' a lord o' hie renown
To court that lady fair.

But still his proffer she refused,
And a' his presents too;
Says, "I'm content to live alane

Wi' my bird Coo-my-doo!"

Her father sware an angry oath,
He sware it wi' ill-will:
"To-morrow, ere I eat or drink,
That bird I'll surely kill."

The bird was sitting in his cage,
And heard what he did say;
He jumped upon the window-sill:
""Tis time I was away."

66

Then Coo-my-doo took flight and flew

Beyond the raging sea,

And lighted at his mither's castle,
Upon a tower sae hie.

The Queen his mither was walking out,
To see what she could see,

And there she saw her darling son
Set on the tower sae hie.

"Get dancers here to dance," she said,
"And minstrels for to play;

For here's my dear son Florentine
Come back wi' me to stay."

"Get nae dancers to dance, mither,
Nor minstrels for to play;

For the mither o' my seven sons,
The morn's her wedding day."

"Now tell me, dear son Florentine, O tell, and tell me true;

Tell me this day, without delay,

What sall I do for you?"

Tales

of the

Olden

Time

Tales of the Olden Time

"Instead of dancers to dance, mither,
Or minstrels for to play,

Turn four-and-twenty well-wight men,
Like storks, in feathers gray;

"My seven sons in seven swans,
Aboon their heads to flee;
And I myself a gay gos-hawk,
A bird o' high degree."

Then, sighing, said the Queen to hersell,
"That thing's too high for me!"
But she applied to an auld woman,
Who had mair skill than she.

Instead o' dancers to dance a dance,
Or minstrels for to play,

Were four-and-twenty well-wight men
Turn'd birds o' feathers gray;

Her seven sons in seven swans,
Aboon their heads to flee;
And he himsell a gay gos-hawk,

A bird o' high degree.

This flock o' birds took flight and flew

Beyond the raging sea;

They landed near the Earl Mar's castle,

Took shelter in every tree.

They were a flock o' pretty birds,
Right wondrous to be seen;

The weddin'eers they looked at them
Whilst walking on the green.

These birds flew up frae bush and tree,

And, lighted on the ha';

And, when the wedding-train cam' forth,
Flew down amang them a'.

The storks they seized the boldest men,
That they could not fight or flee;
The swans they bound the bridegroom fast
Unto a green aik tree.

They flew around the bride-maidens,
Around the bride's own head;

And, wi' the twinkling o' an ee,

The bride and they were fled.

There's ancient men at weddings been
For eighty years or more;
But siccan a curious wedding-day
They never saw before.

For naething could the company do,
Nor naething could they say;
But they saw a flock o' pretty birds

That took their bride away.

OLD BALLAD.

Tales

of the

Olden

Time

Tales of the Olden

Time

Chevy-Chace

God prosper long our noble king,

Our lives and safeties all;

A woful hunting once there did
In Chevy-Chace befall.

To drive the deer with hound and horn
Earl Percy took his way;

The child may rue that is unborn
The hunting of that day.

The stout Earl of Northumberland
A vow to God did make,
His pleasure in the Scottish woods
Three summer days to take,—

The chiefest harts in Chevy-Chace
To kill and bear away.

These tidings to Earl Douglas came,
In Scotland where he lay;

Who sent Earl Percy present word
He would prevent his sport.
The English earl, not fearing that,
Did to the woods resort

With fifteen hundred bowmen bold,
All chosen men of might,

Who knew full well in time of need
To aim their shafts aright.

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