And as she lay there in her beauty a famous harper passed by the
mill-dam of Binnorie, and saw her sweet pale face. And though he
travelled on far away he never forgot that face, and after many days he
came back to the bonny mill-stream of Binnorie. But then all he could
find of her where they had put her to rest were her bones and her
golden hair. So he made a harp out of her breast-bone and her hair, and
travelled on up the hill from the mill-dam of Binnorie, till he came to
the castle of the king her father.
That night they were all gathered in the castle hall to hear the great
harper--king and queen, their daughter and son, Sir William and all
their Court. And first the harper sang to his old harp, making them joy
and be glad or sorrow and weep just as he liked. But while he sang he
put the harp he had made that day on a stone in the hall. And presently
it began to sing by itself, low and clear, and the harper stopped and
all were hushed.
And this was what the harp sung:
“O yonder sits my father, the king,
Binnorie, O Binnorie;
And yonder sits my mother, the queen;
By the bonny mill-dams o' Binnorie,
“And yonder stands my brother Hugh,
Binnorie, O Binnorie;
And by him, my William, false and true;
By the bonny mill-dams o' Binnorie.”
Then they all wondered, and the harper told them how he had seen the
princess lying drowned on the bank near the bonny mill-dams o'
Binnorie, and how he had afterwards made this harp out of her hair and
breast-bone. Just then the harp began singing again, and this was what
it sang out loud and clear:
“And there sits my sister who drownèd me
By the bonny mill-dams o' Binnorie.”
And the harp snapped and broke, and never sang more.
MOUSE AND MOUSER
The Mouse went to visit the Cat, and found her sitting behind the hall
door, spinning.
MOUSE. What are you doing, my lady, my lady, What are you doing, my
lady?
CAT (_sharply_). I'm spinning old breeches, good body, good body I'm
spinning old breeches, good body.
MOUSE. Long may you wear them, my lady, my lady, Long may you wear them,
my lady.
CAT (_gruffly_). I'll wear' em and tear 'em, good body, good body. I'll
wear 'em and tear 'em, good body.
MOUSE. I was sweeping my room, my lady, my lady, I was sweeping my room,
my lady.
CAT. The cleaner you'd be, good body, good body, The cleaner you'd be,
good body.
MOUSE. I found a silver sixpence, my lady, my lady, I found a silver
sixpence, my lady.
CAT. The richer you were, good body, good body, The richer you were,
good body.
MOUSE. I went to the market, my lady, my lady, I went to the market, my
lady.
CAT. The further you went, good body, good body The further you went,
good body.
MOUSE. I bought me a pudding, my lady, my lady, I bought me a pudding,
my lady.
CAT (_snarling_). The more meat you had, good body, good body, The more
meat you had, good body.
MOUSE. I put it in the window to cool, my lady, I put it in the window
to cool.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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