| |
I
‘THERE is a feast in your father’s house, | |
| The broom blooms bonnie and sae it is fair— | |
| It becomes you and me to be very douce, | |
| And we’ll never gang down to the broom nae mair.’ | |
| |
II
But it is talk’d all over [the land], | 5 |
| ‘Lady Marget’s plighted to Leesome Brand.’ | |
| |
III
He’s done him to her father’s stable | |
| And tane twa steeds baith wicht and able: | |
| |
IV
Ane for him, and another for her | |
| To carry them baith wi’ might and virr. | 10 |
| |
V
When they had ridden about six mile, | |
| Lady Marget then began to fail. | |
| |
VI
‘O gin I had but a gude midwife | |
| Here this day to save my life! | |
| |
VII
‘Ye’ll take your arrow and your bow | 15 |
| And ye will hunt the deer and roe. | |
| |
VIII
‘But be sure ye touch not the milk-white hynde, | |
| For she is o’ the woman-kind.’ | |
| |
IX
He took sic pleasure in deer and rae | |
| Till he forgot his ladye gay. | 20 |
| |
X
Till by it came that milk-white hynde, | |
| And then he mind on his ladye syne. | |
| |
XI
He heard her gie a loud, loud cry, | |
| He shot his bow, and he let her lie. | |
| |
XII
When he saw she was lying still, | 25 |
| He threw down his bow and came running her till; | |
| |
XIII
But he found his ladye lying dead, | |
| Likewise her young son at her head. | |
| |
XIV
He’s houkit a grave, long, large and wide, | |
| He’s buried his auld son doun by her side. | 30 |
| |
XV
It was nae wonder his heart was sair | |
| When he shool’d the mools on her yellow hair. | |
| |
XVI
His mother lay owre her castle wa’; | |
| There was music and minstrels and dancing and a’. | |
| |
XVII
[She said as she look’d owre] dale and down, | 35 |
| ‘My son comes merrilie to the toun.’— | |
| |
XVIII
‘Seek nae minstrels to play in your room, | |
| Your son comes sorry to the toun. | |
| |
XIX
‘O I hae lost my gowden knife; | |
| I rather had lost my ain sweet life! | 40 |
| |
XX
‘And I hae lost a far better thing, | |
| The gilded sheath that it was in.’— | |
| |
XXI
‘Are there nae gowdsmiths here in Fife | |
| Can make to you anither knife? | |
| |
XXII
‘Are there nae sheath-makers in the land | 45 |
| Can make a sheath to Leesome Brand?’— | |
| |
XXIII
‘There are nae gowdsmiths here in Fife | |
| Can make to me sic a gowden knife; | |
| |
XXIV
‘Nor nae sheath-makers in the land | |
| Can make to me sic a sheath again. | 50 |
| |
XXV
‘For I’ve lost my lady I loved sae dear, | |
| The broom blooms bonnie and sae it is fair— | |
| Likewise the son she did me bear, | |
| And we’ll never gang doun to the broom nae mair.’ | |
| | | GLOSS: douce] quiet. wicht] sturdy. virr] vigour. her till] to her. houkit] dag. auld] eldest, first-born, shool’d] shovelled. mools] mould. |
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