E. Cochrane's Songbook, p. 151, No 114.
| 1 |
Fair Isabell of Rochroyall,
She dreamed where she lay,
She dreamd a dream of her love Gregory,
A litle before the day. |
| 2 |
O huly, huly rose she up,
And huly she put on,
And huly, huly she put on
The silks of crimsion. |
| 3 |
'Gar sadle me the black,' she sayes,
'Gar sadle me the broun;
Gar sadle me the swiftest steed
That ever rode the toun. |
| 4 |
'Gar shoe him with the beat silver,
And grind him with the gold;
Gar put two bells on every side,
Till I come to some hold.' |
| 5 |
She had not rode a mile, a mile,
A mile but barely three,
Till that she spyed a companie
Come rakeing oere the lee. |
| 6 |
'O whether is this the first young may,
That lighted and gaed in;
Or is this the second young may,
That neer the sun shined on?
Or is this Fair Isabell of Roch Royall,
Banisht from kyth and kin.' |
| 7 |
'O I am not the first young may,
That lighted and gaed in;
Nor neither am I the second young may,
That neer the sun shone on; |
| 8 |
'But I'm Fair Isabell of Roch Royall
Banisht from kyth and kin;
I'm seeking my true-love Gregory,
And I woud I had him in.' |
| 9 |
'O go your way to yon castle,
And ride it round about,
And there you'll find Love Gregory;
He's within, without any doubt.' |
| 10 |
O she's away to yon castle,
She's tirled at the pin:
'O open, open, Love Gregory,
And let your true-love in.' |
| 11 |
'If you be the lass of the Rochroyall,
As I trow not you be,
You will tell me some of our love-tokens,
That was betwixt you and me.' |
| 12 |
'Have you not mind, Love Gregory,
Since we sat at the wine;
When we changed the rings off our fingers,
And ay the worst fell mine? |
| 13 |
'Mine was of the massy gold,
And thine was of the tin;
Mine was true and trusty both,
And thine was false within.' |
| 14 |
If you be [the] lass of the Roch Royall,
As I trow not you be,
You will tell me some other love-token
That was betwixt you and me.' |
| 15 |
'Have you not mind, Love Gregory,
Since we sat at the wine,
We changed the smocks off our two backs,
And ay the worst fell mine? |
| 16 |
'Mine was of the holland fine,
And thine was course and thin;
So many blocks have we two made,
And ay the worst was mine.' |
| 17 |
'Love Gregory, he is not at home,
But he is to the sea;
If you have any word to him,
I pray you leave't with me.'
* * * * * |
| 18 |
'O who will shoe my bony foot?
Or who will glove my hand?
Or who will bind my midle jimp
With the broad lilly band? |
| 19 |
'Or who will comb my bony head
With the red river comb?
Or who will be my bairn's father
Ere Gregory he come home?' |
| 20 |
'O I's gar shoe thy bony foot,
And I's gar glove thy hand,
And I's gar bind thy midle jimp
With the broad lilly band. |
| 21 |
'And I's gar comb thy bony head
With the red river comb;
But there is none to be thy bairn's father
Till Love Gregory he come home. |
| 22 |
'I'll set my foot on the ship-board,
God send me wind and more!
For there's never a woman shall bear a son
Shall make my heart so sore.' |
| 23 |
'I dreamed a dream now since yestreen,
That I never dreamed before;
I dreamd that the lass of the Rochroyall
Was knocking at the door.' |
| 24 |
'Ly still, ly still, my dear son,
Ly still, and take a sleep;
For it's neither ane hour, nor yet a half,
Since she went from the gate.' |
| 25 |
'O wo be to you, ill woman,
And ane ill death mott you die!
For you might have come to my bed-side,
And then have wakened me. |
| 26 |
'Gar sadle me the black,' he sayes,
'Gar sadle me the broun;
Gar sadle me the swiftest steed
That ever rode the toun. |
| 27 |
'Gar shoe him with the beat silver,
Gar grind him with the gold;
Cause put two bells on every side,
Till I come to some hold.' |
| 28 |
They sadled him the black, the black,
So did they him the broun;
So did they him the swiftest steed
That ever rode to toun. |
| 29 |
They shoed him with the beat silver,
They grind him with the gold;
They put two bells on every side,
Till he came to some hold. |
| 30 |
He had not rode a mile, a mile,
A mile but barely three,
Till that he spyed her comely corps
Come raking oere the lee. |
| 31 |
'Set doun, set doun these comely corps,
Let me look on the dead:'
And out he's ta'en his little pen-knife,
And slitted her winding sheet. |
| 32 |
And first he kist her cheek, her cheek,
And then he kist her chin;
And then he kist her rosy lips,
But there was no breath within. |
| 33 |
'Gar deall, gar deall for my love sake
The spiced bread and the wine;
For ere the morn at this time
So shall you deall for mine. |
| 34 |
'Gar deall, gar deall for my love sake
The pennys that are so small;
For ere the morn at this time,
So shall you deall for all.' |
| 35 |
The one was buried in Mary kirk,
The other in Mary quire;
Out of the one there sprung a birk,
Out of the other a bryar;
So thus you may well know by that
They were two lovers dear. |
