Buchan's Ballads of the North of Scotland, II, 67,
communicated by Mr. James Nicol, of Strichen;
Motherwell's Minstrelsy, p. 287;
Motherwell's Manuscript, p. 450.
| 1 |
'O well like I to ride in a mist,
And shoot in a northern win,
And far better a lady to steal,
That's come of a noble kin.' |
| 2 |
Four an twenty fair ladies
Put on this lady's sheen,
And as mony young gentlemen
Did lead her ower the green. |
| 3 |
Yet she preferred before them all
Him, young Hastings the Groom;
He's coosten a mist before them all,
And away this lady has taen. |
| 4 |
He's taken the lady on him behind,
Spared neither grass nor corn,
Till they came to the wood o Amonshaw,
Where again their loves were sworn. |
| 5 |
And they hae lived in that wood
Full mony a year and day,
And were supported from time to time
By what he made of prey. |
| 6 |
And seven bairns, fair and fine,
There she has born to him,
And never was in gude church-door,
Nor ever got gude kirking. |
| 7 |
Ance she took harp into her hand,
And harped them a' asleep,
Then she sat down at their couch-side,
And bitterly did weep. |
| 8 |
Said, Seven bairns hae I born now
To my lord in the ha;
I wish they were seven greedy rats,
To run upon the wa,
And I mysel a great grey cat,
To eat them ane and a'. |
| 9 |
For ten lang years now I hae lived
Within this cave of stane,
And never was at gude church-door,
Nor got no gude churching. |
| 10 |
O then out spake her eldest child,
And a fine boy was he:
O hold your tongue, my mother dear;
I'll tell you what to dee. |
| 11 |
Take you the youngest in your lap,
The next youngest by the hand,
Put all the rest of us you before,
As you learnt us to gang. |
| 12 |
And go with us unto some kirk-+-
You say they are built of stane-+-
And let us all be christened,
And you get gude kirking. |
| 13 |
She took the youngest in her lap,
The next youngest by the hand,
Set all the rest of them her before,
As she learnt them to gang. |
| 14 |
And she has left the wood with them,
And to the kirk has gane,
Where the gude priest them christened,
And gave her gude kirking. |
