‘Seven knights hae I slain, Sin I lay at the fit of the tree, An’ ye war na my ain father, The eighth ane ye should be.’-- V ‘Sing on your song, ye laily worm, That ye did sing to me.’-- ‘I never sung that song but what I would sing it to thee. VI ‘I was but seven year auld, When my mither she did dee; My father married the ae warst woman The warld did ever see. VII ‘For she changed me to the laily worm, That lies at the fit o’ the tree, And my sister Masery To the machrel of the sea. VIII ‘And every Saturday at noon The machrel comes to me, An’ she takes my laily head An’ lays it on her knee, An’ kames it wi’ a siller kame, An’ washes it i’ the sea. IX ‘Seven knights hae I slain Sin I lay at the fit o’ the tree; An’ ye war na my ain father, The eighth ane ye should be.’ X He sent for his lady, As fast as send could he: ‘Whar is my son that ye sent frae me, And my daughter, Lady Masery?’-- XI ‘Your son is at our king’s court, Serving for meat an’ fee, An’ your daughter’s at our queen’s court, The queen’s maiden to be.’-- XII ‘Ye lee, ye lee, ye ill woman, Sae loud as I hear ye lee; My son’s the laily worm, That lies at the fit o’ the tree, And my daughter, Lady Masery, Is the machrel of the sea!’ XIII She has tane a siller wan’, An’ gi’en him strokès three, And he’s started up the bravest knight That ever your eyes did see. XIV She has ta’en a small horn, An’ loud an’ shrill blew she, An’ a’ the fish came her untill But the machrel of the sea: ‘Ye shapeit me ance an unseemly shape, An’ ye’s never mare shape me.’ XV He has sent to the wood For whins and for hawthorn, An’ he has ta’en that gay lady, An’ there he did her burn. FOOTNOTES: [132] laily = loathly. _15. King Orfeo_ _A Shetland Ballad._ I Der lived a king inta da aste[133], _Scowan ürla grün_[134] Der lived a lady in da wast. _Whar giorten han grün oarlac._[135] II Dis king he has a huntin gaen, He’s left his Lady Isabel alane. III ‘Oh I wis ye’d never gaen away, For at your hame is döl an wae. IV ‘For da king o Ferrie we his daert, Has pierced your lady to da hert.’ * * * * * V And aifter dem da king has gaen, But when he cam it was a grey stane. VI Dan he took oot his pipes ta play, Bit sair his hert wi döl an wae. VII And first he played da notes o noy[136], An dan he played da notes o joy. VIII An dan he played da göd gabber reel[137], Dat meicht ha made a sick hert hale. * * * * * IX