This song was quoted by Gutcher on 28 Oct 2013: From Lives of the Lindsays; Or, A Memoir of the Houses of Crawford and Balcarres, Vol. 2, by Lord Lindsay [Alexander William Crawford], (London: John Murray, 1858), p. 454: AULD DUNROD Auld Dunrod was a goustie[1] carle, As ever ye micht see; And gin he was na a warlock wicht, There was nane in the haill countrie. Auld Dunrod stack in a pin (A bourtree pin)[2] in the wa’, And when he wanted his neighbour’s milk, He just gied the pin a thraw. He milkit the Laird o’ Kellie’s[3] kye, And a’ the kye in Dunoon; And Auld Dunrod gat far mair milk Than wad mak a gabbart soum.[4] The cheese he made were numerous, And wonerous[5] to descry; For they kyth’t as gin they had been grule,[6] Or peats set up to dry. And there was nae cumerwald[7] man about, Wha cam to him for skill, That gif he didna do him good, He didna do him ill. But the Session gat word o’ Dunrod’s tricks, And they tuik him in han’, And there was naething to do but Auld Dunrod Forsooth maun leave the lan’. Sae Auld Dunrod he muntit[8] his stick, His broomstick muntit he; And he flychterit[9] twa three times about, Syne through the air did flee. And he flew by auld Greenock tower, And by the Newark haw,— Ye wadna kenn’d him in his flicht Be a huddock[10] or a craw. And he flew to the Rest and be Thankfu’ Stane--- A merry auld carle was he; He stottit and fluffer’t as he had been wud,[11] Or drucken wi’ the barley bree.[12] But a rountree[13] grew at the stane— It is there unto this day, And gin ye dinna find it still, Set doun that it’s away. And he ne’er wist o’ the rountree Till he cam dunt[14] thereon; His magic broomstick tint its spell, And he daudit[15] on the stone. His heid was hard, and the Stane was sae, And whan they met ane anither, It was hard to say what wad be the weird Of either the tane or the tither. But the Stane was muilt[16] like a lampet shell, And sae was Auld Dunrod; When ye munt a broomstick to tak a flicht, Ye had best tak anither road. The neighbours gatherit to see the sicht, The Stane’s remains they saw; But as for Auld Dunrod himsel’, He was carriet clean awa’. And monie noy’t,[17] as weill they micht, The Rest and be Thankfu’ Stane; And ilk ane said it bad been better far, Gin Dunrod had staid at hame. And what becam o’ Auld Dunrod Was doubtfu’ for to say, Some said he wasna there ava,[18] But flew anither way. 1 Ghostly, unearthly. 2 Of the elder-tree. 3 Bannatyne, Laird of kellie, in the parish of Innerkip. 4 Make a lighter swim. 5 Wondrous. 6 Appeared as if they had been like moss baked in the sun. 7 Henpecked? 8 Mounted. 9 Fluttered. 10 From a carrion-crow. 11 Bounded and whisked about. 12 Drunken with ale. 13 Mountain-ash. 14 With a thump. 15 Fell violently down. 16 Crushed. 17 Blamed. 18 At all.
|