| |
| 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, | 5 |
| 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:” | 10 |
| Sae he is hame to tell his mither, | |
| And knelt upon his knee. | |
| |
| “O rede, 1 O rede, mither,” he says, | |
| “A gude rede gie 2 to mee; | |
| O sall I tak the nut-browne bride, | 15 |
| And let Faire Annet bee?” | |
| |
| “The nut-browne bride haes gowd 3 and gear, 4 | |
| Fair Annet she has gat nane; | |
| And the little beauty Fair Annet haes | |
| O it wull soon be gane.” | 20 |
| |
| And he has till his brother gane: | |
| “Now, brother, rede 5 ye mee; | |
| A, sall I marrie the nut-browne bride, | |
| And let Fair Annet bee?” | |
| |
| “The nut-browne bride has oxen, brother, | 25 |
| The nut-browne bride has kye; 6 | |
| I wad hae ye marrie the nut-browne bride, | |
| And cast Fair Annet bye.” | |
| |
| “Her oxen may dye i the house, billie, | |
| And her kye into the byre, 7 | 30 |
| And I sall hae nothing to mysell | |
| Bot a fat fadge 8 by the fyre.” | |
| |
| And he has till his sister gane: | |
| “Now, sister, rede ye mee; | |
| O sall I marrie the nut-browne bride, | 35 |
| And set Fair Annet free?” | |
| |
| “Ise rede ye tak Fair Annet, Thomas, | |
| And let the browne bride alane; | |
| Lest ye sould sigh, and say, Alace, | |
| What is this we brought hame!” | 40 |
| |
| “No, I will tak my mither’s counsel, | |
| And marrie me owt o hand; 9 | |
| And I will tak the nut-browne bride, | |
| Fair Annet may leive the land.” | |
| |
| Up then rose Fair Annet’s father, | 45 |
| Twa hours or it wer day, | |
| And he is gane into the bower | |
| Wherein Fair Annet lay. | |
| |
| “Rise up, rise up, Fair Annet,” he says, | |
| “Put on your silken sheene; | 50 |
| Let us gae to St. Marie’s kirke, | |
| And see that rich weddeen.” | |
| |
| “My maides, gae to my dressing-roome, | |
| And dress to me my hair; | |
| Whaireir yee laid a plait before, | 55 |
| See yee lay ten times mair. | |
| |
| “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.” | 60 |
| |
| The horse Fair Annet rade upon, | |
| He amblit like the wind; | |
| Wi siller 10 he was shod before, | |
| Wi burning gowd behind. | |
| |
| Four and twanty siller bells | 65 |
| Wer a’ tyed till his mane, | |
| And yae tift o the norland wind, | |
| They tinkled ane by ane. | |
| |
| Four and twanty gay gude knichts | |
| Rade by Fair Annet’s side, | 70 |
| And four and twanty fair ladies, | |
| As gin she had bin a bride. | |
| |
| And whan she cam to Marie’s kirk, | |
| She sat on Marie’s stean: | |
| The cleading 11 that Fair Annet had on | 75 |
| It skinkled 12 in their een. | |
| |
| And whan she cam into the kirk, | |
| She shimmerd like the sun; | |
| The belt that was about her waist | |
| Was a’ wi pearles bedone. 13 | 80 |
| |
| She sat her by the nut-browne bride, | |
| And her een they wer sae clear, | |
| Lord Thomas he clean forgat the bride, | |
| Whan Fair Annet drew near. | |
| |
| He had a rose into his hand, | 85 |
| He gae it kisses three, | |
| And reaching by the nut-browne bride, | |
| Laid it on Fair Annet’s knee. | |
| |
| Up then spak the nut-browne bride, | |
| She spak wi meikle spite: | 90 |
| “And whair gat ye that rose-water, | |
| That does mak yee sae white?” | |
| |
| “O I did get the rose-water | |
| Whair ye wull neir get nane, | |
| For I did get that very rose-water | 95 |
| Into my mither’s wame.” 14 | |
| |
| The bride she drew a long bodkin 15 | |
| Frae out her gay head-gear, | |
| And strake Fair Annet unto the heart, | |
| That word spak nevir mair. | 100 |
| |
| Lord Thomas he saw Fair Annet wex pale, | |
| And marvelit what mote 16 bee; | |
| But whan he saw her dear heart’s blude, | |
| A’ wood-wroth 17 wexed hee. | |
| |
| He drew his dagger, that was sae sharp, | 105 |
| That was sae sharp and meet, | |
| And drave it into the nut-browne bride, | |
| That fell deid at his feit. | |
| |
| “Now stay for me, dear Annet,” he sed, | |
| “Now stay, my dear,” he cry’d; | 110 |
| Then strake the dagger untill his heart, | |
| And fell deid by her side. | |
| |
| Lord Thomas was buried without kirkwa, | |
| Fair Annet within the quiere, | |
| And o the tane thair grew a birk, | 115 |
| The other a bonny briere. | |
| |
| And ay they grew, and ay they threw, | |
| As they wad faine be neare; | |
| And by this ye may ken right weil | |
| They were twa luvers deare. | 120 |
