The Bonny Birdy Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: A B C DECE EEFE DGH DEI DEF EJK LMM LHLMLL NLIL NLILL ELMLLL EEFE EEMEO EFLFF EEPE LFLQLR

Text From the Jamieson Brown MS Jamieson in printing this ballad enlarged and rewrote much of it making the burden part of the dialogue throughoutA
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The Story is much the same as that of Little Musgrave and Lady Barnard but the ballad as a whole is worthy of comparison with the longer English ballad for the sake of its lyrical settingB
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THE BONNY BIRDYC
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There was a knight in a summer's nightD
Was riding o'er the lee diddleE
An' there he saw a bonny birdyC
Was singing upon a tree diddleE
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O wow for day diddleE
An' dear gin it were day diddleE
Gin it were day an' gin I were awayF
For I ha' na lang time to stay diddleE
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'Make hast make hast ye gentle knightD
What keeps you here so lateG
Gin ye kent what was doing at hameH
I fear you woud look blate '-
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'O what needs I toil day an' nightD
My fair body to killE
Whan I hae knights at my comman'I
An' ladys at my will '-
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'Ye lee ye lee ye gentle knightD
Sa loud's I hear you leeE
Your lady's a knight in her arms twaF
That she lees far better nor thee '-
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'Ye lee ye lee you bonny birdyE
How you lee upo' my sweetJ
I will tak' out my bonny bowK
An' in troth I will you sheet '-
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'But afore ye hae your bow well bentL
An' a' your arrows yareM
I will flee till another treeM
Whare I can better fare '-
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'O whare was you gotten and whare was ye cleckedL
My bonny birdy tell me'H
'O I was clecked in good green woodL
Intill a holly treeM
A gentleman my nest herryedL
An' ga' me to his ladyL
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'Wi' good white bread an' farrow cow milkN
He bade her feed me aftL
An' ga' her a little wee simmer dale wannyI
To ding me sindle and saftL
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'Wi' good white bread an' farrow cow milkN
I wot she fed me noughtL
But wi' a little wee simmer dale wannyI
She dang me sair an' aftL
Gin she had deen as ye her badeL
I wouldna tell how she has wrought '-
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The knight he rade and the birdy flewE
The live lang simmer's nightL
Till he came till his lady's bow'r doorM
Then even down he did lightL
The birdy sat on the crap of a treeL
An' I wot it sang fu' dightL
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'O wow for day diddleE
An' dear gin it were day diddleE
Gin it were day and gin I were awayF
For I ha' na lang time to stay ' diddleE
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'What needs ye lang for day diddleE
An' wish that you were away diddleE
Is no your hounds i' my cellarM
Eating white meal and gray ' diddleE
'O wow for day ' etcO
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'Is nae you r steed in my stableE
Eating good corn an' hayF
An' is nae your hawk i' my perch treeL
Just perching for his preyF
An' is nae yoursel i' my arms twaF
Then how can ye lang for day '-
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'O wow for day diddleE
An' dear gin it were day diddleE
For he that's in bed wi' anither man's wifeP
Has never lang time to stay ' diddleE
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Then out the knight has drawn his swordL
An' straiked it o'er a straeF
An' thro' and thro' the fa'se knight's wasteL
He gard cauld iron gaeQ
An' I hope ilk ane sal sae be serv'dL
That treats ane honest man saeR

Frank Sidgwick



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