Ellen More/Sir William Wallace
WILLIAM WALLACE.
O for my ain King, quo' Wallace,
The rightfu' King of fair Scotland!
Between me and my sovereign's blude,
I think I see some ill seed sawn.
Wallace out owre yon river he lap
And he has lighted low down on yon plain,
And he was aware of a gay ladie,
As she was at the well washin'.
What tydins, what tydins, fair ladie, he says,
What tydins hast thou to tell unto me:
What tydins, what tydins, fair ladie, he says,
What tydins hae ye in the south countrie
Low down in yon wee ostler house,
There is fyfteen Englishmen,
And they are seekin for gude Wallace,
It's him to take, and him to hang.
There's nocht in my purse quo' gude Wallace,
There's nocht, not even a bare pennie,
But I will down to you wee ostler bouse
Thir fyfteen Englishmen to see.
And when he cam to yon wee ostler house
He bad benedicite be these;
He knelt, and on his bended knee
Their bounty kind he begg'd to share.
Where was ye born? auld crookit carle?
Where was ye born, in what countrie?
Ham a true Scot born and bred,
And an auld crookit carle just sic as ye see.
I wad gie fyfteen shillings to onie crookit carle,
To onie crookit carle, just sic as ye,
If ye will get me gude Wallace,
For he is the man I was very fain see.
He hit the proud ⟨captain⟩ alang the chaft blade,
⟨That never⟩ a D(illegible text) o' meal he ⟨ate⟩ mair,
And he sticket the rest at the table where they sat
And he left them a' lying sprawlin there.
Get up, get up, gudewife, he says,
And get to me some dinner in haste;
For it will soon be three lang days
Sin' I a bit o' meal did taste.
The dinner wasna weel readie,
Nor was it on the table set,
Till other fyfteen Englishmen,
Were a' lighted about the yett.
Come out, come out, now gude Wallace,
This is the day that thou maun die;
I lippen nae sae little to God, he says,
Although I be but ill wordie.
The gudewife had au auld gudeman,
By gude Wallace he stiffy stood,
Till ten o' the fyfteen Englishmen,
Before the door lay in their blude.
This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.
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