Twa Corbies

As I was walking all alane,
I heard twa corbies making a mane;
The ane unto the t'other say,
'Where sall we gang and dine to-day?'

'In behint yon auld fail dyke,
I wot there lies a new slain knight;
And naebody kens that he lies there,
But his hawk, his hound, and lady fair.

'His hound is tae the hunting gane,
His hawk tae fetch the wild-fowl hame,
His lady's ta'en another mate,
So we may mak our dinner swate.

'Ye'll sit on his white hause-bane,
And I'll pike oot his bonny blue een;
Wi ae lock o his gowden hair
We'll theek oor neist when it grows bare.

'Mony a yin for him makes mane,
But nane sall ken whaur he is gane;
Oer his white banes, when they are bare,
The wind sall blaw for evermair.


First printed in Motherwell's Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border in 1803: the two birds are discussing the pros and cons of eating a newly slain knight....

And translated into English

As I was walking all alone,
I heard two crows making a moan;
One unto the other did say,
"Where shall we go and dine today?"

"In behind that old turf wall,
I sense there lies a newly slain knight;
And nobody knows that he lies there,
But his hawk, his hound and his lady fair."

"His hound is to the hunting gone,
His hawk to fetch the wild-fowl home,
His lady has taken another mate,
So we may make our dinner sweet."

"You will sit on his white neck-bone,
And I'll peck out his pretty blue eyes;
With one lock of his golden hair
We'll thatch our nest when it grows bare."

"Many a one for him makes moan,
But none will know where he is gone;
Over his white bones, when they are bare,
The wind will blow for evermore."