English and Scottish Ballads, Volume IV

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

"Dundee, kind sir, Dundee, kind sir,
      Tak me to bonny Dundee;                                       30
    For ye sall ne'er my favour win
      Till it ance mair I see."

    "Dundee, Baby! Dundee, Baby!
      Dundee ye ne'er shall see;
    But I will carry you to Glenlyon,                               35
      Where you my bride shall be.

    "Or will ye stay at Achingour,
      And eat sweet milk and cheese;
    Or gang wi' me to Glenlyon,
      And there we'll live at our ease?"                            40

    "I winna stay at Achingour;
      I care neither for milk nor cheese;
    Nor gang wi' thee to Glenlyon;
      For there I'll ne'er find ease."

    Then out it spak his brother John;                              45
      "If I were in your place,
    I'd send that lady hame again,
      For a' her bonny face.

    "Commend me to the lass that's kind,
      Though nae sae gently born;                                   50
    And, gin her heart I coudna win,
      To take her hand I'd scorn."

    "O haud your tongue, my brother John;
      Ye wisna what ye say;
    For I hae lued that bonny face                                  55
      This mony a year and day.

    "I've lued her lang, and lued her weel,
      But her love I ne'er could win;
    And what I canna fairly gain,
      To steal I think nae sin."                                    60

    Whan they cam to Glenlyon castle,
      They lighted at the yett;
    And out they cam, his three sisters,
      Their brother for to greet.

    And they have taen her, bonny Baby,                             65
      And led her o'er the green;
    And ilka lady spak a word,
      But bonny Baby spake nane.

    Then out it spak her, bonny Jane,
      The youngest o' the three:                                    70
    "O lady, why look ye sae sad?
      Come tell your grief to me."

    "O wharefore should I tell my grief,
      Since lax I canna find?
    I'm far frae a' my kin and friends,                             75
      And my love I left behind.

    "But had I paper, pen, and ink,
      Afore that it were day,
    I yet might get a letter wrate,
      And sent to Johnie Hay.                                       80

    "And gin I had a bonny boy,
      To help me in my need,
    That he might rin to bonny Dundee,
      And come again wi' speed!"

    And they hae gotten a bonny boy                                 85
      Their errand for to gang;
    And bade him run to Bonny Dundee,
      And nae to tarry lang.

    The boy he ran o'er muir and dale,
      As fast as he could flee;                                     90
    And e'er the sun was twa hours hight,
      The boy was at Dundee.

    Whan Johnie lookit the letter on,
      A hearty laugh leuch he;
    But ere he read it till an end,                                 95
      The tear blinded his e'e.

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

English and Scottish Ballads, Volume IV

No reviews yet