| 1 |
Gil Brenton has sent oer the fame,
He's woo'd a wife an brought her hame. |
| 2 |
Full sevenscore o ships came her wi,
The lady by the greenwood tree. |
| 3 |
There was twal an twal wi beer an wine,
An twal an twal wi muskadine: |
| 4 |
An twall an twall wi bouted flowr,
An twall an twall wi paramour: |
| 5 |
An twall an twall wi baken bread,
An twall an twall wi the goud sae red. |
| 6 |
Sweet Willy was a widow's son,
An at her stirrup-foot he did run. |
| 7 |
An she was dressd i the finest pa,
But ay she loot the tears down fa. |
| 8 |
An she was dickd wi the fairest flowrs,
But ay she loot the tears down pour. |
| 9 |
'O is there water i your shee?
Or does the win blaw i your glee? |
| 10 |
'Or are you mourning i your meed
That eer you left your mither gueede? |
| 11 |
'Or are ye mourning i your tide
That ever ye was Gil Brenton's bride?' |
| 12 |
[re] is nae water i my shee,
Nor does the win blaw i my glee: |
| 13 |
'Nor am I mourning i my tide
That eer I was Gil Brenton's bride: |
| 14 |
'But I am mourning i my meed
That ever I left my mither gueede. |
| 15 |
'But, bonny boy, tell to me
What is the customs o your country.' |
| 16 |
'The customs o't, my dame,' he says,
'Will ill a gentle lady please. |
| 17 |
'Seven king's daughters has our king wedded,
An seven king's daughters has our king bedded. |
| 18 |
'But he's cutted the paps frae their breast-bane,
An sent them mourning hame again. |
| 19 |
'But whan you come to the palace yate,
His mither a golden chair will set. |
| 20 |
'An be you maid or be you nane,
O sit you there till the day be dane. |
| 21 |
'An gin you're sure that you are a maid,
Ye may gang safely to his bed. |
| 22 |
'But gin o that you be na sure,
Then hire some woman o youre bowr.' |
| 23 |
O whan she came to the palace yate,
His mither a golden chair did set. |
| 24 |
An was she maid or was she nane,
She sat in it till the day was dane. |
| 25 |
An she's calld on her bowr woman,
That waiting was her bowr within. |
| 26 |
'Five hundred pound, maid, I'll gi to the,
An sleep this night wi the king for me.' |
| 27 |
Whan bells was rung, an mass was sung,
An a' man unto bed was gone, |
| 28 |
Gil Brenton an the bonny maid
Intill ae chamber they were laid. |
| 29 |
'O speak to me, blankets, an speak to me, sheets,
An speak to me, cods, that under me sleeps; |
| 30 |
'Is this a maid that I ha wedded?
Is this a maid that I ha bedded?' |
| 31 |
'It's nae a maid that you ha wedded,
But it's a maid that you ha bedded. |
| 32 |
'Your lady's in her bigly bowr,
An for you she drees mony sharp showr.' |
| 33 |
O he has taen him thro the ha,
And on his mither he did ca. |
| 34 |
'I am the most unhappy man
That ever was in christend lan. |
| 35 |
'I woo'd a maiden meek an mild,
An I've marryed a woman great wi child.' |
| 36 |
'O stay, my son, intill this ha,
An sport you wi your merry men a'. |
| 37 |
'An I'll gang to yon painted bowr,
An see how't fares wi yon base whore.' |
| 38 |
The auld queen she was stark an strang;
She gard the door flee aff the ban. |
| 39 |
The auld queen she was stark an steer;
She gard the door lye i the fleer. |
| 40 |
'O is your bairn to laird or loon?
Or is it to your father's groom?' |
| 41 |
'My bairn's na to laird or loon,
Nor is it to my father's groom. |
| 42 |
'But hear me, mither, on my knee,
An my hard wierd I'll tell to thee. |
| 43 |
'O we were sisters, sisters seven,
We was the fairest under heaven. |
| 44 |
'We had nae mair for our seven years wark
But to shape an sue the king's son a sark. |
| 45 |
'O it fell on a Saturday's afternoon,
Whan a' our langsome wark was dane, |
| 46 |
'We keist the cavils us amang,
To see which shoud to the greenwood gang. |
| 47 |
'Ohone, alas! for I was youngest,
An ay my wierd it was the hardest. |
| 48 |
'The cavil it did on me fa,
Which was the cause of a' my wae. |
| 49 |
'For to the greenwood I must gae,
To pu the nut but an the slae; |
| 50 |
'To pu the red rose an the thyme,
To strew my mother's bowr and mine. |
| 51 |
'I had na pu'd a flowr but ane,
Till by there came a jelly hind greeme, |
| 52 |
'Wi high-colld hose an laigh-colld shoone,
An he 'peard to be some kingis son. |
| 53 |
'An be I maid or be I nane,
He kept me there till the day was dane. |
| 54 |
'An be I maid or be I nae,
He kept me there till the close of day. |
| 55 |
'He gae me a lock of yallow hair,
An bade me keep it for ever mair. |
| 56 |
'He gae me a carket o gude black beads,
An bade me keep them against my needs. |
| 57 |
'He gae to me a gay gold ring,
An bade me ke[e]p it aboon a' thing. |
| 58 |
'He gae to me a little pen-kniffe,
An bade me keep it as my life.' |
| 59 |
'What did you wi these tokens rare
That ye got frae that young man there?' |
| 60 |
'O bring that coffer hear to me,
And a' the tokens ye sal see.' |
| 61 |
An ay she ranked, an ay she flang,
Till a' the tokens came till her han. |
| 62 |
'O stay here, daughter, your bowr within,
Till I gae parley wi my son.' |
| 63 |
O she has taen her thro the ha,
An on her son began to ca. |
| 64 |
'What did you wi that gay gold ring
I bade you keep aboon a' thing? |
| 65 |
'What did you wi that little pen-kniffe
I bade you keep while you had life? |
| 66 |
'What did you wi that yallow hair
I bade you keep for ever mair? |
| 67 |
'What did you wi that good black beeds
I bade you keep against your needs?' |
| 68 |
'I gae them to a lady gay
I met i the greenwood on a day. |
| 69 |
'An I would gi a' my father's lan,
I had that lady my yates within. |
| 70 |
'I would gi a' my ha's an towrs,
I had that bright burd i my bowrs.' |
| 71 |
'O son, keep still your father's lan;
You hae that lady your yates within. |
| 72 |
'An keep you still your ha's an towrs;
You hae that bright burd i your bowrs.' |
| 73 |
Now or a month was come an gone,
This lady bare a bonny young son. |
| 74 |
An it was well written on his breast-bane
'Gil brenton is my father's name.' |
