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1817.]
The Wife of Auchtermuchtie.
67
THE WYFE OF AUCHTERMUCHTIE.
[This poem (as Lord Hailes remarks) is "a favourite among the Scots." It affords a very good specimen of the native and rustic humour with which our grave forefathers loved to relax the usual austerity of their deportment. It has been well preserved both by writing and tradition. In Fife and some other parts of the country, it is still current as a popular ballad; and it has been twice edited from the Bannatyne MS., first by Allan Ramsay in his evergreen, and afterwards by Lord Hailes. The former published it, according to his usual practice, with additions and alterations of his own; the latter adhered correctly to his original. The present edition is taken from the same MS. but collated with another, and apparently, an older copy, in the Advocates' Library, from which several alterations, and the whole of the 11th stanza, have been supplied.]
1
In Auchtermuchtie thair wond ane man,
A rach husband, as I hard tauld,
Quha weill could tippill out a can,
And naither luvit hungir nor cauld:
Quhill ance it fell upon a day,
He yokkit his pleuch vpon the plaine;
Gif it be true, as I heard say,
The day was foull for wind and raine.
In Auchtermuchtie thair wond ane man,
A rach husband, as I hard tauld,
Quha weill could tippill out a can,
And naither luvit hungir nor cauld:
Quhill ance it fell upon a day,
He yokkit his pleuch vpon the plaine;
Gif it be true, as I heard say,
The day was foull for wind and raine.
2
He lousit the pleuch at the landis end,
And draife his oxin hame at evin;
Quhen he cam in he lukit ben,
And saw the wif baith dry and clene
Sittand at ane fyre beik and bauld,
With ane fat sowp, as I hard say:
The man being verry weit and cauld,
Betwein thay twa it was na play.
He lousit the pleuch at the landis end,
And draife his oxin hame at evin;
Quhen he cam in he lukit ben,
And saw the wif baith dry and clene
Sittand at ane fyre beik and bauld,
With ane fat sowp, as I hard say:
The man being verry weit and cauld,
Betwein thay twa it was na play.
3
Quoth he, Quhair is my horsis corne?
My ox hes naithir hay nor stray;
Dame, ye maun to the pleuch the morn,
I sall be hussy, gif I may.
Gudeman, quoth scho, content am I
To take the pleuch my day about,
Sa ye will rewll baith calvis and ky,
And all the house baith in and out.
Quoth he, Quhair is my horsis corne?
My ox hes naithir hay nor stray;
Dame, ye maun to the pleuch the morn,
I sall be hussy, gif I may.
Gudeman, quoth scho, content am I
To take the pleuch my day about,
Sa ye will rewll baith calvis and ky,
And all the house baith in and out.
4
But sen that ye will hussyskep ken,
First ye maun sift and syne maun kned;
And ay as ye gang but and ben,
Luk that die bairnis fyle not the bed;
And ay as ye gang furth and in,
Keip weill the gaizlines fra the gled;
And lay ane saft wysp to the kill;
We haif ane deir ferme on our heid.
But sen that ye will hussyskep ken,
First ye maun sift and syne maun kned;
And ay as ye gang but and ben,
Luk that die bairnis fyle not the bed;
And ay as ye gang furth and in,
Keip weill the gaizlines fra the gled;
And lay ane saft wysp to the kill;
We haif ane deir ferme on our heid.
5
The wyfe shco sat vp late at evin,
(I pray God gif hir evill to fare),
Scho kirnd the kirne, and skumd it clene,
And left the gudeman but the bledoch baire:
Than in the morning vp scho gat,
And on hir hairt laid hir disjune.
And priend als meikle in hir lap
Micht serve thrie honest men at nune.
The wyfe shco sat vp late at evin,
(I pray God gif hir evill to fare),
Scho kirnd the kirne, and skumd it clene,
And left the gudeman but the bledoch baire:
Than in the morning vp scho gat,
And on hir hairt laid hir disjune.
And priend als meikle in hir lap
Micht serve thrie honest men at nune.
6
Says—Jok, will thou be maister of wark,
And thou sail haud, and I sail kall;
I'se promise thé ane gude new sark,
Outhir of round claith or of small.
Scho lowsit the oxin aught or nine,
And hynt ane gad-staff in hir hand:
Vp the gudeman raise aftir syne,
And saw the wyf had done command.
Says—Jok, will thou be maister of wark,
And thou sail haud, and I sail kall;
I'se promise thé ane gude new sark,
Outhir of round claith or of small.
Scho lowsit the oxin aught or nine,
And hynt ane gad-staff in hir hand:
Vp the gudeman raise aftir syne,
And saw the wyf had done command.
7
He cawd the gaizlines furth to feid,
Thair wes bot sevensum of them all;
And by thair cumis the greedie gled,
And cleiket vp fyve, left him bot twa:
Than out he ran in all his mane,
Sune as he hard the gaizles cry;
Bot than, or he came in againe,
The calfes brak luse and soukit the ky.
He cawd the gaizlines furth to feid,
Thair wes bot sevensum of them all;
And by thair cumis the greedie gled,
And cleiket vp fyve, left him bot twa:
Than out he ran in all his mane,
Sune as he hard the gaizles cry;
Bot than, or he came in againe,
The calfes brak luse and soukit the ky.
8
The calfes and ky met in the lone,
The man ran with ane rung to red;
Than thair comes ane ill-willie kow
And brodit his buttok quhill that it bled,
Than up he tuik ane rok of tow,
And he satt down to sey the spinning;
I trow he loutit owre neir the lowe;
Quo he, this wark hes an ill beginning.
The calfes and ky met in the lone,
The man ran with ane rung to red;
Than thair comes ane ill-willie kow
And brodit his buttok quhill that it bled,
Than up he tuik ane rok of tow,
And he satt down to sey the spinning;
I trow he loutit owre neir the lowe;
Quo he, this wark hes an ill beginning.
9
Then to the kirn he next did stoure,
And jumlit at it quhill he swat:
Quhen he had rumblit a full lang hour,
The sorrow scrap of butter he gatt.
Albeit na butter he could gett,
Yet he wes cummerit with the kirne;
And syne he het the milk owre het,
And sorrow a drap of it wald yirne.
Then to the kirn he next did stoure,
And jumlit at it quhill he swat:
Quhen he had rumblit a full lang hour,
The sorrow scrap of butter he gatt.
Albeit na butter he could gett,
Yet he wes cummerit with the kirne;
And syne he het the milk owre het,
And sorrow a drap of it wald yirne.
10
Then ben thair cam ane greidie sow,
I trow he kund hir littil thank,
For in scho schot hir ill-fard mow,
And ay scho winkit and ay scho drank.
He cleikit vp ane crukit club,
And thocht to hit her on the snout;
The twa gaizlines the glaidis had left,
That straik dang baith their harnis out.
Then ben thair cam ane greidie sow,
I trow he kund hir littil thank,
For in scho schot hir ill-fard mow,
And ay scho winkit and ay scho drank.
He cleikit vp ane crukit club,
And thocht to hit her on the snout;
The twa gaizlines the glaidis had left,
That straik dang baith their harnis out.
11
He set his foot vpon the spyre,
To have gotten the fleshe doun to the pat,
Bot he fell backward into the fyre,
And clourd his croun on the kerning stock.
He hang the meikle pat on the cruik,
And with twa canns ran to the spout,
Or he wan back againe (alaik)
The fyre burnt all the boddom out.
He set his foot vpon the spyre,
To have gotten the fleshe doun to the pat,
Bot he fell backward into the fyre,
And clourd his croun on the kerning stock.
He hang the meikle pat on the cruik,
And with twa canns ran to the spout,
Or he wan back againe (alaik)
The fyre burnt all the boddom out.
12
Than he laid kindling to the kill,
Bot scho start all vp in ane low;
Quhat evir he heard, quhat evir he saw,
That day he had na will to wow.
Than he gaid to take vp the bairnis,
Thocht to have fund thame fair and clene;
The first that he gat in his armis
Was all bedirtin to the eyne.
Than he laid kindling to the kill,
Bot scho start all vp in ane low;
Quhat evir he heard, quhat evir he saw,
That day he had na will to wow.
Than he gaid to take vp the bairnis,
Thocht to have fund thame fair and clene;
The first that he gat in his armis
Was all bedirtin to the eyne.
13
The first that he gat in his armis,
It was all dirt up to the eyne;
The first that he gat in his armis,
It was all dirt up to the eyne;