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116 LADY NAIRNE AND HER SONGS.
terpreted, means that when she came into the front of the house, she curtsied, and of which the first verse of the imperfect and rather vulgar old song is —
When she cam' ben, she bobbit, When she cam' ben, she bobbit, When she cam' ben she kissed Cockpen And syne denied that she did it.
But no one can doubt that it was the true picture of a character and incident which had given laughter to Carolina Oliphant and her young friends, and had been the joke of the country-side, ere it lilted itself to the rollicking jig. The commonly printed version of The Laird of Cockpen is injured by the fact that it has two additional verses, contributed by Miss Ferrier, the novelist, which destroy its absolute completeness and perfection of humor as it was written by Lady Nairne.
THE LAIRD OF COCKPEN.
The laird of Cockpen, he's proud an' he's great; His mind is taen up wi' things o' the State. He wanted a wife his braw house to keep, But favour wi' wooin' was fasheous to seek.
Down by the dyke-side a lady did dwell, At his table-head he thought she 'd look well, M'Clish's ae daughter o' Claverse-ha'-Lee, A penniless lass wi' a long pedigree. |
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