Herd's Manuscripts1, 55, II, 187; Herd's Scottish Songs, 1776,
II, 6.
Motherwell's Manuscript, p. 37; from the recitation of Thomas
Risk, smith, learned by him in his youth at St. Ninian's,
Stirlingshire.
| 1 |
Montrose he had a poor shepherd,
And a poor shepherd was he;
He had as fair a daughter
As ever you could see,
And an earl has fallen in love wi her,
And his bride now she must be. |
| 2 |
The earl he came to the shepherd's door,
And he tirled at the pin;
Slowly rose the fair maid
For to let the earl in. |
| 3 |
'Good day, good day, fair maid,' he says;
'Good day, good day,' said she;
'Good day unto thee, noble sir,
What is thy will with me?' |
| 4 |
'I 'm so possessed with love to thee,
That I cannot gang nor stand
Till you go unto yonder church,
To give me thy right hand.' |
| 5 |
'Oh, no, oh no,' the fair maid says,
'Oh that can never be;
For thou art a lord of good estate,
And I but of mean degree. |
| 6 |
'Oh no, oh no,' the fair maid says,
'Thou'rt rich and I am poor;
And I am owre mean to be thy wife,
Too good to be thy whore. |
| 7 |
'I can shape, and I can sew,
And cows and yowes can milk,
But I was neer brought up in a lady's room,
To sew satin nor silk. |
| 8 |
'And if you had your will of me
Ye wud me soon forget;
Ye wad gar turn me doun your stairs
And bar on me your yett.' |
| 9 |
'Oh no, oh no,' the earl says,
'For so shall never be;
For this night or I eat or drink
My honoured bride you shall be.' |
| 10 |
'My father he's a poor shepherd,
He's herding on yon hill;
You may go to my old father,
And ask at him his will.' |
| 11 |
The earl he went to the poor shepherd,
Who was herding on the lea;
'Good day, good day, shepherd,' he says;
'Good day, good day,' said he,
Good day unto your honour, sir;
What is your will with me?' |
| 12 |
'Oh you have a fair daughter;
Will ye give her to me,
Silk and satin she shall wear,
And, shepherd, so shall ye.' |
| 13 |
'It's true I have a fair daughter,
But I'll not give her to thee;
For thou art a lord of good estate,
And she but of mean degree. |
| 14 |
'The reason is, thou art too rich,
And my daughter is too poor;
She is ower mean to be thy wife,
Too good to be thy whoore. |
| 15 |
'She can shape, etc. (as verse 7). |
| 16 |
'And if you had your will of her, etc. (8). |
| 17 |
Oh no, oh no,' the earl says, etc. (9). |
| 18 |
The earl he to the fair maid again,
Who was spinning at her wheel;
She had but one petticoat on her,
But oh she set it weel! |
| 19 |
'Cast off, cast off that petticoat
That you were wont to wear,
And put on a gown of the satin silk,
With a garland in your hair.' |
| 20 |
She cast off the petticoat
That she was wont to wear,
And she put on a gown of the satin silk,
With a garland in her hair. |
| 21 |
Many, many was there that night
To bear them company;
And she is the earl's wife,
She's thrice fairer than he. |
Motherwell's Manuscript, p. 252; from the recitation of Mrs.
Crura, Dumbarton, 7 April, 1825.
| 1 |
'O fair maid and true maid,
Will ye not on me rue, maid?
Here's my hand, my heart's command,
I'll come and go by you, maid. |
| 2 |
'I've four-and-twenty good milk-kye,
A' calved in a[e] year, maid,
And a bonnie bill to eisin them,
Just as red as your hair, maid.' |
| 3 |
'Your kye go as far in my heart
As they go in my heel, sir;
And, altho I be but a shepherd's dochter,
I love my body weel, sir. |
| 4 |
'I love my body weel, sir,
And my maidenhead far better;
And I'll keep it to marry me,
Because I 'm scarse o tocher.' |
| 5 |
This knicht he turned his bridle about,
While the tear stood in his ee;
And he's awa to her father gane,
As fast as he could dree. |
| 6 |
'Gude een, gude een, you gude auld man,'
'Gude een, you earl's knicht, sir;'
'But you have a fair dochter,' he says,
'Will you grant her to me, sir?
O silks and satins she shall wear,
Indeed and so shall ye, sir.' |
| 7 |
'I have a fair dochter,' he says,
'She's fair of blood and bane, sir;
But an ye had your will o her
Ye wud leave her alane, sir.' |
| 8 |
'Ye would steek her not your chamber-doors,
And bar her at your yett, sir;
And an ye had your will o her
Ye wud her soon forget, sir.' |
| 9 |
This knicht he turned his bridle about,
While the tear stood in his ee,
And he's awa to this fair maid gane,
As fast as he could drie. |
| 10 |
'O fair maid and true maid,
Will ye not on me rue, maid?
Here's my hand, my heart's command,
I'll come and go by you, maid. |
| 11 |
'Cast aff, cast aff your gay black gowns,
Put on your gowns of silk, maid;
Cast aff, cast aff your gay black snoods,
Put the garlands on your hair, maid.' |
| 12 |
'It's I can bake, and I can brew,
And good kye can I milk, sir;
But I was neer born in the time o the year
To wear the gowns o silk, sir. |
| 13 |
'Yestreen I was a shepherd's dochter,
Whistling my hogs to the hill;
But the nicht I am an earl's lady,
I may wear what I will.' |
Johnson's Museum, No 397, p. 410.
