The Book of Scottish Song/The Blythsome Bridal
The Blythsome Bridal.
[This piece of satiric humour was first published in Watson's collection of Scottish poems, 1706, and its authorship has generally been ascribed to Francis Semple, Esq. of Beltrees, in Renfrewshire, who lived about the middle of the 17th century. Of late years, however, it has been claimed as the composition of Sir William Scott of Thirlestane, in Selkirkshire, ancestor of the present lord Napier. His claim is only supported on the faith of an unbroken tradition in the Napier family. Sir William was married in 1699 to Elizabeth, mistress of Napier, and died in 1725. Two years after his death, a collection of his Latin poems was printed at Edinburgh.]
Fy let us a' to the bridal,
For ther'll be liltin' there;
For Jocks to be married to Maggie,
The lass wi' the gowden hair.
And there'll be langkale and pottage,
And bannocks o' barley meal;
And there'll be good saut herrin',
To relish a cogue o' gude yill.
Fy let us a', &c.
And there'll be Sandie the souter,
And Will wi' the mickle mou';
And there'll be Tam the bluter,
And Andrew the tinkler, I trow.
And there'll be bow-leggit Robbie,
Wi' thumless Katie's gudeman;
And there'll be blue-cheekit Dobbie,
And Lawrie, the laird o' the land.
And there'll be sow-libber Patie,
And plookie-fac'd Wat o' the mill;
Capper-nosed Francie, and Gibbie,
That wins in the howe o' the hill.
And there'll be Alaster Sibbie,
That in wi' black Bessie did mool;
Wi' sneevlin' Lillie, and Tibbie,
The lass that sits aft on the stool.
And there'll be Judan Maclowrie,
And blinkin' daft Barbara Macleg;
Wi' flae-luggit shaienie-faced Lawrie,
And shangie-mou'd haluket Meg.
And there'll be happer-hipp'd Nancie,
And fairy-faced Flowrie by name,
Muck Maudie, and fat-luggit Grizzie,
The lass wi' the gowden wame.
And there'll be Girnagain Gibbie,
And his glaikit wife Jenny Bell,
And misle-shinn'd Mungo Macapie,
The lad that was skipper himsell.
There lads and lasses in pearlings
Will feast in the heart o' the ha';
On sybows, and reefarts, and carlins,
That are baith sodden and raw.
And there'll be fadges and brachen,
And fouth o' gude gabbocks o' skate,
Powsoudie, and drammock, and crowdie,
And caller nowt-feet on a plate:
And there'll be partens and buckles,
And whytens and speldins enew,
And singit sheep-heads and a haggis,
And scadlips to sup till ye spew.
And there'll be gude lapper-milk kebbucks,
And sowens, and farles, and baps,
Wi' swats and weel-scraped painches,
And brandy in stoups and in caups;
And there'll be meal-kail and kustocks,
Wi' skink to sup till ye rive;
And roasts to roast on a brander,
Of flouks that were taken alive.
Scrapped haddocks, wilks, dulse and tangle,
And a mill o' gude sneeshin' to prie;
When weary wi' eatin' and drinkin',
We'll rise up and dance till we dee.
Fy let us a' to the bridal,
For there'll be liltin' there,
For Jock's to be married to Maggie,
The lass wi' the gowden hair.