  IJohnnie rose up in a May morning, Call’d for water to wash his hands; ‘Gar loose to me the gude gray dogs, That are bound wi’ iron bands.’ IIWhen Johnnie’s mother gat word o’ that, Her hands for dule she wrang; ‘O Johnnie, for my benison, To the greenwood dinna gang! III‘Eneugh ye hae o’ gude wheat bread, And eneugh o’ the blude-red wine; And therefore for nae venison, Johnnie, I pray ye, stir frae hame. IV‘There are Seven For’sters at Hislinton side, At Hislinton where they dwell, And for ae drap o’ thy heart’s blude They wad ride the fords o’ hell.’ VBut Johnnie has buskit his gude bend-bow, His arrows, ane by ane, And he has gane to Durrisdeer To ding the dun deer down. VIHe’s lookit east, and he’s lookit west, And a little below the sun; And there he spied the dun deer lying Aneath a buss VIIJohnnie he shot and the dun deer lap And he wounded her on the side; But atween the wood and the wan water His hounds they laid her pride. VIIIAnd Johnnie has brittled Had out her liver and lungs; And wi’ these he has feasted his bluidy hounds As if they had been Earl’s sons. IXThey ate sae much o’ the venison, And drank sae much o’ the blude, That Johnnie and his gude gray hounds Fell asleep by yonder wood. XBy there came a silly auld carle, An ill death mote he die! And he’s awa’ to Hislinton, Where the Seven Foresters did lie. XI‘What news, what news, ye gray-headed carle? What news? come tell to me.’— ‘I bring nae news,’ said the gray-headed carle, ‘But what these eyes did see. XII‘High up in Braidislee, low down in Braidislee, And under a buss o’ scroggs The bonniest childe that ever I saw Lay sleeping atween his dogs. XIII‘The sark he had upon his back It was o’ the holland fine, The doublet he had over that It was o’ the Lincoln twine XIV‘The buttons that were on his sleeve Were o’ the gowd sae gude; The twa gray dogs he lay atween, Their mouths were dyed wi’ blude.’ XVThen out and spak’ the First Forester, The head man owre them a’; ‘If this be Johnnie o’ Cockerslee Nae nearer will we draw.’ XVIBut up and spak’ the Sixth Forester, (His sister’s son was he,) ‘If this be Johnnie o’ Cockerslee, We soon shall gar him dee!’ XVIIThe first flight of arrows the Foresters shot, They wounded him on the knee; And out and spak’ the Seventh Forester, ‘The next will gar him dee.’ XVIII‘O some they count ye well-wight But I do count ye nane; For you might well ha’ waken’d me, And ask’d gin I wad be ta’en. XIX‘The wildest wolf in a’ this wood Wad no ha’ done sae by me; She ha’ wet her foot i’ the wan water, And sprinkled it owre my bree And if that wad not ha’ waken’d me, Wad ha’ gone an’ let me be. XX‘O bows of yew, if ye be true, In London where ye were bought; And, silver strings, value me sma’ things Till I get this vengeance wrought! And, fingers five, get up belive And Manhood fail me nought! XXI‘Stand stout, stand stout, my noble dogs, Stand stout and dinna flee! Stand fast, stand fast, my good gray hounds, And we will gar them dee!’ XXIIJohnnie has set his back to an aik, His foot against a stane, And he has slain the Seven Foresters, He has slain them a’ but ane. |
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