Alexander Fraser Tytler's Brown Manuscript, No 7.
| 1 |
O there was a ladie, a noble ladie,
She was a ladie of birth and fame,
But she fell in love wi her father's foot-boy,
I wis she was the mair to blame. |
| 2 |
A word of him she neer could get
Till her father was a hunting gone;
Then she calld on the bonny foot-boy
To speak wi her in her bower alone. |
| 3 |
Says, Ye ken you are my love, Willie,
And that I am a ladie free,
And there's naething ye can ask, Willie,
But at your bidding I maun be. |
| 4 |
O the loving looks that ladie gave
Soon made the bonny boy grow bold,
And the loving words that ladie spake
As soon on them he did lay hold. |
| 5 |
She has taen a ring frae her white finger,
And unto him she did it gie;
Says, Wear this token for my sake,
And keep it till the day you die. |
| 6 |
'But shoud my father get word of this,
I fear we baith will have cause to rue,
For to some nunnery I shoud be sent,
And I fear, my love, he would ruin you. |
| 7 |
'But here is a coffer of the good red gowd,
I wot my mother left it to me;
And wi it you'll buy a bonny ship,
And ye maun sail the raging sea;
Then like some earl or baron's son
You can come back and marrie me. |
| 8 |
'But stay not lang awa, Willie,
O stay not lang across the fame,
For fear your ladie shoud lighter be,
Or your young son shoud want a name.' |
| 9 |
He had not been o the sea sailing
But till three months were come and gane,
Till he has landed his bonny ship;
It was upon the coast of Spain. |
| 10 |
There was a ladie of high degree
That saw him walking up and down;
She fell in love wi sweet Willie,
But she wist no how to make it known. |
| 11 |
She has calld up her maries a',
Says, Hearken well to what I say;
There is a young man in yon ship
That has been my love this many a day. |
| 12 |
'Now bear a hand, my maries a',
And busk my brave and make me fine,
And go wi me to yon shore-side
To invite that noble youth to dine.' |
| 13 |
O they have buskit that ladie gay
In velvet pall and jewels rare;
A poor man might have been made rich
Wi half the pearles they pat in her hair. |
| 14 |
Her mantle was of gowd sae red,
It glaned as far as ane coud see;
Sweet Willie thought she had been the queen,
And bowd full low and bent his knee. |
| 15 |
She's gard her maries step aside,
And on sweet Willie sae did smile;
She thought that man was not on earth
But of his heart she could beguile. |
| 16 |
Says, Ye maun leave your bonny ship
And go this day wi me and dine,
And you shall eat the baken meat,
And you shall drink the Spanish wine. |
| 17 |
'I canna leave my bonny ship,
Nor go this day to dine wi thee,
For a' my sails are ready bent
To bear me back to my ain countrie.' |
| 18 |
'O gin you'd forsake your bonny ship
And wed a ladie of this countrie,
I would make you lord of a' this town,
And towns and castles twa or three.' |
| 19 |
'Should I wed a ladie of this countrie,
In sooth I woud be sair to blame,
For the fairest ladie in fair Scotland
Woud break her heart gin I gaed na hame.' |
| 20 |
'That ladie may choose another lord,
And you another love may choose;
There is not a lord in this countrie
That such a proffer could refuse.' |
| 21 |
'O ladie, shoud I your proffer take,
You'd soon yoursell have cause to rue,
For the man that his first love forsakes
Woud to a second neer prove true.' |
| 22 |
She has taen a ring frae her white finger,
It might have been a prince's fee;
Says, Wear this token for my sake,
And give me that which now I see. |
| 23 |
'Take back your token, ye ladie fair;
This ring you see on my right hand
Was gien me by my ain true-love,
Before I left my native land. |
| 24 |
'And tho yours woud buy it nine times oer
I far more dearly prize my ain;
Nor woud I make the niffer,' he says,
'For a' the gowd that is in Spain.' |
| 25 |
The ladie turnd her head away
To dry the sat tears frae her eyne;
She naething more to him did say
But, I wish your face I neer had seen! |
| 26 |
He has set his foot on good ship-board,
The ladie waved her milk-white hand,
The wind sprang up and filld his sails,
And he quickly left the Spanish land. |
| 27 |
He soon came back to his native strand,
He langd his ain true-love to see;
Her father saw him come to land,
And took him some great lord to be. |
| 28 |
Says, Will ye leave your bonny ship
And come with me this day to dine?
And you shall eat the baken meat,
And you shall drink the claret wine. |
| 29 |
'O I will leave my bonny ship,
And glacly go with you to dine,
And I woud gie thrice three thousand pounds
That you fair daughter were but mine.' |
| 30 |
'O gin ye will part wi your bonny ship
And wed a ladie of this countrie,
I will gie you my ae daughter,
Gin she'll consent your bride to be.' |
| 31 |
O he has blaket his bonny face
And closs tuckd up his yellow hair;
His true-love met them at the yate,
But she little thought her love was there. |
| 32 |
'O will you marrie this lord, daughter,
That I've brought hame to dine wi me?
You shall be heir of a' my lands,
Gin you'll consent his bride to be.' |
| 33 |
She looked oer her left shoulder,
I wot the tears stood in her eye;
Says, The man is on the sea sailling
That fair wedding shall get of me. |
| 34 |
Then Willie has washd his bonny face,
And he's kaimd down his yellow hair;
He took his true-love in his arms,
And kindly has he kissd her there. |
| 35 |
She's looked in his bonny face,
And thro her tears did sweetly smile,
Then sayd, Awa, awa, Willie!
How could you thus your love beguile? |
| 36 |
She kept the secret in her breast,
Full seven years she's kept the same,
Till it fell out at a christning-feast,
And then of it she made good game. |
| 37 |
And her father laughd aboon the rest,
And said, My daughter, you'r nae to blame;
For you've married for love, and no for land,
So a' my gowd is yours to claim. |
