10 ‘O tell me mair, young man,’ she said, ‘This does surprise me now; What country hae ye come frae? What pedigree are you?’ 11 ‘My mither lives on foreign isles, She has nae mair but me; She is a queen o wealth and state, And birth and high degree. 12 ‘Likewise well skilld in magic spells, As ye may plainly see, And she transformd me to yon shape, To charm such maids as thee. 13 ‘I am a doo the live-lang day, A sprightly youth at night; This aye gars me appear mair fair In a fair maiden’s sight. 14 ‘And it was but this verra day That I came ower the sea; Your lovely face did me enchant; I’ll live and dee wi thee.’ 15 ‘O Cow-me-doo, my luve sae true, Nae mair frae me ye’se gae;’ ‘That’s never my intent, my luve, As ye said, it shall be sae.’ 16 ‘O Cow-me-doo, my luve sae true, It’s time to gae to bed;’ ‘Wi a’ my heart, my dear marrow, It’s be as ye hae said.’ 17 Then he has staid in bower wi her For sax lang years and ane, Till sax young sons to him she bare, And the seventh she’s brought hame. 18 But aye as ever a child was born He carried them away, And brought them to his mither’s care, As fast as he coud fly. 19 Thus he has staid in bower wi her For twenty years and three; There came a lord o high renown To court this fair ladie. 20 But still his proffer she refused, And a’ his presents too; Says, I’m content to live alane Wi my bird, Cow-me-doo. 21 Her father sware a solemn oath Amang the nobles all, ‘The morn, or ere I eat or drink, This bird I will gar kill.’ 22 The bird was sitting in his cage, And heard what they did say; And when he found they were dismist, Says, Wae’s me for this day! 23 ‘Before that I do langer stay, And thus to be forlorn, I’ll gang unto my mither’s bower, Where I was bred and born.’ 24 Then Cow-me-doo took flight and flew Beyond the raging sea, And lighted near his mither’s castle, On a tower o gowd sae hie. 25 As his mither was wauking out, To see what she coud see, And there she saw her little son, Set on the tower sae hie. 26 ‘Get dancers here to dance,’ she said, ‘And minstrells for to play; For here’s my young son, Florentine, Come here wi me to stay.’ 27 ‘Get nae dancers to dance, mither, Nor minstrells for to play, For the mither o my seven sons, The morn’s her wedding-day.’ 28 ‘O tell me, tell me, Florentine, Tell me, and tell me true, Tell me this day without a flaw, What I will do for you.’