The English and Scottish popular ballads, volume 5 (of 5)
General
The English and Scottish popular ballads, volume 5 (of 5)
Ballads, English -- England -- Texts; Ballads, Scots -- Scotland -- Texts
9
‘Betide me weel, betide me woe,
It’s wi the beggar an I’ll go,
An I’ll follow him through frost an snow,
An I’ll be the beggar’s dawtie.’
10
When they cam to yonder ha,
He knockit loud an sair did ca;
She says, My dear, we’ll be foun in fa
For knockin here sae loudly.
11
Four-an-twenty gentlemen
Cam a’ to welcome the beggar in,
An as monie fair ladies gay
To welcome’s bonnie lassie.
12
When at he gied through the ha,
They a’ did laugh, they were like to fa,
Sayin, Brither, I wish we had beggit a’,
For sic a bonnie lassie.
13
‘The streen ye was the beggar’s bride,
An noo this nicht ye’ll lie by my side,
Come weel, come woe, whateer betide,
An ye’ll be aye my dawtie.’
C
Motherwell’s MS., p. 249; from the recitation of Miss Ann Wilson, of
the Tontine Inn, Paisley, who learned it from the cook in her father’s
house.
1
Down in yonder garden gay,
Where many a ladie does repair,
Where many a ladie does repair,
Puing of flowers sae bonnie.
2
‘O do you see yon shepherd’s son,
Feeding his flocks in yonder loan,
Feeding his flocks in yonder loan?
Vow but he feeds them bonnie!’
3
‘O laddie, laddie, what is your trade?
Or by what means do you win your bread?
Or by what means do you win your bread?
O laddie, tell unto me.’
4
By making spindles is my trade,
Or whorles in the time o need,
And by which ways I do win my bread:
O lady, do you love me?’
5
‘As Judas loved a piece of gold,
As Jacob loved Rachel of old,
As Jacob loved Rachel of old,
O laddie, I do love thee.’
6
‘You must put off your robes of silk,
You must put on my cloutit claes,
And follow me hard at my back,
And ye’ll be my beggar-lassie.’
7
She’s put aff her robes of silk,
And she’s put on his cloutit claes,
And she’s followed him hard at his back,
And she’s been his beggar-lassie.
8
O when they cam to [the] borrowstoun,
Vow but the lassie lookit doun!
Vow but the lassie lookit doun!
Following her beggar-laddie.
9
O when they cam to Stirling toun,
He coft a loaf and they baith sat doun,
He coft a loaf and they baith sat doun,
And she’s eaten wi her beggar-laddie.
10
‘O do you see yon hie, hie hill,
Where the corn grows baith rank and tall?
If I was there, I would greet my fill,
Where naebody wuld see me.’
11
When they came to his brother’s hall,
Vow but he chappit loud and schill!
‘Don’t chap sae loud,’ the lassie said,
‘For we may be fund faut wi.’
12
Four-and-twenty gentlemen,
And twice as many gay ladies,
And twice as many gay ladies,
Came to welcome in the lassie.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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