Jamieson's Popular Ballads, II, 44, from Mrs. Brown's recitation.
| 1 |
O Willie's large o limb and lith,
And come o high degree,
And he is gane to Earl Richard,
To serve for meat and fee. |
| 2 |
Earl Richard had but ae daughter,
Fair as a lily-flower,
And they made up their love-contract
Like proper paramour. |
| 3 |
It fell upon a simmer's nicht,
Whan the leaves were fair and green,
That Willie met his gay ladie
Intil the wood alane. |
| 4 |
'O narrow is my gown, Willie,
That wont to be sae wide;
And gane is a' my fair colour,
That wont to be my pride. |
| 5 |
'But gin my father should get word
What's past between us twa,
Before that he should eat or drink,
He'd hang you oer that wa. |
| 6 |
'But ye'll come to my bower, Willie,
Just as the sun gaes down,
And kep me in your arms twa,
And latna me fa down.' |
| 7 |
O whan the sun was now gane down,
He's doen him till her bower,
And there, by the lee licht o the moon,
Her window she lookit oer. |
| 8 |
Intill a robe o red scarlet
She lap, fearless o harm;
And Willie was large o lith and limb,
And keepit her in his arm. |
| 9 |
And they've gane to the gude green wood,
And, ere the night was deen,
She's born to him a bonny young son,
Amang the leaves sae green. |
| 10 |
Whan night was gane, and day was come,
And the sun began to peep,
Up and raise the Earl Richard
Out o his drowsy sleep. |
| 11 |
He's ca'd upon his merry young men,
By ane, by twa, and by three:
'O what's come o my daughter dear,
That she's nae come to me? |
| 12 |
'I dreamt a dreary dream last night,
God grant it come to gude!
I dreamt I saw my daughter dear
Drown in the saut sea flood. |
| 13 |
'But gin my daughter be dead or sick,
Or yet be stown awa,
I mak a vow, and I'll keep it true,
I'll hang ye ane and a'!' |
| 14 |
They sought her back, they sought her fore,
They sought her up and down;
They got her in the gude green wood,
Nursing her bonny young son. |
| 15 |
He took the bonny boy in his arms,
And kist him tenderlie;
Says, Though I would your father hang,
Your mother's dear to me. |
| 16 |
He kist him oer and oer again:
'My grandson I thee claim,
And Robin Hood in gude green wood,
And that shall be your name.' |
| 17 |
And mony ane sings o grass, o grass,
And mony ane sings o corn,
And mony ane sings o Robin Hood
Kens little whare he was born. |
| 18 |
It wasna in the ha, the ha,
Nor in the painted bower,
But it was in the gude green wood,
Amang the lily-flower. |
