A Collection of Ballads Part 29

Whatten penance will ye dree for that?

My dear son, now tell me, O."

"I'll set my feet in yonder boat, Mither, mither; I'll set my feet in yonder boat, And I'll fare over the sea, O."

"And what will ye do wi' your tow'rs and your ha', Edward, Edward?

And what will ye do wi' your tow'rs and your ha', That were sae fair to see, O?"

"I'll let them stand till they doun fa', Mither, mither; I'll let them stand till they doun fa', For here never mair maun I be, O."

"And what will ye leave to your bairns and your wife, Edward, Edward?

And what will ye leave to your bairns and your wife, When ye gang ower the sea, O?"

"The warld's room: let them beg through life, Mither, mither; The warld's room: let them beg through life; For them never mair will I see, O."

"And what will ye leave to your ain mither dear, Edward, Edward?

And what will ye leave to your ain mither dear, My dear son, now tell me, O?"

"The curse of h.e.l.l frae me sall ye bear, Mither, mither; The curse of h.e.l.l frae me sall ye bear: Sic counsels ye gave to me, O!"

Ballad: Young Benjie

Of all the maids of fair Scotland, The fairest was Marjorie; And young Benjie was her ae true love, And a dear true love was he.

And wow but they were lovers dear, And lov'd full constantlie; But aye the mair when they fell out, The sairer was their plea.

And they ha'e quarrell'd on a day, Till Marjorie's heart grew wae; And she said she'd chuse another luve, And let young Benjie gae.

And he was stout and proud-hearted, And thought o't bitterlie; And he's gane by the wan moonlight, To meet his Marjorie.

"Oh, open, open, my true love, Oh, open and let me in!"

"I darena open, young Benjie, My three brothers are within."

"Ye lee, ye lee, ye bonnie burd, Sae loud's I hear ye lee; As I came by the Louden banks, They bade gude e'en to me.

"But fare ye weel, my ae fause love, That I have lov'd sae lang!

It sets ye chuse another love, And let young Benjie gang."

Then Marjorie turn'd her round about, The tear blinding her e'e; "I darena, darena let thee in, But I'll come down to thee."

Then salt she smil'd, and said to him-- "Oh, what ill ha'e I done?"

He took her in his arms twa, And threw her o'er the linn.

The stream was strong, the maid was stout, And laith, laith to be dang; But ere she wan the Louden banks, Her fair colour was wan.

Then up bespake her eldest brother-- "Oh, see na ye what I see?"

And out then spake her second brother-- "It is our sister Marjorie!"

Out then spake her eldest brother-- "Oh, how shall we her ken?"

And out then spake her youngest brother-- "There's a honey mark on her chin."

Then they've ta'en the comely corpse, And laid it on the ground; Saying--"Wha has kill'd our ae sister?

And how can he be found?

"The night it is her low lykewake, The morn her burial day; And we maun watch at mirk midnight, And hear what she will say."

With doors ajar, and candles light, And torches burning clear, The streekit corpse, till still midnight, They waked, but naething hear.

About the middle of the night The c.o.c.ks began to craw; And at the dead hour of the night, The corpse began to thraw.

"Oh, wha has done thee wrang, sister, Or dared the deadly sin?

Wha was sae stout, and fear'd nae dout, As throw ye o'er the linn?"

"Young Benjie was the first ae man I laid my love upon; He was sae stout and proud-hearted, He threw me o'er the linn."

"Shall we young Benjie head, sister?

Shall we young Benjie hang?

Or shall we pike out his twa gray een, And punish him ere he gang?"

"Ye maunna Benjie head, brothers, Ye maunna Benjie hang; But ye maun pike out his twa gray een.

And punish him ere he gang.

"Tie a green gravat round his neck, And lead him out and in, And the best ae servant about your house To wait young Benjie on.

"And aye at every seven years' end, Ye'll take him to the linn; For that's the penance he maun dree, To scug his deadly sin."

Ballad: Auld Maitland

There lived a king in southern land, King Edward hight his name; Unwordily he wore the crown, Till fifty years were gane.

He had a sister's son o's ain, Was large of blood and bane; And afterward, when he came up, Young Edward hight his name.

One day he came before the king, And kneel'd low on his knee: "A boon, a boon, my good uncle, I crave to ask of thee!

"At our lang wars, in fair Scotland, I fain ha'e wish'd to be, If fifteen hundred waled wight men You'll grant to ride with me."

"Thou shall ha'e thae, thou shall ha'e mae; I say it sickerlie; And I myself, an auld gray man, Array'd your host shall see."

King Edward rade, King Edward ran-- I wish him dool and pyne!

Till he had fifteen hundred men a.s.sembled on the Tyne.

And thrice as many at Berwicke Were all for battle bound, [Who, marching forth with false Dunbar, A ready welcome found.]

They lighted on the banks of Tweed, And blew their coals sae het, And fired the Merse and Teviotdale, All in an evening late.

As they fared up o'er Lammermoor, They burn'd baith up and down, Until they came to a darksome house, Some call it Leader-Town.