XbladeMarmaux15: August 2015

Sir Patrick Spens

The King sits in Dunfermline town,
Drinking the blood-red wine;
"O where shall I get a skeely skipper
To sail this ship or mine?"

Then up and spake an eldern knight,
Sat at the King's right knee:
"Sir Patrick Spens is the best sailor
That ever sailed the sea."

The King has written a broad letter,
And sealed it with his hand,
And sent it to Sir Patrick Spens,
Was walking on the strand.

"To Noroway, to Noroway,
To Noroway o'er the foam;
The King's daughter of Noroway,
'Tis thou must fetch her home."

The first line that Sir Patrick read,
A loud laugh laughed he;
The next line that Sir Patrick read,
The tear blinded his ee.

"O who is this has done this deed,
Has told the King of me,
To send us out at this time of the year,
To sail upon the sea?

"Be it wind, be it wet, be it hail, be it sleet,
Our ship must sail the foam;
The king's daughter of Noroway,
'Tis we must fetch her home."

They hoisted their sails on Monenday morn,
With all the speed they may;
And they have landed in Noroway
Upon a Wodensday

They had not been a week, a week,
In Noroway but twae,
When that the lords of Noroway
Began aloud to say, -

"Ye Scottishmen spend all our King's gowd,
And all our Queenis fee."
"Ye lie, ye lie, ye liars loud!
So loud I hear ye lie.

"For I brought as much of the white monie
As gane my men and me,
And a half-fou of the good red gowd
Out o'er the sea with me.

"Make ready, make ready, my merry men all,
Our good ship sails the morn."
"Now, ever alack, my master dear
I fear a deadly storm.

"I saw the new moon late yestreen
With the old moon in her arm;
And if we go to sea, master,
I fear we'll come to harm."

They had not sailed a league, a league,
A league but barely three,
When the lift grew dark, and the wind blew loud,
And gurly grew the sea.

The ankers brake and the top-masts lap,
It was such a deadly storm;
And the waves came o'er the broken ship
Till all her sides were torn.

"O where will I get a good sailor
Will take my helm in hand,
Till I get up to the tall top-mast
To see if I can spy land?"

"O here am I, a sailor good,
Will take the helm in hand,
Till you go up to the tall top-mast,
But I fear you'll ne'er spy land."

He had not gone a step, a step,
A step but barely ane,
When a bolt flew out of the good ship's side,
And the salt sea came in.

"Go fetch a web of the silken cloth,
Another of the twine,
And wap them into our good ship's side,
And let not the sea come in."

They fetched a web of the silken cloth,
Another of the twine,
And they wapp'd them into the good ship's side,
But still the sea came in.

O loth, both, were our good Scots lords
To wet their cork-heel'd shoon,
But long ere all the play was play'd
They wet their hats aboon.

And many was the feather-bed
That fluttered on the foam;
And many was the good lord's son
That never more came home.

The ladies wrang their fingers white,
The maidens tore their heair,
All for the sake of their true loves,
For them they'll see nae mair.

O lang, lang may the maidens sit
With their gold combs in their hair,
All waiting for their own dear loves,
For them they'll see nae mair.

O forty miles of Aberdeen,
'Tis fifty fathoms deep;
And there lies good Sir Patrick Spens,
With the Scots lords at his feet.

Slangs and their English translation:

1. Dunfermline – an administrative district in Scotland

2. Blude-red – bloody-red

3. Whare – where

4. Skeely – skilled

5. Skipper – sailor

6. O’mine – of mine

7. Spak – spoke

8. Eldern – senior

9. Sail’d – sailed

10. Seal’d – sealed

11. Noroway – Norway

12. O’er the faem – over the

13. ‘Tis – this

14. Thou – you

15. Hame – home

16. Laugh’d – laughed

17. Neist –

18. E’e – eye

19. Wha – who

20. Tauld – told

21. O’year – of year

22. Weet –

23. Faem –

24. Hoysed –

25. Monenday – Monday

26. Morn – morning

27. Wi’a’ –

28. Hae – have

29. Wodensday – Wednesdaay

30. Mak – make

31. Gude – good

32. Alack –

33. Yestreen –

34. Auld – old

35. Hadna – had not

36. Gurly –

37. Ankersbrak – anchor’s broken

38. Lap – part

39. Sic – such

40. Cam owre –

41. A’her – other

42. Claith –

43. Twine – twist

44. Wap –

45. Nae – not

46. Fetch’d – fetched

47. Wapp’d –

48. Laith –

49. Cork-heeldshoon –

50. Lang – long

51. Play’d – played

52. Wat –

53. Aboon –

54. Mony – money

55. Flatter’d – flattered

56. Mair – more

57. Wi’ – with

58. Gowd _

59. Kames –

60. Naemair – no more

61. Half-owre –

62. Aberdour –

Bonnie George Campbell


*HIE upon Hielands*,
*and laigh upon Tay*,
*Bonnie George Campbel*l
*rode out on a day*.

*He saddled, he bridled*,	5
*and gallant rode he*,
*And hame cam his guid horse*,
*but never cam he*.

*Out cam his mother dear*,
*greeting fu sair*,	10
*And out cam his bonnie bryde*,
*riving her hair*.

*“The meadow lies green*,
*the corn is unshorn*,
*But Bonnie George Campbell*	15
*will never return,*”

*Saddled and bridle*d
*and booted rode he*,
*A plume in his helmet*,
*A sword at his knee*.	20

*But toom cam his saddle*,
*all bloody to see*,
*Oh, hame cam his guid horse*,
*but never cam he*!

Slang	English Translation
Hie	high
Hielands	highland or upland
Laigh	low
Tay	river in Scotland flowing down from the Highlands into the North Sea at Perth.
hame	home
cam	came
guid	good
Fu	Full
Sair	solely
Bryde	bride
Riving	tearing
toom	empty

XbladeMarmaux15

Monday, August 31, 2015

Slang Words-English Translation (Sir Patrick Spens)

Slang words-English Translation (Bonnie George Campbell)