'And what wul ye leive to your bairns and your wife,

Edward, Edward?

And what wul ye leive to your bairns and your wife,

Whan

ye gang ovir the sea O?'

"The warldis room, late them beg thrae13 life,

45

Mither, mither, The warldis room, late them beg thrae life, For thame nevir mair wul I see O.'

'And what wul ye leive to your ain14 mither deir,

Edward, Edward? 50 And what wul ye leive to your ain mither

deir?

My deir son, now tell me O.' "The curse of hell frae me sall15 ye beir,16 Mither, mither, The curse of hell frae me sall ye beir, Sic counseils ye gave to me O.'

THE THREE RAVENS THERE were three ravens sat on a tree, Downe a downe, hay down, hay downe; There were three ravens sat on a tree, With a downe;

55

5

There were three ravens sat on a tree,
They were as blacke as they might be,
With a downe derrie, derrie, derrie, downe,
downe.

The one of them said to his mate,
'Where shall we our breakefast take?'

'Downe in yonder greene field
There lies a knight slain under his shield.
'His hounds they lie downe at his feete,
So well they can their master keepe.
'His haukes they flie so eagerly
There's no fowle dare him come nie.'
Downe there comes a fallow18 doe,
As great with yong as she might goe.
She lift up his bloudy hed,

And kist his wounds that were so red.

10

15

18 applied to a species of deer

'But I have a loaf here in my lap, Likewise a bottle of claret wine, And here ere we go farther on,

We'll rest a while, and ye may dine.' 40

When he had eaten and drunk his fill,

'Lay down your head upon my knee,' The lady sayd, 'ere we climb yon hill, And I will show you fairlies10 three. 'O see ye not yon narrow road,

So thick beset wi thorns and briers?
That is the path of righteousness,
Tho after it but few enquires.

45

25

30

And signd it wi his hand,

10

And sent it to Sir Patrick Spence,

Was walking on the sand.

'O no, O no, True Thomas,' she says, 'That fruit maun not be touched by thee, For a' the plagues that are in hell Light on the fruit of this countrie.

35

O our Scots nobles wer richt laith3
To weet their cork-heild schoone";
Bot lang owres a' the play wer playd,
Thair hats they swam aboone.7

O lang, lang may their ladies sit,
Wi thair fans into their hand,
Or eirs they se Sir Patrick Spence
Cum sailing to the land.

O lang, lang may the ladies stand,
Wi thair gold kems in their hair,
Waiting for thar ain deir lords,

For they'll se thame na mair

Haf owre, 10 haf owre to Aberdour,
It's fiftie fadom deip,

And thair lies guid Sir Patrick Spence,
Wi the Scots lords at his feit.

LORD THOMAS AND FAIR ANNET

LORD THOMAS and Fair Annet
Sate a' day on a hill;

Whan night was cum, and sun was sett,
They had not talkt their fill.

Lord Thomas said a word in jest,
Fair Annet took it ill:

'A, I will nevir wed a wife
Against my ain friends' will.'

'Gif ye wull nevir wed a wife,
A wife wull neir wed yee.'
Sae he his hame to tell his mither,
And knelt upon his knee.

'O rede," O rede, mither,' he says,
'A gude rede gie12 to mee:
O sall I tak the nut-browne bride,
And let Faire Annet bee?'

25

30

And I sall hae nothing to mysell

Bot a fat fadge17 by the fyre.'

5

10

15

Now she has kilted1 her robes of green

A piece below her knee,

And a' the live-lang winter night

The dead corp followed she.

'Is there any room at your head, Willy? 45

Or any room at your feet?

Or any room at your side, Willy,
Wherein that I may creep?'

'There's no room at my head, Margret,

There's no room at my feet;

There's no room at my side, Margret,

My coffin's made so meet.'

Then up and crew the red, red cock,
And up then crew the gray:

50

'Tis time, 't is time, my dear Margret 55 That you were going away.'

No more the ghost to Margret said,
But, with a grievous groan,

Evanished in a cloud of mist,
And left her all alone.

'O stay, my only true-love, stay,'
The constant Margret cry'd;

Wan grew her cheeks, she closed her een,
Stretched her soft limbs, and dy’d.

60

5

That her three sons were gane.

It neither grew in syke nor ditch, Nor yet in ony sheugh";

But at the gates o Paradise,

4 dark

$ birch

8 away

• ditch, trench

• dawn

That birk grew fair enough.

10

15

13 slowly, softly