THE DOWIE DENS O' YARROW
Late at e'en, drinking the wine,
Or early in the morning,
They set a combat them between,
To fight it in the dawning.
(fail dyke, wall of sods. hals-bane, neck-bone. theek, thatch.)
"O stay at hame, my noble lord,
O stay at hame, my marrow!
My cruel brother will you betray
On the dowie houms of Yarrow.
"O fare ye weel, my lady gay!
O fare ye weel, my Sarah!
For I maun gae, though I ne'er return
Frae the dowie banks o' Yarrow."
[Original]
She kiss'd his cheek, she kaim'd his hair,
As she had done before, O;
She belted on his noble brand,
And he's away to Yarrow.
O he's gane up yon high, high hill,
I wot he gaed wi' sorrow,
An' in a den spied nine arm'd men,
I' the dowie houms of Yarrow.
(marrow, mate. houms, marshes. dowie, gloomy.)
"O are ye come to drink the wine,
As ye hae doon before, oh?
Or are ye come to wield the brand,
On the bonny banks of Yarrow?"—
"I am no come to drink the wine,
As I hae doon before, oh,
But I am come to wield the brand,
On the dowie houms of Yarrow."
[Original]
Four he hurt, and five he slew,
On the dowie houms of Yarrow,
Till that stubborn knight came him behind,
And ran his body thorough.
"Gae hame, gae hame, good-brother John,
And tell your sister Sarah,
To come and lift her noble lord;
Who's sleepin sound on Yarrow."—
"Yestreen I dream'd a dolefu' dream;
I kenn'd there wad be sorrow!
I dream'd I pu'd the heather green,
On the dowie banks o' Yarrow."
She gaed up yon high, high hill—
I wot she gaed wi' sorrow—
An' in a den spied nine dead men,
On the dowie houms of Yarrow.
She kissed his cheek, she kaim'd his hair,
As oft she did before, O;
She drank the red blood frae him ran,
On the dowie houms of Yarrow.
"O haud your tongue, my daughter dear!
For what needs a ' this sorrow;
I'll wed ye on a better lord,
Than him you lost on Yarrow."—
"O haud your tongue, my father dear!
And dinna grieve your Sarah;
A better lord was never born
Than him I lost on Yarrow.
"Take hame your ousen, take hame your kye,
For they hae bred our sorrow;
I wish that they had a' gane mad
When they came first to Yarrow."