| 1 |
Fair Annie an Sweet Willie
Sat a' day on yon hill;
Whan day was gane an night was comd,
They hadna said their fill. |
| 2 |
Willie spak but ae wrang word,
An Annie took it ill:
'I'll never marry a fair woman
Against my friends's will.' |
| 3 |
Annie spak but ae wrang word,
An Willy lookit down:
'If I binna gude eneugh for yer wife,
I'm our-gude for yer loun.' |
| 4 |
Willie's turnd his horse's head about,
He's turnd it to the broom,
An he's away to his father's bower,
I the ae light o the moon. |
| 5 |
Whan he cam to his father's bower,
[He tirlt at the pin;
Nane was sae ready as his father
To rise an let him in.] |
| 6 |
'An askin, an askin, dear father,
An askin I'll ask thee;'
'Say on, say on, my son Willie,
Whatever your askin be.' |
| 7 |
'O sall I marry the nit-brown bride,
Has corn, caitle an kye,
Or sall I marry Fair Annie,
Has nought but fair beauty?' |
| 8 |
'Ye ma sit a gude sate, Willy,
Wi corn, caitle an kye;
But ye'll but sit a silly sate
Wi nought but fair beauty.' |
| 9 |
Up than spak his sister's son,
Sat on the nurse's knee,
Sun-bruist in his mother's wame,
Sun-brunt on his nurse's knee: |
| 10 |
'O yer hogs will die out i the field,
Yer kye ill die i the byre;
An than, whan a' yer gear is gane,
A fusom fag by yer fire!
But a' will thrive at is wi you
An ye get yer heart's desire.' |
| 11 |
Willie's turnd his horse's head about,
He's away to his mother's bour, etc. |
| 12 |
'O my hogs ill die out i the field,
My kye die i the byre,
An than, whan a' my gear is gane,
A fusom fag bi my fire!
But a' will thrive at is wi me
Gin I get my heart's desire.' |
| 13 |
Willie's, etc.,
He's awae to his brother's bower, etc. |
| 14 |
"] "] "] "] sister's bower, etc. |
| 15 |
Than Willie has set his wadin-day
Within thirty days an three,
An he has sent to Fair Annie
His waddin to come an see. |
| 16 |
The man that gade to Fair Annie
Sae weel his errant coud tell:
'The morn it's Willie's wadin-day,
Ye maun be there yer sell.' |
| 17 |
'Twas up an spak her aged father,
He spak wi muckle care;
'An the morn be Willie's wadin-day,
I wate she maun be there. |
| 18 |
'Gar take a steed to the smiddie,
Caw on o it four shoon;
Gar take her to a merchant's shop,
Cut off for her a gown.' |
| 19 |
She wadna ha 't o the red sae red,
Nor yet o the grey sae grey,
But she wad ha 't o the sky couler
That she woor ilka day.
* * * * * * * |
| 20 |
There war four-an-twontie gray goss-hawks
A flaffin their wings sae wide,
To flaff the stour thra off the road
That Fair Annie did ride. |
| 21 |
The[re] war four-a-twontie milk-white dows
A fleein aboon her head,
An four-an-twontie milk-white swans
Her out the gate to lead. |
| 22 |
Whan she cam to St Marie's kirk,
She lightit on a stane;
The beauty o that fair creature
Shone oer mony ane. |
| 23 |
'Twas than out cam the nit-brown bride,
She spak wi muckle spite;
'O where gat ye the water, Annie,
That washes you sae white?' |
| 24 |
'I gat my beauty
Where ye was no to see;
I gat it i my father's garden,
Aneath an apple tree. |
| 25 |
'Ye ma wash i dubs,' she said,
'An ye ma wash i syke,
But an ye wad wash till doomsday
Ye neer will be as white. |
| 26 |
'Ye ma wash i dubs,' she said,
'An ye ma wash i the sea,
But an ye soud wash till doomsday
Ye'll neer be as white as me. |
| 27 |
'For I gat a' this fair beauty
Where ye gat never none,
For I gat a' this fair beauty
Or ever I was born.' |
| 28 |
It was than out cam Willie,
Wi hats o silks and flowers;
He said, Keep ye thae, my Fair Annie,
An brook them weel for yours.' |
| 29 |
'Na, keep ye thae, Willie,' she said,
'Gie them to yer nit-brown bride;
Bid her wear them wi mukle care,
For woman has na born a son
Sal mak my heart as sair.' |
| 30 |
Annie's luppen on her steed
An she has ridden hame,
Than Annie's luppen of her steed
An her bed she has taen. |
| 31 |
When mass was sung, an bells war rung,
An a' man bound to bed,
An Willie an his nit-brown bride
I their chamber war laid. |
| 32 |
They war na weel laid in their bed,
Nor yet weel faen asleep,
Till up an startit Fair Annie,
Just up at Willie's feet. |
| 33 |
'How like ye yer bed, Willie?
An how like ye yer sheets?
An how like ye yer nut-brown bride,
Lies in yer arms an sleeps?' |
| 34 |
'Weel eneugh I like my bed, Annie,
Weel eneugh I like my sheets;
But wae be to the nit-brown bride
Lies in my arms an sleeps!' |
| 35 |
Willie's ca'd on his merry men a'
To rise an pit on their shoon;
'An we'll awae to Annie's bower,
Wi the ae light o the moon.' |
| 36 |
An whan he cam to Annie's bower,
He tirlt at the pin;
Nane was sae ready as her father
To rise an let him in. |
| 37 |
There was her father a[n] her se'en brethren
A makin to her a bier,
Wi ae stamp o the melten goud,
Another o siller clear. |
| 38 |
When he cam to the chamber-door
Where that the dead lay in,
There was her mother an six sisters
A makin to her a sheet,
Wi ae drap o . . . .
Another o silk sae white. |
| 39 |
'Stand by, stand by now, ladies a',
Let me look on the dead;
The last time that I kiss[t] her lips
They war mair bonny red.' |
| 40 |
'Stand by, stand by now, Willie,' they said,
'An let ye her alane;
Gin ye had done as ye soud done,
She wad na there ha lien.' |
| 41 |
'Gar deal, gar deal at Annie's burrial
The wheat bread an the wine,
For or the morn at ten o clock
Ye's deal'd as fast at mine.' |
