Motherwell's Manuscript, p. 435; communicated by Peter Buchan,
from a Manuscript which had been sent him.
| 1 |
'O well is me, my jolly goshawk,
That ye can speak and flee,
For ye can carry a love-letter
To my true-love from me.' |
| 2 |
'O how can I carry a letter to her,
When her I do not knaw?
I bear the lips to her never spake,
And the eyes that her never saw.' |
| 3 |
'The thing of my love's face is white
It's that of dove or maw;
The thing of my love's face that's red
Is like blood shed on snaw. |
| 4 |
'And when you come to the castle,
Light on the bush of ash,
And sit you there and sing our loves,
As she comes from the mass. |
| 5 |
'And when she goes into the house,
Sit ye upon the whin;
And sit you there and sing our loves,
As she goes out and in.' |
| 6 |
And when he flew to that castel,
He lighted on the ash;
And there he sat and sang their loves,
As she came from the mass. |
| 7 |
And when she went into the house,
He flew unto the whin;
And there he sat and sang their loves,
As she went out and in. |
| 8 |
'Come hither, come hither, my maidens all,
And sip red wine anon,
Till I go to my west window,
And hear a birdie's moan.' |
| 9 |
She's gone unto her west window,
And fainly aye it drew,
And soon into her white silk lap
The bird the letter threw. |
| 10 |
'Ye're bidden send your love a send,
For he has sent you twa;
And tell him where he can see you,
Or he cannot live ava.' |
| 11 |
'I send him the rings from my white fingers,
The garlands off my hair;
I send him the heart that's in my breast:
What would my love have mair?
And at the fourth kirk in fair Scotland,
Ye'll bid him meet me there.' |
| 12 |
She hied her to her father dear,
As fast as gang could she:
'An asking, an asking, my father dear,
An asking ye grant me;
That, if I die in fair England,
In Scotland bury me. |
| 13 |
'At the first kirk of fair Scotland,
You cause the bells be rung;
At the second kirk of fair Scotland,
You cause the mass be sung. |
| 14 |
'At the third kirk of fair Scotland,
You deal gold for my sake;
And the fourth kirk of fair Scotland,
O there you'll bury me at. |
| 15 |
'And now, my tender father dear,
This asking grant you me;'
'Your asking is but small,' he said,
'Weel granted it shall be.' |
| 16 |
She hied her to her mother dear,
As fast as gang could she:
'An asking, an asking, my mother dear,
An asking ye grant me;
That if I die in fair England
In Scotland bury me. |
| 17 |
'And now, my tender mother dear,
This asking grant you me;'
'Your asking is but small,' she said,
'Weel granted it shall be.' |
| 18 |
She hied her to her sister dear,
As fast as gang could she:
'An asking, an asking, my sister dear,
An asking ye grant me;
That if I die in fair England,
In Scotland bury me. |
| 19 |
'And now, my tender sister dear,
This asking grant you me:'
'Your asking is but small,' she said,
'Weel granted it shall be.' |
| 20 |
She hied her to her seven brothers,
As fast as gang could she:
'An asking, an asking, my brothers seven,
An asking ye grant me;
That if I die in fair England,
In Scotland ye bury me. |
| 21 |
'And now, my tender brothers dear,
This asking grant you me:'
'Your asking is but small,' they said,
'Weel granted it shall be.' |
| 22 |
Then down as dead that lady drapd,
Beside her mother's knee;
Then out it spoke an auld witch-wife,
By the fire-side sat she. |
| 23 |
Says, Drap the hot lead on her cheek,
And drop it on her chin,
And drop it on her rose-red lips,
And she will speak again:
For much a lady young will do,
To her true-love to win. |
| 24 |
They drapd the het lead on her cheek,
So did they on her chin;
They drapt it on her red-rose lips,
But they breathed none again. |
| 25 |
Her brothers they went to a room,
To make to her a bier;
The boards of it was cedar wood,
And the plates ow it gold so clear. |
| 26 |
Her sisters they went to a room,
To make to her a sark;
The cloth of it was satin fine,
She bids you meet her there.'
And the steeking silken wark. |
| 27 |
'But well is me, my jolly goshawk,
That ye can speak and flee;
Come shew to my any love-tokens
That you have brought to me.' |
| 28 |
'She sends you the rings from her fingers,
The garlands from her hair;
She sends you the heart within her breast;
And what would you have mair?
And at the fourth kirk of fair Scotland,
She bids you meet her there.' |
| 29 |
'Come hither, all my merry young men,
And drink the good red wine;
For we must on to fair Scotland,
To free my love frae pine.' |
| 30 |
At the first kirk of fair Scotland,
They gart the bells be rung;
At the second kirk of fair Scotland,
They gart the mass be sung. |
| 31 |
At the third kirk of fair Scotland,
They dealt gold for her sake;
And the fourth kirk of fair Scotland
Her true-love met them at. |
| 32 |
'Set down, set down the corpse,' he said,
'Till I look on the dead;
The last time that I saw her face,
She ruddy was and red;
But now, alas, and woe is me!
She's wallowit like a weed.' |
| 33 |
He rent the sheet upon her face,
A little above her chin;
With lily-white cheeks, and lemin een,
She lookt and laughd to him. |
| 34 |
'Give me a chive of your bread, my love,
A bottle of your wine;
For I have fasted for your love
These long days nine;
There's not a steed in your stable
But would have been dead ere syne. |
| 35 |
'Go home, go home, my seven brothers,
Go home and blow the horn;
For you can say in the south of England
Your sister gave you a scorn. |
| 36 |
'I came not here to fair Scotland
To lye amang the meal;
But I came here to fair Scotland
To wear the silks so weel. |
| 37 |
'I came not here to fair Scotland
To ly amang the dead;
But I came here to fair Scotland
To wear the gold so red.' |
