English and Scottish Ballads, Volume III

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

"And whare's the bairns o' this house,
    That ca' me Lamkin?"                                              30
  "They're at the school reading;
    'Twill be night or they come hame."

  O whare's the lady o' this house,
    That ca's me Lamkin?"
  "She's up in her bower sewing,                                      35
    But we soon can bring her down."

  Then Lamkin's tane a sharp knife,
    That hang down by his gaire,
  And he has gi'en the bonny babe
    A deep wound and a sair.                                          40

  Then Lamkin he rocked,
    And the fause nourice sang,
  Till frae ilkae bore o' the cradle
    The red blood out sprang.

  Then out it spak the lady,                                          45
    As she stood on the stair,
  "What ails my bairn, nourice,
    That he's greeting sae sair?

  "O still my bairn, nourice;
    O still him wi' the pap!"                                         50
  "He winna still, lady,
    For this, nor for that."

  "O still my bairn, nourice;
    "O still him wi' the wand!"
  "He winna still, lady,                                              55
    For a' his father's land."

  "O still my bairn, nourice,
    O still him wi' the bell!"
  "He winna still, lady,
    Till ye come down yoursel."                                       60

  O the firsten step she steppit,
    She steppit on a stane;
  But the neisten step she steppit,
    She met him, Lamkin.

  "O mercy, mercy, Lamkin!                                            65
    Ha'e mercy upon me!
  Though you've ta'en my young son's life,
    Ye may let mysel be."

  "O sall I kill her, nourice?
    Or sall I lat her be?"                                            70
  "O kill her, kill her, Lamkin,
    For she ne'er was good to me."

  "O scour the bason, nourice,
    And mak it fair and clean,
  For to keep this lady's heart's blood,                              75
    For she's come o' noble kin."

  "There need nae bason, Lamkin;
    Lat it run through the floor;
  What better is the heart's blood
    O' the rich than o' the poor?"                                    80

  But ere three months were at an end,
    Lord Wearie came again;
  But dowie dowie was his heart
    When first he came hame.

  "O wha's blood is this," he says,                                   85
    "That lies in the châmer?"
  "It is your lady's heart's blood;
    'Tis as clear as the lamer."

  "And wha's blood is this," he says,
    "That lies in my ha'?"                                            90
  "It is your young son's heart's blood;
    'Tis the clearest ava."

  O sweetly sang the black-bird
    That sat upon the tree;
  But sairer grat Lamkin,                                             95
    When he was condemn'd to die.

  And bonny sang the mavis
    Out o' the thorny brake;
  But sairer grat the nourice,
    When she was tied to the stake.                                  100




LAMBERT LINKIN.

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

English and Scottish Ballads, Volume III

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