| |
| TRUE THOMAS lay oer yond grassy bank, | |
| And he beheld a ladie gay, | |
| A ladie that was brisk and bold, | |
| Come riding oer the fernie brae. 1 | |
| |
| Her skirt was of the grass-green silk, | 5 |
| Her mantel of the velvet fine, | |
| At ilka tett 2 of her horse’s mane | |
| Hung fifty silver bells and nine. | |
| |
| True Thomas he took off his hat, | |
| And bowed him low down till his knee: | 10 |
| “All hail, thou mighty Queen of Heaven! | |
| For your peer on earth I never did see.” | |
| |
| “O no, O no, True Thomas,” she says, | |
| “That name does not belong to me; | |
| I am but the queen of fair Elfland, | 15 |
| And I’m come here for to visit thee. | |
| |
| “But ye maun go wi me now, Thomas, | |
| True Thomas, ye maun go wi me, | |
| For ye maun 3 serve me seven years, | |
| Thro weel or wae as may chance to be.” | 20 |
| |
| She turned about her milk-white steed, | |
| And took True Thomas up behind, | |
| And aye wheneer her bridle rang, | |
| The steed flew swifter than the wind. | |
| |
| For forty days and forty nights | 25 |
| He wade thro red blude to the knee, | |
| And he saw neither sun nor moon, | |
| But heard the roaring of the sea. | |
| |
| O they rade on, and further on, | |
| Until they came to a garden green: | 30 |
| “Light down, light down, ye ladie free, | |
| Some of that fruit let me pull to thee.” | |
| |
| “O no, O no, True Thomas,” she says, | |
| “That fruit maun not be touched by thee, | |
| For a’ the plagues that are in hell | 35 |
| Light on the fruit of this countrie. | |
| |
| “But I have a loaf here in my lap, | |
| Likewise a bottle of claret wine, | |
| And now 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 fairlies 4 three. | |
| |
| “O see not ye yon narrow road, | 45 |
| So thick beset wi thorns and briers? | |
| That is the path of righteousness, | |
| Tho after it but few enquires. | |
| |
| “And see not ye that braid braid road, | |
| That lies across yon lillie leven 5? | 50 |
| That is the path of wickedness, | |
| Tho some call it the road to heaven. | |
| |
| “And see not ye that bonnie road, | |
| Which winds about the fernie brae? | |
| That is the road to fair Elfland, | 55 |
| Whe[re] you and I this night maun gae. | |
| |
| “But Thomas, ye maun hold your tongue, | |
| Whatever you may hear or see, | |
| For gin ae word you should chance to speak, | |
| You will neer get back to your ain countrie.” | 60 |
| |
| He has gotten a coat of the even cloth, | |
| And a pair of shoes of velvet green, | |
| And till seven years were past and gone | |
| True Thomas on earth was never seen. | |
