C
a. Buchan’s Gleanings, p. 98; taken down “from the memory of a very old woman” (p. 197). b. Motherwell’s Minstrelsy, p. 239; a stall copy collated with a recited copy.
1
At Mill of Tifty lived a man,
In the neighbourhood of Fyvie;
He had a luvely daughter fair,
Was callëd bonny Annie.
2
Her bloom was like the springing flower
That hails the rosy morning,
With innocence and graceful mein
Her beautous form adorning.
3
Lord Fyvie had a trumpeter
Whose name was Andrew Lammie;
He had the art to gain the heart
Of Mill of Tifty’s Annie.
4
Proper he was, both young and gay,
His like was not in Fyvie,
Nor was ane there that could compare
With this same Andrew Lammie.
5
Lord Fyvie he rode by the door
Where livëd Tifty’s Annie;
His trumpeter rode him before,
Even this same Andrew Lammie.
6
Her mother called her to the door:
‘Come here to me, my Annie:
Did eer you see a prettier man
Than the trumpeter of Fyvie?’
7
Nothing she said, but sighing sore,
Alas for bonnie Annie!
She durst not own her heart was won
By the trumpeter of Fyvie.
8
At night when all went to their bed,
All slept full soon but Annie;
Love so oppresst her tender breast,
Thinking on Andrew Lammie.
9
‘Love comes in at my bed-side,
And love lies down beyond me;
Love has possest my tender breast,
And love will waste my body.
10
‘The first time me and my love met
Was in the woods of Fyvie;
His lovely form and speech so soft
Soon gaind the heart of Annie.
11
‘He called me mistress; I said, No,
I’m Tifty’s bonny Annie;
With apples sweet he did me treat,
And kisses soft and mony.
12
‘It’s up and down in Tifty’s den,
Where the burn runs clear and bonny,
I’ve often gane to meet my love,
My bonny Andrew Lammie.’
13
But now alas! her father heard
That the trumpeter of Fyvie
Had had the art to gain the heart
Of Mill of Tifty’s Annie.
14
Her father soon a letter wrote,
And sent it on to Fyvie,
To tell his daughter was bewitchd
By his servant, Andrew Lammie.
15
Then up the stair his trumpeter
He callëd soon and shortly:
‘Pray tell me soon what’s this you’ve done
To Tifty’s bonny Annie.’
16
‘Woe be to Mill of Tifty’s pride,
For it has ruined many;
They’ll not have’t said that she should wed
The trumpeter of Fyvie.
17
‘In wicked art I had no part,
Nor therein am I canny;
True love alone the heart has won
Of Tifty’s bonny Annie.
18
‘Where will I find a boy so kind
That will carry a letter canny,
Who will run to Tifty’s town,
Give it to my love Annie?
19
‘Tifty he has daughters three
Who all are wonderous bonny;
But ye’ll ken her oer a’ the rest;
Give that to bonny Annie.
20
‘It’s up and down in Tifty’s den,
Where the burn runs clear and bonny,
There wilt thou come and I’ll attend;
My love, I long to see thee.
21
‘Thou mayst come to the brig of Slugh,
And there I’ll come and meet thee;
It’s there we will renew our love,
Before I go and leave you.
22
‘My love, I go to Edinburgh town,
And for a while must leave thee;’
She sighëd sore, and said no more
But ‘I wish that I were with you!’
23
‘I’ll buy to thee a bridal gown,
My love, I’ll buy it bonny;’
‘But I’ll be dead ere ye come back
To see your bonny Annie.’
24
‘If ye’ll be true and constant too,
As I am Andrew Lammie,
I shall thee wed when I come back
To see the lands of Fyvie.’
25
‘I will be true and constant too
To thee, my Andrew Lammie,
But my bridal bed or then’ll be made
In the green church-yard of Fyvie.’
26
‘The time is gone, and now comes on
My dear, that I must leave thee;
If longer here I should appear,
Mill of Tifty he would see me.’
27
‘I now for ever bid adieu
To thee, my Andrew Lammie;
Or ye come back I will be laid
In the green church-yard of Fyvie.’
28
He hied him to the head of the house,
To the house-top of Fyvie,
He blew his trumpet loud and shrill,
It was heard at Mill of Tifty.
29
Her father lockd the door at night,
Laid by the keys fu canny,
And when he heard the trumpet sound
Said, Your cow is lowing, Annie.
30
‘My father dear, I pray forbear,
And reproach not your Annie;
I’d rather hear that cow to low
Than all the kye in Fyvie.
31
‘I would not for my braw new gown,
And all your gifts so many,
That it was told in Fyvie land
How cruel ye are to Annie.
32
‘But if ye strike me I will cry,
And gentlemen will hear me;
Lord Fyvie will be riding by,
And he’ll come in and see me.’
33
At the same time the lord came in;
He said, What ails thee Annie?
‘It’s all for love now I must die,
For bonny Andrew Lammie.’
34
‘Pray, Mill of Tifty, give consent,
And let your daughter marry;’
‘It will be with some higher match
Than the trumpeter of Fyvie.’
35
‘If she were come of as high a kind
As she’s advanced in beauty,
I would take her unto myself,
And make her my own lady.’
36
‘Fyvie lands are far and wide,
And they are wonderous bonny;
But I would not leave my own true-love
For all the lands in Fyvie.’
37
Her father struck her wonderous sore,
As also did her mother;
Her sisters also did her scorn,
But woe be to her brother!
38
Her brother struck her wonderous sore,
With cruel strokes and many;
He broke her back in the hall-door,
For liking Andrew Lammie.
39
‘Alas! my father and my mother dear,
Why so cruel to your Annie?
My heart was broken first by love,
My brother has broke my body.
40
‘O mother dear, make me my bed,
And lay my face to Fyvie;
Thus will I lie, and thus will die
For my dear Andrew Lammie.
41
‘Ye neighbours hear, baith far and near,
And pity Tifty’s Annie,
Who dies for love of one poor lad,
For bonny Andrew Lammie.
42
‘No kind of vice eer staind my life,
Or hurt my virgin honour;
My youthful heart was won by love,
But death will me exoner.’
43
Her mother than she made her bed,
And laid her face to Fyvie;
Her tender heart it soon did break,
And never saw Andrew Lammie.
44
Lord Fyvie he did wring his hands,
Said, Alas for Tifty’s Annie!
The fairest flower’s cut down by love
That ever sprang in Fyvie.
45
‘Woe be to Mill of Tifty’s pride!
He might have let them marry;
I should have given them both to live
Into the lands of Fyvie.’
46
Her father sorely now laments
The loss of his dear Annie,
And wishes he had given consent
To wed with Andrew Lammie.
47
When Andrew home frae Edinburgh came,
With muckle grief and sorrow,
‘My love is dead for me to-day,
I’ll die for her to-morrow.
48
‘Now I will run to Tifty’s den,
Where the burn runs clear and bonny;
With tears I’ll view the brig of Slugh,
Where I parted from my Annie.
49
‘Then will I speed to the green kirk-yard,
To the green kirk-yard of Fyvie,
With tears I’ll water my love’s grave,
Till I follow Tifty’s Annie.’
C. a.
93. Love so oppressd: b, has possessd.
114. mony: b, many.
443. flower: b, flower’s.
471. home: b, hame.
482. For perhaps Aberdonian for Where: b, Where.
b.
Insignificant variations will not be noted.
71. She sighed sore, but said no more.
82. Sound for soon (soun?).
93. Love has possessd.
114. many.
134. Of Tiftie’s bonny Annie. After 14:
When Lord Fyvie had this letter read,
O dear! but he was sorry:
‘The bonniest lass in Fyvie’s land
Is bewitched by Andrew Lammie.’
16, 17 are 17, 16.
161. Woe betide Mill.
163. He’ll no hae’t. After 18:
‘Here you shall find a boy so kind
Who’ll carry a letter canny,
Who will run on to Tiftie’s town,
And gie’t to thy love Annie.’
193. a’ the lave.
203,4. and meet thy love, Thy bonny Andrew Lammie.
21.
‘When wilt thou come, and I’ll attend?
My love, I long to see thee:’
‘Thou mayst come to the bridge of Sleugh,
And there I’ll come and meet thee.’
242. As my name’s.
261. Our time.
283. schill.
304. Than hae a’ the kine.
352. she’s adorned with.
361. are fair.
After 43:
But the word soon went up and down,
Through all the lands of Fyvie,
That she was dead and buried,
Even Tiftie’s bonny Annie.
443. flower’s.
451. O woe betide Mill.
After 46:
Her mother grieves both air and late,
Her sisters, cause they scornd her;
Surely her brother doth mourn and grieve
For the cruel usage he’d givn her.
But now alas! it was too late,
For they could not recal her;
Through life unhappy is their fate
Because they did controul her.
471. hame.
473. love has died.
482. Where.
484. parted last with Annie. After 49:
Ye parents grave who children have,
In crushing them be canny,
Lest when too late you do repent;
Remember Tiftie’s Annie.
234
CHARLIE MACPHERSON
A. ‘Charlie MacPherson,’ Harris MS., fol. 23 b.
B. ‘Charlie M’Pherson,’ Buchan’s Ballads of the North of Scotland, I, 85.
Charlie Macpherson comes to Kinaldie with a large party of men from the West Isle to take away Helen, whom he has long courted, A 1, 4. Helen’s mother is obliged to admit them. When her daughter is asked for, MacPherson is told that she has gone to Whitehouse, to marry auld Gairn, A 5 (Dalgairn, B 12). The party go on to Whitehouse, where indeed they find Helen, and everybody there calling her bride. We expect a collision, and judging by A 8 there was one, with the bride wishing well to the assailants. But in B (where there is no hint that Helen favors her irregular suitor), MacPherson comports himself very mildly, and only wishes, as he goes off, that his heavy heart may light on Whitehouse of Cromar.
The ballad was known to Mrs Brown of Falkland.[[136]] She gives it the title of ‘The Carrying-off of the Heiress of Kinady,’ from which it is warrantable to conclude that MacPherson was so far successful.
There are several Kinaldies and more than one Whitehouse. The Kinaldie which we have to do with here is a small place in the parish of Logie-Coldstone, Cromar. Milton of Whitehouse is about a mile to the south of Kinaldie, and seems to be the place intended by Whitehouse o Cromar, B 18, 20. Braemar, A 71, should then be Cromar.