Buchan's Ballads of the North of Scotland, II, 271.
| 1 |
There were twa knights in fair Scotland,
And they were brothers sworn;
They made a vow to be as true
As if they'd been brothers born. |
| 2 |
The one he was a wealthy knight,
Had lands and buildings free;
The other was a young hynde squire,
In rank of lower degree. |
| 3 |
But it fell ance upon a day
These squires they walkd alone,
And to each other they did talk
About the fair women. |
| 4 |
'O wed a may,' the knight did say,
'For your credit and fame;
Lay never your love on lemanry,
Bring nae gude woman to shame.' |
| 5 |
'There's nae gude women,' the squire did say,
'Into this place but nine;'
'O well falls me,' the knight replied,
'For ane o them is mine.' |
| 6 |
'Ye say your lady's a gude woman,
But I say she is nane;
I think that I could gain her love
Ere six months they are gane. |
| 7 |
'If ye will gang six months away,
And sail upon the faem,
Then I will gain your lady's love
Before that ye come hame.' |
| 8 |
'O I'll gang till a far countrie,
And far beyond the faem,
And ye winna gain my lady's love
Whan nine lang months are gane.' |
| 9 |
When the evening sun did set,
And day came to an end,
In then came the lady's gude lord,
Just in at yon town's end. |
| 10 |
'O comely are ye, my lady gay,
Sae fair and rare to see;
I wish whan I am gane away
Ye keep your mind to me.' |
| 11 |
She gae 'm a bason to wash in,
It shin'd thro a' the ha;
But aye as she gaed but and ben
She loot the saut tears fa. |
| 12 |
'I wonder what ails my gude lord
He has sic jealousie;
Never when we parted before,
He spak sic words to me.' |
| 13 |
When cocks did craw, and day did daw,
This knight was fair at sea;
Then in it came the young hynde squire,
To work him villanie. |
| 14 |
'I hae a coffer o gude red gowd,
Another o white monie;
I woud gie you 't a', my gay lady,
To lye this night wi me.' |
| 15 |
'If ye warna my lord's brother,
And him sae far frae hame,
Even before my ain bower-door
I'd gar hang you on a pin.' |
| 16 |
He's gane frae the lady's bower,
Wi the saut tear in his ee,
And he is to his foster-mother
As fast as gang coud he. |
| 17 |
'There is a fancy in my head
That I'll reveal to thee,
And your assistance I will crave
If ye will grant it me. |
| 18 |
'I've fifty guineas in my pocket,
I've fifty o them and three,
And if ye'll grant what I request
Ye'se hae them for your fee.' |
| 19 |
'Speak on, speak on, ye gude hynde squire,
What may your asking be?
I kenna wha woud be sae base
As nae serve for sic a fee.' |
| 20 |
'O I hae wagerd wi my brother,
When he went to the faem,
That I woud gain his lady's love
Ere six months they were gane. |
| 21 |
'To me he laid his lands at stake
Tho he were on the faem,
I wudna gain his lady's love
Whan nine lang months were gane. |
| 22 |
'Now I hae tried to gain her love,
But finds it winna do;
And here I'm come, as ye her know,
To seek some help frae you. |
| 23 |
'For I did lay my life at stake,
Whan my brother went frae hame,
That I woud gain his lady's love
Whan he was on the faem.' |
| 24 |
But when the evening sun was set,
And day came to an end,
In it came that fause carline,
Just in at yon town's end. |
| 25 |
'O comely are ye, my gay lady,
Your lord is on the faem;
Yon unco squire will gain your love,
Before that he come hame.' |
| 26 |
'Forbid it,' said the lady fair,
'That eer the like shoud be,
That I woud wrang my ain gude lord,
And him sae far at sea.' |
| 27 |
'O comely are ye, my gay lady,
Stately is your fair bodie;
Your lovely visage is far chang'd,
That is best known to me. |
| 28 |
'You're sair dune out for want o sleep
Sin your lord went to sea;
Unless that ye do cease your grief,
It will your ruin be. |
| 29 |
'You'll send your maids unto the hay,
Your young men unto the corn;
I'll gar ye sleep as soun a sleep
As the night that ye were born.' |
| 30 |
She sent her maids to ted the hay,
Her men to shear the corn,
And she gard her sleep as soun a sleep
As the night that she was born. |
| 31 |
She rowd that lady in the silk,
Laid her on holland sheets;
Wi fine enchanting melodie,
She lulld her fast asleep. |
| 32 |
She lockd the yetts o that castle
Wi thirty locks and three,
Then went to meet the young hynde squire
To him the keys gae she. |
| 33 |
s opend the locks o that castle,
Were thirty and were three,
And he's gane where that lady lay,
And thus to her said he. |
| 34 |
'O wake, O wake, ye gay lady,
O wake and speak to me;
I hae it fully in my power
To come to bed to thee.' |
| 35 |
'For to defile my husband's bed,
I woud think that a sin;
As soon as this lang day is gane,
Then I shall come to thine.' |
| 36 |
Then she has calld her niece Maisry,
Says, An asking ye'll grant me,
For to gang to yon unco squire
And sleep this night for me. |
| 37 |
'The gude red gowd shall be your hire,
And siller's be your fee;
Five hundred pounds o pennies round,
Your tocher it shall be.' |
| 38 |
She turnd her right and round about,
And thus to her did say;
O there was never a time on earth
So fain's I woud say nay. |
| 39 |
But when the evening sun was set,
And day drawn to an end,
Then Lady Maisry she is gane,
Fair out at yon town-end. |
| 40 |
Then she is to yon hynde squire's yates,
And tirled at the pin;
Wha was sae busy as the hynde squire
To lat that lady in! |
| 41 |
He's taen her in his arms twa,
He was a joyfu man;
He neither bade her meat nor drink,
But to the bed he ran. |
| 42 |
When he had got his will o her,
His will as he lang sought,
Her ring but and her ring-finger
Away frae her he brought. |
| 43 |
With discontent straight home she went,
And thus lamented she;
Says, Wae be to yon young hynde squire!
Sae ill as he's used me. |
| 44 |
When the maids came frae the hay,
The young men frae the corn,
Ben it came that lady gay,
Who thought lang for their return. |
| 45 |
'Where hae ye been, my maidens a',
Sae far awa frae me?
My foster-mother and lord's brother
Thought to hae beguiled me. |
| 46 |
'Had not she been my foster-mother,
I suckd at her breast-bane,
Even before my ain bower-door,
She in a gleed shoud burn. |
| 47 |
'The squire he thought to gain my love,
He's got but Lady Maisry;
He's cutted her ring and her ring-finger,
A love-token for to be. |
| 48 |
'I'll tie my finger in the dark,
Where nae ane shall me see;
I hope to loose it in the light,
Amang gude companie.' |
| 49 |
When night was gane, and birds did sing,
And day began to peep,
The hynde squire walkd alang the shore,
His brother for to meet. |
| 50 |
'Ye are welcome, welcome, landless lord,
To my ha's and my bowers;
Ye are welcome hame, ye landless lord,
To my lady white like flowers' |
| 51 |
'Ye say I am a landless lord,
But I think I am nane,
Without ye show some love-token
Awa frae her ye've tane.' |
| 52 |
He drew the strings then o his purse,
And they were a' bludie;
The ring but and the ring-finger
Sae soon as he lat him see. |
| 53 |
'O wae be to you, fause hynde squire,
Ane ill death mat ye dee!
It was too sair a love-token
To take frae my ladie. |
| 54 |
'But ae asking of you, hynde squire,
In your won bowers to dine;'
'With a' my heart, my brother dear,
Tho ye had asked nine.' |
| 55 |
Then he is to his lady's father,
And a sorrow man was he:
'O judge, O judge, my father dear,
This judgment pass for me. |
| 56 |
'What is the thing that shoud be done
Unto that gay lady
Who woud gar her lord gae landless,
And children bastards to be?' |
| 57 |
'She shoud be brunt upon a hill,
Or hangd upon a tree,
That woud gar her lord gang landless,
And children bastards be.' |
| 58 |
'Your judgment is too rash, father;
Your ain daughter is she
That this day has made me landless;
Your squire gaind it frae me. |
| 59 |
'Yet nevertheless, my parents dear,
Ae favour ye'll grant me,
And gang alang to my lost ha's,
And take your dine wi me.' |
| 60 |
He threw the charters ower the table,
And kissd the yates o tree;
Says Fare ye well, my lady gay,
Your face I'll never see. |
| 61 |
Then his lady calld out to him,
Come here, my lord, and dine;
There's nae a smith in a' the land
That can ae finger join. |
| 62 |
'I tied my finger in the dark,
Whan nae ane did me see;
But now I'll loose it in the light,
Amang gude companie. |
| 63 |
'Even my niece, Lady Maisry,
The same woman was she;
The gude red gowd shall be her hire,
And likeways white monie. |
| 64 |
'Five hundred pounds o pennies round
Her tocher then shall be,
Because she did my wills obey,
Beguild the squire for me.' |
| 65 |
Then they did call this young hynde squire
To come right speedilie,
Likeways they calld young Lady Maisry.
To pay her down her fee. |
| 66 |
Then they laid down to Lady Maisry
The brand but and the ring;
It was to stick him wi the brand,
Or wed him wi the ring. |
| 67 |
Thrice she minted to the brand,
But she took up the ring;
And a' the ladies who heard o it
Said she was a wise woman. |
