| A. |
The words in ' ' are so distinguished in the
Manuscript, and are of course emendations.
'Than,' 91, is obviously an insertion;
'Now Douglas,' 111, is entirely unauthorized, and,
as before said, is taken from Hamilton's
ballad;
'wiped,' 148, is probably substituted for
drank, cf. 123, etc.; and 'her,'
153, is very likely to have been his. |
| B. |
121. Var. O father dear, I pray forbear. |
| C. |
71. He.
71. SHe, originally He.
91,3. a in came is not closed;
possibly cume.
A few changes were, as usual, made by Motherwell in printing. |
| D. |
14. Wha is blotted. |
| E. b. |
A minute collation of a copy constructed by
Scott would be useless and deceptive, and
therefore only the larger variations will be
noted.
12. And ere they paid the lawing.
51. As he gaed up the Tennies bank.
61,2. O come ye here to part your land,
The bonnie forest thorough.
71,2. I come not here to part my land,
And neither to beg nor borrow.
After 7:
If I see all, ye're nine to ane (Cf. F 41)
And that's an unequal marrow; (Cf. G 32)
Yet will I fight wile lasts my brand, (Cf. F 43,
G 33)
on the bonny banks of Yarrow. (Cf. E a 64)
104. Wi my true love on Yarrow. (Cf. O 14)
After 10, two stanzas which are nearly O 3, 4.
113. ten slain men. (Cf. F 93)
122,3. She searched his wounds all through;
She kissd them till her lips grew red.
132. For a' this breeds bur sorrow. (Cf. F 132)
142. Ye mind me but of sorrow.
143,4. A fairer rose did never bloom
Than now lies croppd on Yarrow.
(Cf. M 11 3,4.)
Scott gives in a note, III, 79, 1803, "the last
stanza, as (since?) it occurs in most copies."
(Cf. F, G, H.)
That lady, being big with child,
And full of consternation,
She swooned in her father's arms,
Amidst that stubborn nation. |
| F. |
23. browns, and so again G 13.
A derivation from bruny, mail-coat, is scarcely to be
thought of. Apparently a corruption of
brand, (cf. E 43);
but brand occurs in F 43,
G 33. |
| G. |
12, before him.
13, and his noble brouns.
103. shalt. |
| H. |
3, 4. The stubborn lord in 33 is the wife's father,
and the race, or family, is stubborn
according to 10. Stubborn folk think opposers stubborn,
no doubt; still the epithet is unlikely in 48.
Lad I suppose to refer to the man who in the other versions stabs
from behind.
53. dern for den.
The nine men must be dead, as in E 11, F 9,
G 6. The well armd belongs to an earlier (lost) stanza,
corresponding to E 5, F 3, G 2. |
| I. |
Variations in Buchan's printed copy:
11. Ten lords. The lords in my copy of the
Manuscript, but, as Dixon has also Ten, I presume
The to be an error. Otherwise I should
have read Th[re]e, as in B, C, D.
42. As aft he 'd.
74. thrust him thro body and mell, O.
83. mother to.
144. ower his. |
| J. |
The first copy seems to be the earlier, and that which was
transcribed into the Manuscript to have been slightly edited, but
the variations are few, mostly spellings. The first copy has no
title. The title of the second is altered from The Braes of
Yarrow to The Dowie Glens of Yarrow. At the end of the
second is this note: This song I took down from Marion Miller
in Threepwood, in the Parish of Melrose. The air was plaintive
and extremely wild. I consider this song more valuable on account
that Mern had never sung it to any but myself for fifteen years,
and she had almost said, or rather promised, that she would never
sing it to another.
Thoro, 11, etc., is spelt Thorough, Thorrough,
in the first copy, Thorough, Thorrough,
Thorro, Thoro, in the second; but in the
latter ugh is struck out wherever it occurs.
43. thrusty, in both; i.e., trusty.
113. the (birks) heather green, in both.
First. 52, 171, 181. oh, Oh.
Second. 52. What she had neer done before, O.
62, 192. was filled wi.
91. Five he.
92. nae.
93. steed.
122. to your.
182. wi for in. |
| K. |
33. far far should probably be
forth, as in J;
possibly forth for. |
| L. |
123,4, 131,2. Compare Logan's
Braes of Yarrow.
They sought him east, they sought him west,
They sought him all the forest thorough;
They only saw the cloud of night
They only heard the roar of Yarrow. |
| O. |
"A fragment, to the tune of Leaderhaughs and Yarrow." |
