| |
| THERE ance was a may, 1 and she lo’ed na men; | |
| She biggit 2 her bonnie bow’r doun in yon glen; | |
| But now she cries, Dool and well-a-day! | |
| Come doun the green gait 3 and come here away! | |
| |
| When bonnie young Johnnie cam owre 4 the sea, | 5 |
| He said he saw naething sae lovely as me; | |
| He hecht 5 me baith rings and mony braw things— | |
| And werena my heart licht, I wad dee. | |
| |
| He had a wee titty 6 that lo’ed na me, | |
| Because I was twice as bonnie as she; | 10 |
| She raised sic a pother ’twixt him and his mother | |
| That werena my heart’s licht, I wad dee. | |
| |
| The day it was set, and the bridal to be: | |
| The wife took a dwam 7 and lay doun to dee; | |
| She maned 8 and she graned 9 out o’ dolour and pain, | 15 |
| Till he vow’d he never wad see me again. | |
| |
| His kin was for ane of a higher degree, | |
| Said—What had he do wi’ the likes of me? | |
| Appose 10 I was bonnie, I wasna for Johnnie— | |
| And werena my heart licht, I wad dee. | 20 |
| |
| They said I had neither cow nor calf, | |
| Nor dribbles o’ drink rins thro’ the draff, 11 | |
| Nor pickles 12 o’ meal rins thro’ the mill-e’e— | |
| And werena my heart licht, I wad dee. | |
| |
| His titty she was baith wylie and slee: 13 | 25 |
| She spied me as I cam owre the lea; | |
| And then she ran in and made a loud din— | |
| Believe your ain e’en, an ye trow not me. | |
| |
| His bonnet stood ay fu’ round on his brow, | |
| His auld ane look’d ay as well as some’s new: | 30 |
| But now he lets ’t wear ony gait it will hing, | |
| And casts himsel dowie 14 upon the corn bing. 15 | |
| |
| And now he gaes daund’ring about the dykes, 16 | |
| And a’ he dow do is to hund the tykes: 17 | |
| The live-lang nicht he ne’er steeks 18 his e’e— | 35 |
| And werena my heart licht, I wad dee. | |
| |
| Were I but young for thee, as I hae been, | |
| We should hae been gallopin’ doun in yon green, | |
| And linkin’ 19 it owre the lily-white lea— | |
| And wow, gin I were but young for thee! | 40 |
