Braes o' Birniebouzle (1823, Edinburgh)/Braes o' Birniebouzle

by James Hogg

For other versions of this work, see Braes of Birniebouzle.

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BRAES O' BIRNIEBOUZLE.

Air-'Braes o' Tullymet.'

Will ye gang wi' me, lassie,
To the braes o' Birniebouzle?
Baith the earth and sea, lassie,
Will I rob to fend ye:
I'll hunt the otter and the brock,
The hart, the hare the heather cock,
An' pu' the limpet aff the rock,
To fatten and to fend ye.

If ye gang wi' me, lassie,
To the braes o' Birniebouzle,
Till the day ye die lassie,
Ye shall aye hae plenty:
The peats I'll carry in a skull,
The cod and ling wi' lines I'll pull,
An' reave the eggs o' mony a gull,
To mak ye dishes dainty.

Sae cheery will ye be, lassie,
I' the braes o' Birniebouzle:
Donald Gun and me lassie,
Ever will attend ye,
Though we hae neither milk nor meal,
Nor lamb nor mutton, beef nor veal,
We'll fang the porpy and the seal,
An' that's the way to fend ye.

An' ye shall gang sae braw lassie,
At the kirk o' Birniebouzle,
Wi' littet brogues an' a' lassie,
Wow but ye'll be vaunty.
An' ye shall wear, when ye are wed,
The kirtle and the highland plaid,
An' sleep upon a heather bed,
Sae cozie and sae canty.

If ye will marry me, laddie,
At the kirk o' Birniebouzle,
My chiefest aim shall be, laddie.
Ever to content ye.
I'll bait the line and bear the pail'
And row the boat and spread the sail,
An' dad the clotters wi' a flail
To mak our taties dainty.

Then come awa wi' me lassie,
To the braes o' Birniebouzle,
An' since ye are sae free, lassie,
Ye never shall repent ye:
For ye shall hae baith tups and ewes,
An' gaits an' swine, an' stots an' cows,
An' be the lady o' my house
An' this may weel content ye.

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