‘Seven ships, loaded weel, Cam owre the sea wi’ me; Ane o’ them will tak me hame, And six I’ll gie to thee.’ FOOTNOTES: [306] jimp = slender, trim. [307] yett = gate. [308] tyne = lose. _43. The Lass of Lochroyan_ I ‘O wha will shoe my bonny foot? And wha will glove my hand? And wha will bind my middle jimp[309] Wi’ a lang, lang linen band? II ‘O wha will kame[310] my yellow hair, With a haw bayberry[311] kame? And wha will be my babe’s father Till Gregory come hame?’-- III ‘Thy father, he will shoe thy foot, Thy brother will glove thy hand, Thy mither will bind thy middle jimp Wi’ a lang, lang linen band. IV ‘Thy sister will kame thy yellow hair, Wi’ a haw bayberry kame; The Almighty will be thy babe’s father Till Gregory come hame.’-- V ‘And wha will build a bonny ship, And set it on the sea? For I will go to seek my love, My ain love Gregory.’ VI Up then spak her father dear, A wafu’ man was he; ‘And I will build a bonny ship, And set her on the sea. VII ‘And I will build a bonny ship, And set her on the sea, And ye sal gae and seek your love, Your ain love Gregory.’ VIII Then he’s gart build a bonny ship, And set it on the sea, Wi’ four-and-twenty mariners, To bear her company. IX O he’s gart build a bonny ship, To sail on the salt sea; The mast was o’ the beaten gold, The sails o’ cramoisie[312]. X The sides were o’ the gude stout aik, The deck o’ mountain pine, The anchor o’ the silver shene, The ropes o’ silken twine. XI She hadna sail’d but twenty leagues, But twenty leagues and three, When she met wi’ a rank reiver[313], And a’ his companie. XII ‘Now are ye Queen of Heaven hie, Come to pardon a’ our sin? Or are ye Mary Magdalane, Was born at Bethlehem?’-- XIII ‘I’m no the Queen of Heaven hie, Come to pardon ye your sin, Nor am I Mary Magdalane, Was born in Bethlehem. XIV ‘But I’m the lass of Lochroyan, That’s sailing on the sea To see if I can find my love, My ain love Gregory.’-- XV ‘O see na ye yon bonny bower? It’s a’ covered owre wi’ tin? When thou hast sail’d it round about, Lord Gregory is within.’ XVI And when she saw the stately tower, Shining both clear and bright, Whilk stood aboon the jawing[314] wave, Built on a rock of height, XVII Says, ‘Row the boat, my mariners, And bring me to the land, For yonder I see my love’s castle, Close by the salt sea strand.’ XVIII She sail’d it round, and sail’d it round, And loud and loud cried she, ‘Now break, now break your fairy charms, And set my true-love free!’ XIX