The king sits in Dumferling toune, | |
Drinking the blude-reid wine: | |
O quhar will I get guid sailòr, | |
To sail this schip of mine? | |
Up and spak an eldern knicht, | 5 |
Sat at the kings richt knee: | |
Sir Patrick Spens is the best sailòr | |
That sails upon the se. | |
The king has written a braid letter | |
And signed it wi' his hand, | 10 |
And sent it to Sir Patrick Spence, | |
Was walking on the sand. | |
The first line that Sir Patrick read, | |
A loud lauch lauched he; | |
The next line that Sir Patrick read, | 15 |
The tear blinded his ee. | |
O quha is this has don this deid, | |
This ill deid don to me, | |
To send me out this time o'the yeir, | |
To sail upon the se? | 20 |
Mak hast, mak haste, my mirry men all, | |
Our guid schip sails the morne. | |
O say na sae, my master deir, | |
For I feir a deadlie storme. | |
Late late yestreen I saw the new moone | 25 |
Wi' the auld moon in hir arme, | |
And I feir, I feir, my deir mastèr, | |
That we will com to harme. | |
O our Scots nobles wer richt laith | |
To weet their cork-heild schoone, | 30 |
Bot lang owre a’ the play wer playd | |
Thair hats they swam aboone. | |
O lang, lang, may thair ladies sit | |
Wi’ thair fans into their hand, | |
Or eir they se Sir Patrick Spence | 35 |
Cum sailing to the land. | |
O lang, lang may the ladies stand | |
Wi’ their gold kems in their hair, | |
Waiting for their ain deir lords, | |
For they'll see thame na mair. | 40 |
Half owre, half owre to Aberdour, | |
It’s fiftie fadom deip: | |
And thair lies guid Sir Patrick Spence, | |
Wi’ the Scots lords at his feit. |