The Twa Corbies

Because such birds often feed on dead animals, they have the association with death or news of death. This may not be connected with someone dying, but perhaps that some project, love or aspect of yourself is being left to die; feelings or fears about death; something you are unaware of but is on the edge of consciousness.

The Twa Corbies by Arthur Rackham

As I was walking all alane,
I heard twa corbies making a maen:
The tane unto the t’ither did say,
“Whaur shall we gang and dine the day?”

“O doun beside yon auld fail dyke,
I wot there lies a new-slain knight;
And naebody kens that he lies there
But his hawk, his hound, and his lady fair.

“His hound is to the hunting gane,
His hawk to fetch the wild-fowl hame,
His lady’s ta’en another mate,
Sae we may mak’ our dinner sweet.

O we’ll sit on his white hause bane,
And I’ll pyke out his bonny blue e’en;
Wi’ ae lock o’ his gowden hair
We’ll theek our nest when it blaws bare.

“Mony a ane for him makes maen,
But nane shall ken whaur he is gane.
Over his banes when they are bare,
The wind shall blaw for evermair.”

A Modern English Version of The Twa Corbies

As I was walking all alone,
I heard two corbies make a moan,
The one unto the other said,
Where shall we go this day to dine?

Behind that old earthen dyke,
I see there lies a new-slain knight,
And none do know that he lies there,
But his hawk, his hound, and his lady fair.

His hound is to the hunting gone,
His hawk to fetch the wild fowl home,
His lady’s taken another mate,
So we can eat our dinner sweet.

You’ll sit upon his neck bones,
While I pluck out his eyes of blue,
With his locks of golden hair,
We’ll patch our nest when it grows bare.

Many a one for him is grieving,
But none shall know where he is gone,
Over his bones when they are bare,
The wind will blow forever more.