And up come he to her bed fit,
And a grumlie guest I’m sure was he,
Saying, “Here am I, thy bairnie’s faither
Although I may not comely be.”

—The Great Selkie of Sule Skerry (traditional)

#Scottish #literature #ballad #folksong #folklore #Scotstober #grumlie

Image: Vernon Hill, “The Great Sealchie of Sule Skerrie”, in Ballads Weird and Wonderful by Richard Pearse Chope (John Lane, 1912)