Willie’s father and mother have vowed that he shall never marry Annie. Annie resolves that she will be a nun, asks her father’s consent and obtains it readily. At the nunnery-gate there is a maiden porter ‘wi gowd upon her hat,’ who would not have been quite out of place at the wicket of the garden of the Rose. Porter though she be, she seems to exercise the authority of a mother-superior. Annie asks admission, ‘there to live or die,’ and is allowed to come in on terms: never to kiss a young man’s mouth, and to work hard; conditions not surprising, but there is another which is unusual, never to go to church (or is it Kirk that is meant?) Annie is seven years in the nunnery, all which time Willie lies languishing. His mother asks him if there is nothing that would help him; there is nothing, he says, but his love Annie. They dress him up like a lady, in silk and gold, he goes to the nunnery-gate, and the maiden porter ‘wi gowd upon her hat’ makes no difficulty about letting him in. Annie knows him, and says, Come up, my sister dear. Willie essays to kiss her lips, but she whispers, This I dare not avow. The rest is wanting, and again we may doubt whether the balladist had not exhausted himself, whether a story so begun could be brought to any conclusion. 1 Fair Annie had a costly bower, Well built wi lime and stane, And Willie came to visit her, Wi the light o the meen. 2 When he came to Annie’s bower-door, He tirled at the pin: ‘Ye sleep ye, wake ye, Fair Annie, Ye’ll open, lat me come in.’ 3 ‘O never a fit,’ says Fair Annie, ‘Till I your errand ken;’ ‘My father’s vowd a vow, Annie, I’ll tell you when I’m in. 4 ‘My father’s vowed a rash vow, I darena marry thee; My mither’s vowed anither vow, My bride ye’se never be.’ 5 ‘If ye had tauld me that, Willie, When we began to woo, There was naithing in this warld wide Shoud drawn my love to you. 6 ‘A nun, a nun,’ said Fair Annie, ‘A nun will I be then;’ ‘A priest, a priest,’ said Sweet Willie, ‘A priest will I be syne.’ 7 She is gane to her father, For mither she had nane; And she is on to her father, To see if she’d be a nun. 8 ‘An asking, asking, father dear, An asking ye’ll grant me; That’s to get to the holy nunnery, And there to live or die.’ 9 ‘Your asking’s nae sae great, daughter, But granted it shall be; For ye’se won to the holy nunnery, There to live or die.’ 10 Then they gaed on, and farther on, Till they came to the yate; And there they spied a maiden porter, Wi gowd upon her hat. 11 ‘An asking, asking, maiden porter, An asking ye’ll grant me; If I’ll won to the holy nunnery, There to live or die.’