J. F. Campbell Collection > Popular rhymes of Scotland

184 POPULAR RHYMES OF SCOTLAND.
It took a fit in ilka hand,
And hippit awa' to Airland ;
Frae Airland to Aberdeen :
And whan the yowe cam hame again.
The gnidman was outby herdin' the kye ;
The ST^^dne were in the spence,* ma kin ' the whey ;
The guidwife was but an' ben, tiaklin' the keys.
And lookin owTe lasses makia' at the cheese ;
The cat in the ass-hole, makin' at the brose —
Down fell a cinder and bm-nt the cat's nose.
And it cried ' Yeowe, yeowe, yeowe,' &c.
— From recitation in Ayrshire.
When I was a wee thing,
'Bout six or seven year auld,
I had no worth a petticoat.
To keep me frae the cauld.
Then I went to Edinburgh,
To bonnie buiTOws town,
And there I coft a petticoat,
A kirtle, and a gown.
As I came hame again,
I thought I wad big a kirk.
And a' the fowls o' the air
Wad help me to work.
The heron wi' her lang neb,
She moupit me the stanes ;
The doo, wi' her rough legs,
She led me them hame.
The gled he was a wily thief,
He rackled up the wa' ;
The pyat was a curst thief.
She dang down a'.
The hare came hirpling owre the knowe.
To ring the morning bell ;
The hurcheon she came after,
And said she wad do't hersel.
The herring was the high priest,
The salmon was the clerk.
The howlet read the order —
They held a bonnie wark.