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I
LORD THOMAS and Fair Annet | |
| Sat all day on a hill; | |
| When night was come, and sun was set, | |
| They had not talk’d their fill. | |
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II
Lord Thomas said a word in jest, | 5 |
| Fair Annet took it ill: | |
| ‘I’ll never wed a tocherless maid | |
| Against my ain friends’ will.’— | |
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III
‘Gif ye’ll not wed a tocherless wife, | |
| A wife will ne’er wed ye: | 10 |
| Fare ye well now, Lord Thomas, | |
| It’s fare ye well a wee.’ | |
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IV
O Annet she’s gane till her bower, | |
| Lord Thomas down the den; | |
| And he’s come till his mither’s bower | 15 |
| By the lee light o’ the moon. | |
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V
‘O sleep ye, wake ye, mither?’ he says, | |
| ‘Or are ye the bower within?’— | |
| ‘I sleep right aft, I wake right aft; | |
| What want ye with me, son? | 20 |
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VI
‘Where have ye been a’ night, Thomas? | |
| O’ wow, ye’ve tarried long!’— | |
| ‘I have been courtin’ Fair Annet, | |
| And she is frae me gone. | |
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VII
‘O rede, O rede, mither,’ he says, | 25 |
| A gude rede gie to me: | |
| O sall I tak’ the nut-brown bride, | |
| And let Fair Annet be?’— | |
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VIII
‘The nut-brown bride has gold and gear, | |
| Fair Annet she’s got nane; | 30 |
| And the little beauty Fair Annet has | |
| O it will soon be gane. | |
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IX
‘It’s an’ ye wed the nut-brown bride, | |
| I’ll heap gold wi’ my hand; | |
| But an’ ye wed her, Fair Annet, | 35 |
| I’ll straik it wi’ a wand. | |
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X
‘The nut-brown bride has sheep and kye, | |
| Fair Annet she’s got nane; | |
| Son Thomas, for my bension | |
| Bring ye the brown bride hame.— | 40 |
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XI
‘But alas, alas!’ says Lord Thomas, | |
| O fair is Annet’s face!’— | |
| ‘But what matter for that, son Thomas? | |
| She has nae ither grace.’— | |
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XII
‘Alas, alas!’ says Lord Thomas, | 45 |
| ‘But white is Annet’s hand!’— | |
| ‘What matter for that, son Thomas? | |
| She has not a fur’ o’ land.’— | |
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XIII
‘Sheep will die in cots, mither, | |
| And owsen die in byre; | 50 |
| And what is warldis wealth to me, | |
| An’ I getna my heart’s desire?’ | |
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XIV
And he has till his sister gane: | |
| ‘Now, sister, rede ye me; | |
| O sall I marry the nut-brown bride | 55 |
| And set Fair Annet free?’— | |
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XV
‘I’se rede ye tak’ Fair Annet, Thomas, | |
| And let the brown bride alane, | |
| Lest ye should sigh and say Alas! | |
| What is this we brought hame?’— | 60 |
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XVI
‘No, I will tak’ my mither’s counsel, | |
| And marry me out of hand; | |
| And I will tak’ the nut-brown bride; | |
| Fair Annet may leave the land.’ | |
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XVII
Up then rose Fair Annet’s father | 65 |
| Twa hours or it were day, | |
| And he is gone to Fair Annet, | |
| To the bower wherein she lay. | |
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XVIII
‘Rise up, rise up, Fair Annet,’ he says, | |
| ‘Pur on your silken sheen; | 70 |
| Ye are bidden come to St. Mary’s Kirk, | |
| To see a rich weddìn’.’… | |
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XIX
‘My maids, gae to my dressing-room | |
| And dress to me my hair; | |
| Where’er ye laid a plait before | 75 |
| See ye lay ten times mair. | |
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XX
‘My maids gae to my dressing-room | |
| And dress to me my smock; | |
| The one half is o’ the holland fine, | |
| The other o’ needle-work.’ | 80 |
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XXI
At yae tett o’ her horse’s mane | |
| Was tied a silver bell, | |
| And yae tift o’ the norland wind | |
| It gar’d them a’ to knell. | |
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XXII
Four and twenty gay good knights | 85 |
| Rade by Fair Annet’s side, | |
| And four and twenty fair ladies | |
| As gin she had been a bride. | |
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XXIII
And when she came to Mary’s Kirk, | |
| She shimmer’d like the sun; | 90 |
| The belt that was about her waist | |
| Was a’ wi’ pearls bedone. | |
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XXIV
And when she came to Mary’s Kirk, | |
| And sat down in the deas, | |
| The cleiding that Fair Annet had on | 95 |
| Enlighten’d a’ that place. | |
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XXV
She sat her by the nut-brown bride, | |
| And her e’en they were sae clear, | |
| Lord Thomas he clean forgat the bride | |
| When Fair Annet drew near. | 100 |
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XXVI
He had a rose into his hand, | |
| He gave it kisses three, | |
| And reaching by the nut-brown bride, | |
| Laid it on Annet’s knee. | |
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XXVII
‘O wha is this, my father dear, | 105 |
| Blinks in Lord Thomas’s e’e?’— | |
| ‘O this Lord Thomas’s first true-love | |
| Before he lovèd thee.’ | |
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XXVIII
Up then spake the nut-brown bride— | |
| She spake wi’ mickle spite: | 110 |
| ‘And where gat ye the rose-water | |
| That washes thy face so white?’— | |
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XXIX
‘O I did get my rose-water | |
| Where ye will ne’er get nane, | |
| For I did get that very rose-water | 115 |
| Into my mither’s wame.’ | |
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XXX
The bride she drew a long bodkin | |
| Frae out her gay head-gear, | |
| And strake Fair Annet to the heart, | |
| That word spak’ never mair. | 120 |
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XXXI
‘O Christ thee save!’ Lord Thomas he said, | |
| ‘Methinks thou look’st wondrous wan; | |
| Thou was used to look with as fresh a colour | |
| As ever the sun shined on.’ | |
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XXXII
‘O art thou blind, Lord Thomas?’ she said, | 125 |
| ‘Or canst thou not very well see? | |
| Or dost thou not see my own heart’s blood | |
| Runs trickling down my knee?’ | |
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XXXIII
Lord Thomas he saw Fair Annet was pale, | |
| And marvellèd what mote be; | 130 |
| But when he saw her dear heart’s blood, | |
| All wood-wroth waxèd he. | |
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XXXIV
He drew his dagger frae his side, | |
| That was so sharp and meet, | |
| And drave it into the nut-brown bride, | 135 |
| That fell dead at his feet. | |
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XXXV
‘Now stay for me, dear Annet,’ he said, | |
| ‘Now stay, my dear!’ he cried; | |
| Then strake the dagger untill his heart, | |
| And fell dead by her side. | 140 |
| | | GLOSS: shope] shaped, made. tocherless] without a dowry. lee] calm, pleasant. rede] counsel. straik] stroke, as one might smooth over the top of a bushel of corn to make it bare measure. fur’] furrow. owsen] oxen. yae] each. tett] tuft. tift] puff, whiff. bedone] adorned. deas] daïs, pew. cleiding] clothing. wame] womb. wood-wroth] mad with rage. |
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