Chapter XI: Book I: 1. Thomas the Rhymer (3)

[207] by lane = alone, of itself.

_24. The Broomfield Hill_

I

There was a knight and a lady bright
Set trysts[208] amang the broom,
The ane to come at morning ear[209],
The other at afternoon.

II

‘I’ll wager, I’ll wager, I’ll wager wi’ you
Five hundred merks and ten
That a maid shanna gae to the bonny broom
And a maiden return again.’--

III

‘I’ll wager, I’ll wager, I’ll wager wi’ you
Five hundred merks and ten
That a maid shall gae to the bonny green broom
And a maiden return again.’

IV

The may she sat at her mother’s bower door
And aye she made her mane:
‘O whether shou’d I gang to the Broomfield Hill,
Or should I stay at hame?

V

‘For if I do gang to the Broomfield Hill,
A maid I’ll not return;
But if I stay frae the Broomfield Hill,
My love will ca’ me man-sworn.’

VI

Up then spake an auld witch-wife,
Sat in the bower abune:
‘O ye may gang to the Broomfield Hill,
And yet come maiden hame,

VII

‘For when ye gang to the Broomfield Hill,
Ye’ll find your love asleep,
Wi’ a silver belt above his head,
And a broom-cow[210] at his feet.

VIII

‘Tak’ ye the bloom frae aff the broom,
Strew’t at his head an’ feet,
And aye the thicker that ye do strew,
The sounder he will sleep.

IX

‘Tak’ ye the rings aff your fingers,
Put them in his right hand,
To let him know when he does wake,
His love was at his command.’

X

Lord John has ta’en his milk-white steed
And his hawk wi’ his bells sae bright,
And he’s ridden swift to the Broomfield Hill,
[Was never a baulder] knight.

XI

‘Now rest, now rest, my milk-white steed,
My lady will soon be here,
And I’ll lay my head by this rose sae red,
And the bonny burn sae near.’

XII

She’s pu’d the broom-flower on Hive Hill,
And strew’d on ’s white breast-bane,
And that was to be wittering[211] true
That maiden she had gane.

XIII

‘O where were ye, my milk-white steed,
That I hae coft[212] sae dear,
That wadna watch and waken me
When there was maiden here?’--

XIV

‘I stampèd wi’ my foot, master,
And gar’d my bridle ring,
But no kin’ thing wald waken ye
Till she was past and gane.’--

XV

‘And wae betide ye, my gay goss-hawk,
That I hae coft sae dear,
That wadna watch an’ waken me
When my true-love was here.’--

XVI

‘I clappèd wi’ my wings, master,
And aye my bells I rang,
And aye cried, _Waken, waken, master,
Before the ladye gang_!’--

XVII

‘But haste, but haste, my gude white steed,
To come the maiden till,
Or a’ the birds of the gude greenwood
O’ your flesh shall have their fill!’--

XVIII

‘Ye needna burst your gude white steed
Wi’ racing o’er the howm[213];
Nae bird flies faster thro’ the wood
Than she fled thro’ the broom.’

FOOTNOTES:

[208] trysts = assignations.

[209] ear = early.

[210] broom-cow = branch of broom.

[211] wittering = information, token.

[212] coft = bought.

[213] howm = holm, river-mead.

_25. Earl Mar’s Daughter_

I

It was intill a pleasant time,
Upon a simmer’s day,
The noble Earl Mar’s daughter
Went forth to sport and play.

II

And while she play’d and sported
Below a green aik tree,
There she saw a sprightly doo[214]
Set on a tower sae hie.

III

‘O Coo-me-doo, my love sae true,
If ye’ll come doun to me,
Ye’se hae a cage o’ gude red gowd
Instead o’ simple tree.

IV

‘I’ll put gowd hingers[215] roun’ your cage,
And siller roun’ your wa’;
I’ll gar ye shine as fair a bird
As ony o’ them a’.’

V

But she had nae these words well spoke,
Nor yet these words well said,
Till Coo-me-doo flew frae the tower
And lichted on her head.

VI

Then she has brought this pretty bird
Hame to her bowers and ha’,
And made him shine as fair a bird
As ony o’ them a’.

VII

When day was gone, and night was come,
About the evening-tide,
This lady spied a gallant youth
Stand straight up by her side.

VIII

‘From whence cam’ ye, young man?’ she said;
‘That does surprise me sair;
My door was bolted right secure,
What way hae ye come here?’--

IX

‘O haud your tongue, ye lady fair,
Lat a’ your folly be;
Mind ye not o’ your turtle-doo
Ye wiled from aff the tree?’--

X

‘What country come ye frae?’ she said,
‘An’ what’s your pedigree?’--
‘O it was but this verra day
That I cam’ ower the sea.

XI

‘My mither lives on foreign isles,
A queen o’ high degree;
And by her spells I am a doo
With you to live an’ dee.’--

XII

‘O Coo-me-doo, my love sae true,
Nae mair frae me ye’se gae.’--
‘That’s never my intent, my love;
As ye said, it shall be sae.’

XIII

Then he has stay’d in bower wi’ her
For six lang years and ane,
Till six young sons to him she bare,
And the seventh she’s brought hame.

XIV

But aye, as ever a child was born,
He carried them away,
And brought them to his mither’s care
As fast as he could fly.

XV

When he had stay’d in bower wi’ her
For seven lang years an’ mair
There cam’ a lord o’ high renown
To court this lady fair.

XVI

But still his proffer she refused
And a’ his presents too;
Says, ‘I’m content to live alane
Wi’ my bird Coo-me-doo.’

XVII

Her father swore a michty oath
Amang the nobles all,
‘The morn, or ere I eat or drink,
This bird I will gar kill.’

XVIII

The bird was sitting in his cage
And heard what they did say;
Says, ‘Wae is me, and you forlorn,
If I do langer stay!’

XIX

Then Coo-me-doo took flight and flew
And afar beyond the sea,
And lichted near his mither’s castle
On a tower o’ gowd sae hie.

XX

His mither she was walking out
To see what she could see,
And there she saw her one young son
Set on the tower sae hie.

XXI

‘Get dancers here to dance,’ she said,
‘And minstrels for to play;
For here’s my young son Florentine
Come hame wi’ me to stay.’--

XXII

‘Get nae dancers to dance, mither,
Nor minstrels for to play;
For the mither o’ my seven sons,
The morn’s her wedding-day.’--

XXIII

‘O tell me, tell me, Florentine,
Tell me, an tell me true;
Tell me this day without a flaw
What I will do for you?’--

XXIV

‘Instead of dancers to dance, mither,
Or minstrels for to play,
Turn four-and-twenty well-wight[216] men
Like storks in feathers gray:

XXV

‘My seven sons in seven swans
Aboon their heads to flee;
And I mysel’ a gay goshawk,
A bird o’ high degree.’

XXVI

Then siching said the Queen hersel’,
‘That thing’s too high for me!’
But she applied to an auld woman
Wha had mair skill than she.

XXVII

Instead o’ dancers to dance a dance,
Or minstrels for to play,
Four-and-twenty well-wight men
Turn’d birds o’ feathers gray.

XXVIII

Her seven sons in seven swans,
Aboon their heads to flee;
And he himsel’ a gay goshawk,
A bird o’ high degree.

XXIX

This flock o’ birds took flight and flew
Beyond the raging sea,
And landed near the Earl Mar’s castle,
Took shelter in every tree.

XXX

They were a flock o’ pretty birds
Right comely to be seen;
The people view’d them wi’ surprise
As they dancèd on the green.

XXXI

These birds flew out frae every tree
And lichted on the ha’,
And [frae the roof] with force did flee
Amang the nobles a’.

XXXII

The storks there seized [ilk wedding-guest]
--They could not fight nor flee;
The swans they bound the [bridegroom fast]
Below a green aik tree.

XXXIII

They lichted next on the [bride-] maidens,
Then on the bride’s own head;
And wi’ the twinkling o’ an e’e
The bride an’ them were fled.

XXXIV

There’s ancient men at weddings been
For sixty years or more,
But siccan a curious wedding-day
They never saw before.

XXXV

For naething could the companie do,
Nor naething could they say;
But they saw a flock o’ pretty birds
That took their bride away.

FOOTNOTES:

[214] doo = dove.

[215] hingers = hangings, curtains.

[216] well-wight = strong, lusty.

_26. Proud Lady Margaret_

I

Fair Margret was a proud ladye,
The King’s cousin was she;
Fair Margret was a rich ladye,
An’ vain as vain cou’d be.

II

Ae night she sat in her stately ha’
Kaimin’ her yellow hair,
When in there cam’ a gentle Knight,
An’ a white scarf he did wear.

III

‘O what’s your will wi’ me, Sir Knight?
O what’s your will wi’ me?
You’re the likest to my ae brither
That ever I did see.

IV

‘You’re the likest to my ae brither
That ever I hae seen;
But he’s buried in Dunfermline kirk
A month an’ mair bygane.’--

V

‘I’m the likest to your ae brither
That ever ye did see;
But I canna get rest in my grave,
A’ for the pride o’ thee.

VI

‘Leave pride, Margret, leave pride, Margret,
Leave pride an’ vanity;
Cou’d ye see the sights that I hae seen
Sair warnèd ye wou’d be.

VII

‘For the wee worms are my bedfellows,
An’ cauld clay is my sheets,
An’ when the stormy winds do blow
My body lies and sleeps.

VIII

‘O ye come in at the kirk-door
Wi’ the red gowd on your crown;
But when you come where I have been,
You’ll wear it laigher[217] down.

IX

‘O ye come in at the kirk door
Wi’ the gowd prins[218] i’ your sleeve,
But when you come where I have been
Ye maun gie them a’ their leave.

X

‘Leave pride, Margret, leave pride, Margret,
Leave pride an’ vanity;
Ere ye see the sights that I hae seen,
Sair alter’d ye maun be.’

XI

He got her in her stately ha’,
Kaimin’ her yellow hair;
He left her on her sick, sick bed
Mournin’ her sins sae sair.

FOOTNOTES:

[217] laigher = lower.

[218] prins = pins.

_27. Clerk Saunders_