I agree Malcolm - it makes more sense. You still wind up with the incongruity of the brightly lit room feeling dreary and gloomy. I didn't know the different meaning of "eerie" in Scots, so I learned something. Thanks, Malcolm.

Someone in our local session sings the Clancy Brothers' anglicized version. In my opinion, a lot of the emotion that's in it the way Henderson's wrote it is just thrown away. What I feel when hearing Henderson's words is he seems torn between feeling joy at leaving and leaving a place and people he cared for, and it's the contradictions in the song that make it what it is. The anglicised verion sounds like it's more focused on simply leaving. I believe the line about the chaumers being eerie is necessary to convey the contradictory feelings.

Keith, I should have said this in my first post, but thanks for providing the translations. There have been quite a few questions here on the meaning of words in that song, so it'll be quite helpful. Also, I learn that the words mean and then forget because I don't have occasion to use words like "smoor" very often.

In case anyone's wondering:
The original and The (an) anglicized version.