Arthur Quiller-Couch, ed. 1919. The Oxford Book of English Verse: 1250–1900.
Anonymous. 17th Cent.377. The Bonnie House o’ Airlie
IT fell on a day, and a bonnie simmer day, | |
When green grew aits and barley, | |
That there fell out a great dispute | |
Between Argyll and Airlie. | |
Argyll has raised an hunder men, | 5 |
An hunder harness’d rarely, | |
And he ‘s awa’ by the back of Dunkell, | |
To plunder the castle of Airlie. | |
Lady Ogilvie looks o’er her bower-window, | |
And O but she looks warely! | 10 |
And there she spied the great Argyll, | |
Come to plunder the bonnie house of Airlie. | |
‘Come down, come down, my Lady Ogilvie, | |
Come down and kiss me fairly:’ | |
‘O I winna kiss the fause Argyll, | 15 |
If he shouldna leave a standing stane in Airlie.’ | |
He hath taken her by the left shoulder, | |
Says, ‘Dame, where lies thy dowry?’ | |
‘O it ‘s east and west yon wan water side, | |
And it ‘s down by the banks of the Airlie.’ | 20 |
They hae sought it up, they hae sought it down, | |
They hae sought it maist severely, | |
Till they fand it in the fair plum-tree | |
That shines on the bowling-green of Airlie. | |
He hath taken her by the middle sae small, | 25 |
And O but she grat sairly! | |
And laid her down by the bonnie burn-side, | |
Til they plunder’d the castle of Airlie. | |
‘Gif my gude lord war here this night, | |
As he is with King Charlie, | 30 |
Neither you, nor ony ither Scottish lord, | |
Durst avow to the plundering of Airlie. | |
‘Gif my gude lord war now at hame, | |
As he is with his king, | |
There durst nae a Campbell in a’ Argyll | 35 |
Set fit on Airlie green. | |
‘Then bonnie sons I have borne unto him, | |
The eleventh ne’er saw his daddy; | |
But though I had an hunder mair, | |
I’d gie them a’ to King Charlie!’ | 40 |