English and Scottish Ballads, Volume II

Ballads, English -- England -- Texts; Ballads, Scots -- Scotland -- Texts

"Your father and your mother is weel,
      But and your brothers three;                                    30
    Your sister, lady Maisry's, weel,
      Sae big wi' bairn is she."

    "A malison light on the tongue,
      Sic tidings tells to me!--
    But gin it be a lie you tell,                                     35
      You shall be hanged hie."

    He's doen him to his sister's bower,
      Wi' mickle dool and care;
    And there he saw her, lady Maisry,
      Kembing her yellow hair.                                        40

    "O wha is aucht that bairn," he says,[L41]
      "That ye sae big are wi'?
    And gin ye winna own the truth,
      This moment ye sall die."

    She's turned her richt and round about,                           45
      And the kembe fell frae her han';
    A trembling seized her fair bodie,
      And her rosy cheek grew wan.

    "O pardon me, my brother dear,
      And the truth I'll tell to thee;                                50
    My bairn it is to Lord William,
      And he is betrothed to me."

    "O cou'dna ye gotten dukes, or lords,
      Intill your ain countrie,
    That ye drew up wi' an English dog,                               55
      To bring this shame on me?

    "But ye maun gi'e up your English lord,
      Whan your young babe is born;
    For, gin ye keep by him an hour langer,
      Your life shall be forlorn."                                    60

    "I will gi'e up this English lord,
      Till my young babe be born;
    But the never a day nor hour langer,
      Though my life should be forlorn."

    "O whare is a' my merry young men,                                65
      Wham I gi'e meat and fee,
    To pu' the bracken and the thorn,
      To burn this vile whore wi'?"

    "O whare will I get a bonny boy,
      To help me in my need,                                          70
    To rin wi' haste to Lord William,
      And bid him come wi' speed?"

    O out it spak a bonny boy,
      Stood by her brother's side;
    "It's I wad rin your errand, lady,                                75
      O'er a' the warld wide.

    "Aft ha'e I run your errands, lady,
      When blawin baith wind and weet;
    But now I'll rin your errand, lady,
      With saut tears on my cheek."                                   80

    O whan he came to broken briggs,
      He bent his bow and swam;
    And whan he came to the green grass growin',
      He slack'd his shoon and ran.

    And when he came to Lord William's yeats,                         85
      He badena to chap or ca';
    But set his bent bow to his breast,
      And lightly lap the wa';
    And, or the porter was at the yeat,
      The boy was in the ha'.                                         90

    "O is my biggins broken, boy?
      Or is my towers won?
    Or is my lady lighter yet,
      O' a dear daughter or son?"

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

English and Scottish Ballads, Volume II

No reviews yet