p. 124

The Twa Corbies

As I was walking all alane,

I heard twa corbies making a maen:

The tane unto the t'ither did say,

"Whaur shall we gang and dine the day?"

"O doun beside yon auld fail 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.

"His hound is to the hunting gane,

His hawk to fetch the wild-fowl hame,

His lady's ta'en another mate,

Sae we may mak' our dinner sweet.

O we'll sit on his white hause bane,

And I'll pyke out his bonny blue e'en;

Wi' ae lock o' his gowden hair

We'll theek our nest when it blaws bare.

"Mony a ane for him makes maen,

But nane shall ken whaur he is gane.

Over his banes when they are bare,

The wind shall blaw for evermair."