English and Scottish Ballads, Volume II

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

"I'll gie you a robe, Glenkindie,
      A robe o' the royal pa',
    Gin ye will harp i' the winter's night                            15
      Afore my nobles a'."

    And the king but and his nobles a'[L17]
      Sat birling at the wine;
    And he wad hae but his ae dochter,
      To wait on them at dine.                                        20

    He's taen his harp intill his hand,
      He's harpit them a' asleep,
    Except it was the young countess,
      That love did waukin keep.

    And first he has harpit a grave tune,[L25]                        25
      And syne he has harpit a gay;
    And mony a sich atween hands
      I wat the lady gae.

    Says, "Whan day is dawen, and cocks hae crawen,
      And wappit their wings sae wide,                                30
    It's ye may come to my bower door,
      And streek you by my side.

    "But look that ye tell na Gib your man,
      For naething that ye dee;
    For, an ye tell him, Gib your man,                                35
      He'll beguile baith you and me."

    He's taen his harp intill his hand;
      He harpit and he sang;
    And he is hame to Gib his man,
      As fast as he could gang.                                       40

    "O mith I tell you, Gib, my man,
      Gin I a man had slain?"
    "O that ye micht, my gude master,
      Altho' ye had slain ten."

    "Then tak ye tent now, Gib, my man,                               45
      My bidden for to dee;
    And, but an ye wauken me in time,
      Ye sall be hangit hie.

    "Whan day has dawen, and cocks hae crawen,
      And wappit their wings sae wide,                                50
    I'm bidden gang till yon lady's bower,
      And streek me by her side."

    "Gae hame to your bed, my good master;
      Ye've waukit, I fear, o'er lang;
    For I'll wauken you in as good time,                              55
      As ony cock i' the land."

    He's taen his harp intill his hand,
      He harpit and he sang,
    Until he harpit his master asleep,
      Syne fast awa did gang.                                         60

    And he is till that lady's bower,
      As fast as he could rin;
    When he cam till that lady's bower,
      He chappit at the chin.[L64]

    "O wha is this," says that lady,                                  65
      "That opens nae and comes in?"
    "It's I, Glenkindie, your ain true love,
      O open and lat me in!"

    She kent he was nae gentle knicht
      That she had latten in;                                         70
    For neither whan he gaed nor cam,
      Kist he her cheek or chin.

    He neither kist her whan he cam,
      Nor clappit her when he gaed;
    And in and at her bower window,                                   75
      The moon shone like the gleed.

    "O, ragged is your hose, Glenkindie,
      And riven is your sheen,
    And reavel'd is your yellow hair
      That I saw late yestreen."                                      80

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

English and Scottish Ballads, Volume II

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