| 1 |
'O I forbid ye, maidens a',
That wear gowd on your hair,
To come or gae by Carterhaugh,
For young Tamlane is there. |
| 2 |
'There's nane that gaes by Carterhaugh
But maun leave him a wad,
Either gowd rings, or green mantles,
Or else their maidenheid. |
| 3 |
'Now gowd rings ye may buy, maidens,
Green mantles ye may spin,
But, gin ye lose your maidenheid,
Ye'll neer get that agen.' |
| 4 |
But up then spak her, fair Janet,
The fairest o a' her kin:
'I'll cum and gang to Carterhaugh,
And ask nae leave o him.' |
| 5 |
Janet has kilted her green kirtle
A little abune her knee,
And she has braided her yellow hair
A little abune her bree. |
| 6 |
And when she came to Carterhaugh,
She gaed beside the well,
And there she fand his steed standing,
But away was himsell. |
| 7 |
She hadna pu'd a red red rose,
A rose but barely three,
Till up and starts a wee wee man,
At lady Janet's knee. |
| 8 |
Says, Why pu ye the rose, Janet?
What gars ye break the tree?
Or why come ye to Carterhaugh,
Withouten leave o me? |
| 9 |
Says, Carterhaugh it is mine ain,
My daddie gave it me;
I'll come and gang to Carterhaugh,
And ask nae leave o thee. |
| 10 |
He's taen her by the milk-white hand,
Among the leaves sae green,
And what they did I cannot tell,
The green leaves were between. |
| 11 |
He's taen her by the milk-white hand,
Among the roses red,
And what they did I cannot say,
She neer returnd a maid. |
| 12 |
When she cam to her father's ha,
She looked pale and wan;
They thought she'd dreed some sair sickness,
Or been with some leman. |
| 13 |
She didna comb her yellow hair
Nor make meikle o her head,
And ilka thing that lady took
Was like to be her deid. |
| 14 |
It's four and twenty ladies fair
Were playing at the ba;
Janet, the wightest of them anes,
Was faintest o them a'. |
| 15 |
Four and twenty ladies fair
Were playing at the chess;
And out there came the fair Janet,
As green as any grass. |
| 16 |
Out and spak an auld grey-headed knight,
Lay oer the castle wa:
'And ever, alas! for thee, Janet,
But we'll be blamed a'!' |
| 17 |
'Now haud your tongue, ye auld grey knight,
And an ill deid may ye die!
Father my bairn on whom I will,
I'll father nane on thee.' |
| 18 |
Out then spak her father dear,
And he spak meik and mild:
'And ever, alas! my sweet Janet,
I fear ye gae with child.' |
| 19 |
'And if I be with child, father,
Mysell maun bear the blame;
There's neer a knight about your ha
Shall hae the bairnie's name. |
| 20 |
'And if I be with child, father,
'Twill prove a wondrous birth,
For weel I swear I'm not wi bairn
To any man on earth. |
| 21 |
'If my love were an earthly knight,
As he's an elfin grey,
I wadna gie my ain true love
For nae lord that ye hae.' |
| 22 |
She prinkd hersell and prinnd hersell,
By the ae light of the moon,
And she's away to Carterhaugh,
To speak wi young Tamlane. |
| 23 |
And when she cam to Carterhaugh,
She gaed beside the well,
And there she saw the steed standing,
But away was himsell. |
| 24 |
She hadna pu'd double rose,
A rose but only twae,
When up and started young Tamlane,
Says, Lady, thou pu's nae mae. |
| 25 |
Why pu ye the rose, Janet,
Within this garden grene,
And a' to kill the bonny babe
That we got us between? |
| 26 |
'The truth ye'll tell to me, Tamlane,
A word ye mauna lie;
Gin eer ye was in haly chapel,
Or sained in Christentie?' |
| 27 |
'The truth I'll tell to thee, Janet,
A word I winna lie;
A knight me got, and a lady me bore,
As well as they did thee. |
| 28 |
'Randolph, Earl Murray, was my sire,
Dunbar, Earl March, is thine;
We loved when we were children small,
Which yet you well may mind. |
| 29 |
'When I was a boy just turnd of nine,
My uncle sent for me,
To hunt and hauk, and ride with him,
And keep him companie. |
| 30 |
'There came a wind out of the north,
A sharp wind and a snell,
And a deep sleep came over me,
And frae my horse I fell. |
| 31 |
'The Queen of Fairies keppit me
In yon green hill to dwell,
And I'm a fairy, lyth and limb,
Fair ladye, view me well. |
| 32 |
'Then would I never tire, Janet,
In Elfish land to dwell,
But aye, at every seven years,
They pay the teind to hell;
And I am sae fat and fair of flesh,
I fear 'twill be mysell. |
| 33 |
'This night is Halloween, Janet,
The morn is Hallowday,
And gin ye dare your true love win,
Ye hae nae time to stay. |
| 34 |
'The night it is good Halloween,
When fairy folk will ride,
And they that wad their true-love win,
At Miles Cross they maun bide.' |
| 35 |
'But how shall I thee ken, Tamlane?
Or how shall I thee knaw,
Amang so many unearthly knights,
The like I never saw?' |
| 36 |
'The first company that passes by,
Say na, and let them gae;
The next company that passes by,
Say na, and do right sae;
The third company that passes by,
Then I'll be ane o thae. |
| 37 |
'First let pass the black, Janet,
And syne let pass the brown,
But grip ye to the milk-white steed,
And pu the rider down. |
| 38 |
'For I ride on the milk-white steed,
And aye nearest the town;
Because I was a christend knight,
They gave me that renown. |
| 39 |
'My right hand will be gloved, Janet,
My left hand will be bare;
And these the tokens I gie thee,
Nae doubt I will be there. |
| 40 |
'They'll turn me in your arms, Janet,
An adder and a snake;
But had me fast, let me not pass,
Gin ye wad be my maik. |
| 41 |
'They'll turn me in your arms, Janet,
An adder and an ask;
They'll turn me in your arms, Janet,
A bale that burns fast. |
| 42 |
'They'll turn me in your arms, Janet,
A red-hot gad o airn;
But haud me fast, let me not pass,
For I'll do you no harm. |
| 43 |
'First dip me in a stand o milk,
And then in a stand o water;
But had me fast, let me not pass,
I'll be your bairn's father. |
| 44 |
'And next they'll shape me in your arms
A tod but and an eel;
But had me fast, nor let me gang,
As you do love me weel. |
| 45 |
'They'll shape me in your arms, Janet,
A dove but and a swan,
And last they'll shape me in your arms
A mother-naked man;
Cast your green mantle over me,
I'll be myself again.' |
| 46 |
Gloomy, gloomy, was the night,
And eiry was the way,
As fair Janet, in her green mantle,
To Miles Cross she did gae. |
| 47 |
About the dead hour o the night
She heard the bridles ring,
And Janet was as glad o that
As any earthly thing. |
| 48 |
And first gaed by the black black steed,
And then gaed by the brown;
But fast she gript the milk-white steed,
And pu'd the rider down. |
| 49 |
She pu'd him frae the milk-white steed,
And loot the bridle fa,
And up there raise an erlish cry,
'He's won amang us a'!' |
| 50 |
They shaped him in fair Janet's arms
An esk but and an adder;
She held him fast in every shape,
To be her bairn's father. |
| 51 |
They shaped him in her arms at last
A mother-naked man,
She wrapt him in her green mantle,
And sae her true love wan. |
| 52 |
Up then spake the Queen o Fairies,
Out o a bush o broom:
'She that has borrowd young Tamlane
Has gotten a stately groom.' |
| 53 |
Up then spake the Queen o Fairies,
Out o a bush o rye:
'She's taen awa the bonniest knight
In a' my cumpanie. |
| 54 |
'But had I kennd, Tamlane,' she says,
'A lady wad borrowd thee
I wad taen out thy twa grey een,
Put in twa een o tree. |
| 55 |
'Had I but kennd, Tamlane,' she says,
'Before ye came frae hame,
I wad taen out your heart o flesh,
Put in a heart o stane. |
| 56 |
'Had I but had the wit yestreen
That I hae coft the day,
I'd paid my kane seven times to hell
Ere you'd been won away.' |
