| 1 |
There was a shepherd's daughter
Kept hogs upo yon hill,
By cam her a gentle knight,
And he would hae his will. |
| 2 |
Whan his will o her he had,
[His will] as he had taen,
'Kind sir, for yer courtesy,
Will ye tell me yer name?' |
| 3 |
'Some they ca me Jock,' he says,
'And some they ca me John;
But whan 'm in our king's court
Hitchcock is my name.' |
| 4 |
They lady being well book-read
She spelt it oer again:
'Hitchcock in our king's court
Is Earl Richard at hame.' |
| 5 |
He pat his leg out-oer his steed
And to the get he's gane;
She keltit up her green clothing,
And fast, fast followed him. |
| 6 |
'Turn back, turn back, ye carl's daughter,
And dinna follow me;
It sets na carl's daughters
Kings' courts for to see.' |
| 7 |
'Perhaps I am a cerl's daughter,
Perhaps I am nane,
But whan ye gat me in free forest
Ye might ha latten's alane.' |
| 8 |
Whan they cam to yon wan water
That a' man does call Clyde,
He looket oer his left shuder,
Says, Fair may, will ye ride? |
| 9 |
'I learnt it in my mother's bowr,
I wis I had learnt it better,
Whan I cam to wan water
To soom as does the otter.' |
| 10 |
Or the knight was i the middle o the water,
The lady she was oer;
She took out a came o gold,
To came down her yellow hair. |
| 11 |
'Whar gat ye that, ye cerl's daughter?
I pray ye tell to me:'
'I got it fra my mither,' she says,
'To beguil sick chaps as thee.' |
| 12 |
Whan they cam to our king's court,
He rade it round about,
And he gade in at a shot-window,
And left the lady without. |
| 13 |
She gade to our king hersel,
She fell low down upon her knee:
'There is a knight into your court
This day has robbed me.' |
| 14 |
'Has he robbd ye o your goud?
Or o yer well-won fee?
Or o yer maidenhead,
The flower o yer body?' |
| 15 |
'He has na robbd me o my goud,
For I ha nane to gee;
But he has robbd me o my maidenhead,
The flower o my body.' |
| 16 |
'O wud ye ken the knight,' he says,
'If that ye did him see?'
'I wud him ken by his well-fared face
And the blyth blink o his ee.' |
| 17 |
'An he be a married man,
High hanged sall he be,
And an he be a free man,
Well wedded to him ye's be,
Altho it be my brother Richie,
And I wiss it be no he.' |
| 18 |
The king called on his merry young men,
By ane, by twa, by three;
Earl Richmond had used to be the first,
But the hindmost was he. |
| 19 |
By that ye mith ha well kent
That the quilty man was he;
She took him by the milk-white hand,
Says, This same ane is he. |
| 20 |
There was a brand laid down to her,
A brand but an a ring,
Three times she minted to the brand,
But she took up the ring;
A' that was in our king's court
Countet her a wise woman. |
| 21 |
'I'll gi ye five hundred pounds,
To mak yer marriage we,
An ye'l turn back, ye cerl's daughter,
And fash nae mere wi me.' |
| 22 |
'Gae keep yer five hundred pounds
To mak yer merriage we,
For I'll hae nathing but yersel
The king he promised me.' |
| 23 |
'I'll gae ye one thousand pounds
To mak yer marriage we,
An ye'l turn back, ye cerl's daughter,
And fash nae mere wi me.' |
| 24 |
'Gae keep yer one thousand pounds,
To mak yer merriage we,
For I'll hae nathing but yersel
The king he promised me.' |
| 25 |
He took her down to yon garden,
And clothed her in the green;
Whan she cam up again,
Sh[e] was fairer than the queen. |
| 26 |
They gad on to Mary kirk, and on to Mary quire,
The nettles they grew by the dyke:
'O, an my mither wer her[e],
So clean as she wud them pick!' |
| 27 |
'I wiss I had druken water,' he says,
'Whan I drank the ale,
That ony cerl's daughter
Sud tell me sick a tale.' |
| 28 |
'Perhaps I am a cerl's daughter,
Perhaps I am nane;
But whan ye gat me in free forest
Ye might ha latten's alane. |
| 29 |
'Well mat this mill be,
And well mat the gae!
Mony a day they ha filled me pock
O the white meal and the gray.' |
| 30 |
'I wiss I had druken water,' he says,
'When I drank the ale,
That ony cerl's daughter
Sud tell me sick a tale.' |
| 31 |
'Perhaps I am a cerl's daughter,
Perhaps I am nane;
But whan ye gat me in free forest
Ye might ha latten's alane. |
| 32 |
'Tak awa yer siller spoons,
Tak awa fra me,
An gae me the gude horn spoons,
It's what I'm used tee. |
| 33 |
'O an my mukle dish wer here,
And sine we hit were fu,
I wud sup file I am saerd,
An sine lay down me head and sleep wi ony sow.' |
| 34 |
'I wiss I had druken water,' he says,
'Whan I drank the ale,
That any cerl's daughter
Sud tell me sick a tale.' |
| 35 |
'Perhaps I am a cerl's daughter,
Perhaps I am nane,
But whan ye gat me in free forest,
Ye might ha latten's alane.' |
| 36 |
He took his hat in oer his face,
The tear blindit his ee;
She threw back her yellow locks,
And a light laughter leugh she. |
| 37 |
'Bot an ye be a beggar geet,
As I trust well ye be,
Whar gat ye their fine clothing
Yer body was covered we?' |
| 38 |
'My mother was an ill woman,
And an ill woman was she;
She gat them . . . .
Fra sic chaps as thee.' |
| 39 |
Whan bells were rung, and mess was sung,
And aa man bound to bed,
Earl Richard and the carl's daughter
In a chamer were laid. |
| 40 |
'Lie yont, lie yont, ye carl's daughter,
Yer hot skin burns me;
It sets na carl's daughters
In earls' beds to be.' |
| 41 |
'Perhaps I am a carl's daughter,
Perhaps I am nane;
But whan ye gat me in free forest
Ye might ha latten's alane.' |
| 42 |
Up it starts the Belly Blin,
Just at their bed-feet. |
| 43 |
'I think it is a meet marrige
Atween the taen and the tither,
The Earl of Hertford's ae daughter
And the Queen of England's brither.' |
| 44 |
'An this be the Earl of Hertford's ae daughter,
As I trust well it be,
Mony a gude horse ha I ridden
For the love o thee.' |
