The English and Scottish popular ballads, volume 2 (of 5)

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

#a.# Motherwell's MS., p. 61, from the recitation of Miss
        Stevenson of Glasgow, January 22, 1825; Motherwell's
        Minstrelsy, p. 218. #b.# Motherwell's Minstrelsy,
        Appendix, p. xvii, VIII, one stanza.

    1
    Earl Richard is a hunting gone,
      As fast as he can ride,
    His hunting-horn hung about his neck,
      And a small sword by his side.

    2
    When he came to my lady's gate
      He tirled at the pin,
    And wha was sae ready as the lady hersell
      To open and let him in.

    3
    'O light, O light, Earl Richard,' she says,
      'O light and stay a' night;
    You shall have cheer wi charcoal clear,
      And candles burning bright.'

    4
    'I will not light, I cannot light,
      I cannot light at all;
    A fairer lady than ten of thee
      Is waiting at Richard's Wall.'

    5
    He stooped from his milk-white steed,
      To kiss her rosy cheek;
    She had a pen-knife in her hand,
      And wounded him so deep.

    6
    'O lie ye there, Earl Richard,' she says,
      'O lie ye there till morn;
    A fairer lady than ten of me
      Will think lang of your coming home.'

    7
    She called her servants ane by ane,
      She called them twa by twa:
    'I have got a dead man in my bower,
      I wish he were awa.'

    8
    The one has taen [him] by the hand,
      And the other by the feet,
    And they've thrown him in a deep draw-well,
      Full fifty fathom deep.

    9
    Then up bespake a little bird,
      That sat upon a tree:
    'Gae hame, gae hame, ye false lady,
      And pay your maids their fee.'

    10
    'Come down, come down, my pretty bird,
      That sits upon the tree;
    I have a cage of beaten gold,
      I'll gie it unto thee.'

    11
    'Gae hame, gae hame, ye fause lady,
      And pay your maids their fee;
    As ye have done to Earl Richard,
      Sae wud ye do to me.'

    12
    'If I had an arrow in my hand,
      And a bow bent on a string,
    I'd shoot a dart at thy proud heart,
      Amang the leaves sae green.'


G

        Herd's MSS, I, 34; Herd's Scottish Songs, 1776, I, 148.

    1
    She has calld to her her bower-maidens,
      She has calld them one by one:
    'There is a dead man in my bower,
      I wish that he was gone.'

    2
    They have booted him, and spurred him,
      As he was wont to ride,
    A hunting-horn around his waist,
      A sharp sword by his side.

    3
    Then up and spake a bonie bird,
      That sat upon the tree:
    'What hae ye done wi Earl Richard?
      Ye was his gay lady.'

    4
    'Cum down, cum down, my bonie bird,
      Cum sit upon my hand;
    And ye sall hae a cage o the gowd,
      Where ye hae but the wand.'

    5
    'Awa, awa, ye ill woman,
      Nae ill woman for me;
    What ye hae done to Earl Richard,
      Sae wad ye do to mee.'

      *    *    *    *    *    *    *

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

Opening the text

General

The English and Scottish popular ballads, volume 2 (of 5)

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

#a.# Motherwell's MS., p. 61, from the recitation of Miss
        Stevenson of Glasgow, January 22, 1825; Motherwell's
        Minstrelsy, p. 218. #b.# Motherwell's Minstrelsy,
        Appendix, p. xvii, VIII, one stanza.

    1
    Earl Richard is a hunting gone,
      As fast as he can ride,
    His hunting-horn hung about his neck,
      And a small sword by his side.

    2
    When he came to my lady's gate
      He tirled at the pin,
    And wha was sae ready as the lady hersell
      To open and let him in.

    3
    'O light, O light, Earl Richard,' she says,
      'O light and stay a' night;
    You shall have cheer wi charcoal clear,
      And candles burning bright.'

    4
    'I will not light, I cannot light,
      I cannot light at all;
    A fairer lady than ten of thee
      Is waiting at Richard's Wall.'

    5
    He stooped from his milk-white steed,
      To kiss her rosy cheek;
    She had a pen-knife in her hand,
      And wounded him so deep.

    6
    'O lie ye there, Earl Richard,' she says,
      'O lie ye there till morn;
    A fairer lady than ten of me
      Will think lang of your coming home.'

    7
    She called her servants ane by ane,
      She called them twa by twa:
    'I have got a dead man in my bower,
      I wish he were awa.'

    8
    The one has taen [him] by the hand,
      And the other by the feet,
    And they've thrown him in a deep draw-well,
      Full fifty fathom deep.

    9
    Then up bespake a little bird,
      That sat upon a tree:
    'Gae hame, gae hame, ye false lady,
      And pay your maids their fee.'

    10
    'Come down, come down, my pretty bird,
      That sits upon the tree;
    I have a cage of beaten gold,
      I'll gie it unto thee.'

    11
    'Gae hame, gae hame, ye fause lady,
      And pay your maids their fee;
    As ye have done to Earl Richard,
      Sae wud ye do to me.'

    12
    'If I had an arrow in my hand,
      And a bow bent on a string,
    I'd shoot a dart at thy proud heart,
      Amang the leaves sae green.'


G

        Herd's MSS, I, 34; Herd's Scottish Songs, 1776, I, 148.

    1
    She has calld to her her bower-maidens,
      She has calld them one by one:
    'There is a dead man in my bower,
      I wish that he was gone.'

    2
    They have booted him, and spurred him,
      As he was wont to ride,
    A hunting-horn around his waist,
      A sharp sword by his side.

    3
    Then up and spake a bonie bird,
      That sat upon the tree:
    'What hae ye done wi Earl Richard?
      Ye was his gay lady.'

    4
    'Cum down, cum down, my bonie bird,
      Cum sit upon my hand;
    And ye sall hae a cage o the gowd,
      Where ye hae but the wand.'

    5
    'Awa, awa, ye ill woman,
      Nae ill woman for me;
    What ye hae done to Earl Richard,
      Sae wad ye do to mee.'

      *    *    *    *    *    *    *

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

The English and Scottish popular ballads, volume 2 (of 5)

The English and Scottish popular ballads, volume 2 (of 5)

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