Bonnie House o’ Airlie
No: 199; variant: 199D
- O GLEYD Argyll has written to Montrose
To see gin the fields they were fairly,
And to see whether he should stay at hame,
'or come to plunder bonnie Airly.
- Then great Montrose has written to Argyll
And that the fields they were fairly,
And not to keep his men at hame,
But to come and plunder bonnie Airly.
- The lady was looking oer her castle-wa,
She was carrying her courage sae rarely,
And there she spied him gleyd Arguill,
Was coming for to plunder bonnie Airly.
- 'Wae be to ye, gleyd Argyll!
And are ye there sae rarely?
Ye might hae kept your men at hame,
And not come to plunder bonnie Airly.'
- 'And wae be to ye, Lady Ogilvie!
And are ye there sae rarely?
Gin ye had bowed when first I bade,
I never wad hae plunderd bonnie Airly.'
- 'But gin my guid lord had been at hame,
As he is wi Prince Charlie,
There durst not a rebel on a' Scotch ground
Set a foot on the bonnie green of Airly.
- 'But ye'll tak me by the milk-white hand,
And ye'll lift me up sae rarely,
And ye'll throw me outoure my [ain] castle-wa,
Let me neuer see the plundering of Airly.'
- He's taen her by the milk-white hand,
And he's lifted her up sae rarely,
And he's thrown her outoure her ain castle-wa,
And she neuer saw the plundering of Airly.
- Now gleyd Argyll he has gane hame,
Awa frae the plundering of Airly,
And there he has met him Captain Ogilvie,
Coming over the mountains sae rarely.
- 'O wae be to ye, gleyd Argyll!
And are you there sae rarely?
Ye might hae kept your men at hame,
And no gane to plunder bonnie Airly.'
- 'O wae be to ye, Captain Ogilvie!
And are you there sae rarely?
Gin ye wad hae bowed when first I bade,
I neer wad hae plunderd bonnie Airly.'
- 'But gin I had my lady gay,
bot and my sister Mary,
One fig I wad na gie for ye a',
Nor yet for the plundering of Airly.'