'Lady Isabel,' Buchan's Ballads of the North of Scotland, I, 129.
| 1 |
'Twas early on a May morning
Lady Isabel combd her hair;
But little kent she, or the morn
She woud never comb it mair. |
| 2 |
'Twas early on a May morning
Lady Isabel rang the keys;
But little kint she, or the morn
A fey woman she was. |
| 3 |
Ben it came her step-mother,
As white 's the lily flower:
'It's tauld me this day, Isabel,
You are your father's whore.' |
| 4 |
'O them that tauld you that, mother,
I wish they neer drink wine;
For if I be the same woman
My ain sell drees the pine. |
| 5 |
'And them that's tauld you that, mother,
I wish they neer drink ale;
For if I be the same woman
My ain sell drees the dail.' |
| 6 |
'It may be very well seen, Isabel,
It may be very well seen;
He buys to you the damask gowns,
To me the dowie green.' |
| 7 |
'Ye are of age and I am young,
And young amo my flowers;
The fairer that my claithing be,
The mair honour is yours. |
| 8 |
'I hae a love beyond the sea,
And far ayont the faem;
For ilka gown my father buys me,
My ain luve sends me ten.' |
| 9 |
'Come ben, come ben now, Lady Isabel,
And drink the wine wi me;
I hae twa jewels in ae coffer,
And nae o them I'll gie [ye].' |
| 10 |
'Stay still, stay still, my mother dear,
Stay still a little while,
Till I gang into Marykirk;
It's but a little mile.' |
| 11 |
When she gaed on to Marykirk,
And into Mary's quire,
There she saw her ain mother
Sit in a gowden chair. |
| 12 |
'O will I leave the lands, mother?
Or shall I sail the sea?
Or shall I drink this dowie drink
That is prepar'd for me?' |
| 13 |
'Ye winna leave the lands, daughter,
Nor will ye sail the sea,
But ye will drink this dowie drink
This woman's prepar'd for thee. |
| 14 |
'Your bed is made in a better place
Than ever hers will be,
And ere ye're cauld into the room
Ye will be there wi me.' |
| 15 |
'Come in, come in now, Lady Isabel,
And drink the wine wi me;
I hae twa jewels in ae coffer,
And ane o them I'll gie [ye].' |
| 16 |
'Stay still, stay still, my mother dear,
Stay still a little wee,
Till I gang to yon garden green,
My Maries a' to see.' |
| 17 |
To some she gae the broach, the broach,
To some she gae a ring;
But wae befa her step-mother!
To her she gae nae thing. |
| 18 |
'Come in, come in now, Lady Isabel,
And drink the wine wi me;
I hae twa jewels in ae coffer,
And ane o them I'll gie [ye].' |
| 19 |
Slowly to the bower she came,
And slowly enterd in,
And being full o courtesie,
Says, Begin, mother, begin. |
| 20 |
She put it till her cheek, her cheek,
Sae did she till her chin,
Sae did she till her fu fause lips,
But never a drap gaed in. |
| 21 |
Lady Isabel put it till her cheek,
Sae did she till her chin,
Sae did she till her rosy lips,
And the rank poison gaed in. |
| 22 |
'O take this cup frae me, mother,
O take this cup frae me;
My bed is made in a better place
Than ever yours will be. |
| 23 |
'My bed is in the heavens high,
Amang the angels fine;
But yours is in the lowest hell,
To drie torment and pine.' |
| 24 |
Nae moan was made for Lady Isabel
In bower where she lay dead,
But a' was for that ill woman,
In the fields mad she gaed. |
