Classic Poem

The king has written a braid letter,
And seald it up wi gowd,
And sent it to Lord Derntwater,
To read it if he coud.

The first lines o 't that he read,
A blythe, blythe man was he;
But ere he had it half read through,
The tear blinded his ee.

" Go saddle to me my milk-white horse,
Go saddle it with speed;
For I maun ride to Lun[n]on town,
To answer for my head."

" Your will, your will, my lord Derntwater,
Your will before ye go;
For you will leave three dochters fair,
And a wife to wail and woe."

" My will, my will, my lady Derntwater,
Ye are my wedded wife;
Be kind, be kind to my dochters dear,
If I should lose my life."

He set his ae fit on the grund,
The tither on the steed;
The ring upon his finger burst,
And his nose began to bleed.

He rode till he cam to Lunnon town,
To a place they ca Whiteha;
And a' the lords o merry England
A traitor him gan ca.

" A traitor! a traitor! O what means this?
A traitor! what mean ye?"
" It 's a' for the keeping o five hundred men
To fecht for bonny Jamie."

Then up started a gray-headed man,
Wi a braid axe in his hand:
" Your life, your life, my lord Derntwater,
Your life 's at my command."

" My life, my life, ye old gray-headed man,
My life I 'll freely gie;
But before ye tak my life awn
Let me speak twa words or three.

" I 've fifty pounds in ae pocket,
Go deal it frae door to door;
I 've fifty five i the other pocket,
Go gie it to the poor.

" The velvet coat that I hae on,
Ye may tak it for your fee;
And a' ye lords o merry Scotland
Be kind to my ladie!"