Buchan'a Ballads of the North of Scotland, I, 172.
| 1 |
'Twas on a misty day, a fair maiden gay
Went out to the Cowdenknowes;
Lang, lang she thought ere her ewes woud bught,
Wi her pail for to milk the ewes.
O the broom, the bonny, bonny broom,
The broom o the Cowdenknowes!
And aye sae sweet as the lassie sang,
In the ewe-bught, milking her ewes. |
| 2 |
And aye as she sang the greenwoods rang,
Her voice was sae loud and shrill;
They heard the voice of this well-far'd maid
At the other side o the hill. |
| 3 |
'My mother she is an ill woman,
And an ill woman is she;
Or than she might have got some other maid
To milk her ewes without me. |
| 4 |
'My father was ance a landed laird,
As mony mair have been;
But he held on the gambling trade
Till a 's free lands were dune. |
| 5 |
'My father drank the brandy and beer,
My mother the wine sae red;
Gars me, poor girl, gang maiden lang,
For the lack o tocher guid.' |
| 6 |
There was a troop o merry gentlemen
Came riding alang the way,
And one o them drew the ewe-bughts unto,
At the voice of this lovely may. |
| 7 |
'O well may you sing, my well-far'd maid,
And well may you sing, I say,
For this is a mirk and a misty night,
And I've ridden out o my way.' |
| 8 |
'Ride on, ride on, young man,' she said,
'Ride on the way ye ken;
But keep frae the streams o the Rock-river,
For they run proud and vain. |
| 9 |
'Ye winna want boys for meat, kind sir,
And ye winna want men for fee;
It sets not us that are young women
To show young men the way.' |
| 10 |
'O winna ye pity me, fair maid?
O winna ye pity me?
O winna ye pity my poor steed,
Stnads trembling at yon tree?' |
| 11 |
'Ride on, ride on, ye rank rider,
Your steed's baith stout and strang;
For out o the ewe-bught I winna come,
For fear that ye do me wrang. |
| 12 |
'For well ken I by your high-colld hat,
And by your gay gowd ring,
That ye are the Earl o Rock-rivers,
That beguiles a' our young women.' |
| 13 |
'O I'm not the earl o the Rock-rivers,
Nor ever thinks to be;
But I am ane o his finest knights,
Rides aft in his companie. |
| 14 |
'I know you well by your lamar beads,
And by your merry winking ee,
That ye are the maid o the Cowdenknowes,
And may very well seem to be.' |
| 15 |
He's taen her by the milk-white hand,
And by the grass-green sleeve,
He's laid her down by the ewe-bught-wa,
At her he spiered nae leave. |
| 16 |
When he had had got his wills o her,
And his wills he had taen,
He lifted her up by the middle sae sma,
Says, Fair maid, rise up again. |
| 17 |
Then he has taen out a siller kaim,
Kaimd down her yellow hair;
Says, Fair maid, take that, keep it for my sake,
Case frae me ye never get mair. |
| 18 |
Then he put his hand in his pocket,
And gien her guineas three;
Says, Take that, fair maiden, till I return,
'Twill pay the nurse's fee. |
| 19 |
Then he lap on his milk-white steed,
And he rade after his men,
And a' that they did say to him,
'Dear master, ye' ve tarried lang.' |
| 20 |
'I've ridden east, I've ridden west,
And over the cowdenknowes,
But the bonniest lass that eer I did see,
Was i the ewe-bught, milking her ewes.' |
| 21 |
She's taen her milk-pail on her head,
And she gaed singing hame;
But a' that her auld father did say,
'Daughter, ye've tarried lang.'
'O the broom, the bonny, bonny broom,
The broom o the Cowdenknowes!
Aye sae sair 's I may rue the day,
In the ewe-bughts, milking my ewes. |
| 22 |
'O this is a mirk and a misty night,
O father, as ye may see;
The ewes they ran skipping over the knowes,
And they woudna bught in for me. |
| 23 |
. . . .
. . . .
'Before that he'd taen the lamb that he took,
I rather he'd taen other three.' |
| 24 |
When twenty weeks were come and gane,
And twenty weeks and three,
The lassie's colour grew pale and wan,
And she longed this knight to see. |
| 25 |
Says, 'Wae to the fox came amo our flock!
I wish he had taen them a'
Before that he'd taen frae me what he took;
It's occasiond my downfa.' |
| 26 |
It fell ance upon a time
She was ca'ing hame her kye,
There came a troop o merry gentlemen,
And they wyled the bonny lassie by. |
| 27 |
But one o them spake as he rode past,
Says, Who owes the bairn ye are wi?
A little she spake, but thought wi hersell,
'Perhaps to ane as gude as thee.' |
| 28 |
O then she did blush as he did pass by,
And dear! but she thought shame,
And all that she did say to him,
'Sir, I have a husband at hame.' |
| 29 |
'Ye lie, ye lie, ye well-far'd maid,
Sae loud as I hear you lie!
For dinna ye mind yon misty night,
Ye were in the bught wi me?
'O the broom, the bonny, bonny broom,
The broom o the Cowdenknowes!
Aye sae sweet as I heard you sing,
In the ewe-bughts, milking your ewes.' |
| 30 |
'O well do I mind, kind sir,' she said,
'As ye rode over the hill;
Ye took frae me my maidenhead,
Fell sair against my will.
'O the broom, the bonny, bonny broom,
The broom o the Cowdenknowes!
And aye sae sair as I rue the day
I met you, milking my ewes. |
| 31 |
'And aye as ye spake, ye lifted your hat,
Ye had a merry winking ee;
I ken you well to be the man,
Then kind sir, O pity me!' |
| 32 |
'Win up, win up, fair maiden,' he said,
'Nae langer here ye'll stay;
This night ye'se be my wedded wife,
Without any more delay.' |
| 33 |
He lighted aff his milk-white steed
And set the lassie on;
'Ca in your kye, auld man,' he did say,
'She'll never ca them in again. |
| 34 |
'I am the Earl o the Rock-rivers,
Hae fifty ploughs and three,
And am sure I've chosen the fairest maid
That ever my eyes did see.' |
| 35 |
Then he stript her o the robes o grey,
Donned her in the robes o green,
And when she came to her lord's ha
They took her to be some queen.
O the broom, the bonny, bonny broom,
The broom o the Cowdenknowes!
And aye sae sweet as the bonny lassie sang,
That ever she milked the ewes. |
