English and Scottish Ballads, Volume III — John Shaqi
English and Scottish Ballads, Volume III
General
English and Scottish Ballads, Volume III
Ballads, English -- England -- Texts; Ballads, Scots -- Scotland -- Texts
"Traitors false for to subdue, 25
O'er seas I'll make me boun',
That have trepan'd our kind Scotchmen,
Like dogs to ding them down."
"Weell, take this ring, this royal thing,
Whose virtue is unknown; 30
As lang's this ring's your body on,
Your blood shall ne'er be drawn.
"But if this ring shall fade or stain,
Or change to other hue,
Come never mair to fair Scotland, 35
If ye're a lover true."
Then this couple they did part
With a sad heavy moan;
The wind was fair, the ship was rare,
They landed in Bahome. 40
But in that place they had not been
A month but barely one,
Till he look'd on his gay gold ring,[L43]
And riven was the stone.
Time after this was not expir'd 45
A month but scarcely three,
Till black and ugly was the ring,
And the stone was burst in three.[L48]
"Fight on, fight on, you merry men all,
With you I'll fight no more; 50
I will gang to some holy place,
Pray to the King of Glore."
Then to the chapel he is gone,
And knelt most piteouslie,
For seven days and seven nights, 55
Till blood ran frae his knee.
"Ye'll take my jewels that's in Bahome,
And deal them liberallie,
To young that cannot, and old that mannot,
The blind that does not see. 60
"Give maist to women in child-bed laid,
Can neither fecht nor flee:
I hope she's in the heavens high,
That died for love of me."
The knights they wrang their white fingers, 65
The ladies tore their hair;
The women that ne'er had children born,
In swoon they down fell there.
But in what way the knight expir'd,
No tongue will e'er declare; 70
So this doth end my mournful song,
From me ye'll get nae mair.
43, they look'd.
48, And stone.
BONNY BEE-HO'M.
Jamieson's _Popular Ballads_, i. 184, from Mrs. Brown's MS., the
interpolations of the editor being omitted.
By Arthur's dale as late I went,
I heard a heavy moan;
I heard a lady lamenting sair.
And ay she cried "ohon!"
"Ohon, alas! what shall I do, 5
Tormented night and day?
I never loved a love but ane,
And now he's gone away.
"But I will do for my true love
What ladies would think sair; 10
For seven years shall come and gae,
Ere a kaime gae in my hair.
"There shall neither a shoe gae on my foot,
Nor a kaime gae in my hair,
Nor ever a coal or candle light 15
Shine in my bower nae mair."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account