The Queen's Wake - 1819 Author:James Hogg Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: grtje mm o THE EIGHTH BARD'S SONG. " Quhare half ye been, ye ill womyne, These three lang nightis fra hame ? Quhat garrjs the sweit drap fra yer brow, ... more »Like clotis of the saut sea faem ? " It fearis me muckil ye haif seen Quhat good man never knew ; It fearis me muckil ye haif been Quhare the gray cock never crew. " But the spell may crack, and the brydel breck, Then sherpe yer werde will be ; Ye had better sleipe in yer bed at hame, Wi' yer deire littil bairnis and me." — ' Sit dune, sit dune, my leil auld man, Sit dune, and listin to me; I'll gar the hayre stand on yer crown, And the cauld sweit blind yer e'e. ' But tell nae wordis, my gude auld man, Tell never word again; Or deire shall be yer courtisye, And driche and sair yer pain. The first leet night, quhan the new moon set, Quhan all was douffe and mirk, We saddled ouir naigis wi' the moon-fern leif, And rode fra Kilmerrin kirk. ' Some horses ware of the brume-cow framit, And some of the greine bay tree; But mine was made of ane humloke schaw, And a stout stallion was he. ' We raide the tod doune on the hill, j The martin on the law ; And we huntyd the hoolet out of brethe, And forcit him doune to fa.'— " Quhat guid was that, ye ill womyne ? Quhat guid was that to thee ? Ye wald better half been in yer bed at hame, Wi' yer deire littil bairnis and me."— ' And aye we raide, and se merrily we Throw the merkist gloffis of the night; And we swam the floqde, and we darnit the woode, Till we cam to the Lommond height. ' And quhen we cam to the Lommond height, Se lythlye we lychtid doune; And we drank fra the hornis that nevev grew, The beer that was never browin. ' Then up there raise ane wee wee man, Franethe the moss-...« less