‘O pay me now, Lord Wearie,
Come, pay me out o’ hand.’--
‘I canna pay you, Lamkin,
Unless I sell my land.’--
IV
‘O gin ye winna pay me,
I here sall mak’ a vow
Before that ye come hame again,
Ye sall hae cause to rue.’
V
Lord Wearie got a bonny ship,
To sail the saut sea faem;
Bade his lady weel the castle keep,
Ay till he should come hame.
VI
‘Gae bar the doors,’ the lady said,
‘Gae well the windows pin;
And what care I for Lamkin
Or any of his gang?’
VII
But the nourice was a fause limmer[488]
As e’er hung on a tree;
She laid a plot wi’ Lamkin,
Whan her lord was o’er the sea.
VIII
She laid a plot wi’ Lamkin,
When the servants were awa’,
Loot him in at a little shot-window[489],
And brought him to the ha’.
IX
‘O whare’s a’ the men o’ this house,
That ca’ me the Lamkin?’--
‘They’re at the barn-well thrashing;
’Twill be lang ere they come in.’--
X
‘And whare’s the women o’ this house,
That ca’ me the Lamkin?’--
‘They’re at the far well washing;
’Twill be lang ere they come in.’--
XI
‘And whare’s the bairns o’ this house,
That ca’ me the Lamkin?’--
‘They’re at the school reading;
’Twill be night or they come hame.’--
XII
‘O whare’s the lady o’ this house,
That ca’s me the Lamkin?’--
‘She’s up in her bower sewing,
But we soon can bring her down.’
XIII
Then Lamkin’s tane a sharp knife,
That hung down by his gare[490],
And he has gi’en the bonny babe
A deep wound and a sair.
XIV
Then Lamkin he rockèd,
And the fause nourice sang,
Till frae ilka bore[491] o’ the cradle
The red blood out sprang.
XV
Then out it spak’ the lady,
As she stood on the stair:
‘What ails my bairn, nourice,
That he’s greeting[492] sae sair?
XVI
‘O still my bairn, nourice,
O still him wi’ the pap!’--
‘He winna still, lady,
For this nor for that.’--
XVII
‘O still my bairn, nourice,
O still him wi’ the wand!’--
‘He winna still, lady,
For a’ his father’s land.’--
XVIII
‘O still my bairn, nourice,
O still him wi’ the bell!’--
‘He winna still, lady,
Till ye come down yoursel’.’--
XIX
O the firsten step she steppit,
She steppit on a stane;
But the neisten step she steppit,
She met him Lamkin.
XX
‘O mercy, mercy, Lamkin,
Hae mercy upon me!
Though you hae ta’en my young son’s life,
Ye may let mysel’ be.’--
XXI
‘O sall I kill her, nourice,
Or sall I lat her be?’--
‘O kill her, kill her, Lamkin,
For she ne’er was good to me.’--
XXII
‘O scour the bason, nourice,
And mak’ it fair and clean,
For to keep this lady’s heart’s blood,
For she’s come o’ noble kin.’--
XXIII
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account