H
From “The Old Lady’s Collection,” No 39.
1
Ther lives a maid in Edinbrugh citty,
Elisa Lindsy they call her by name;
Monye an came to court her,
But a’ ther suit was in vain.
2
Out spak the hear of Carnussë,
An out spak he;
‘Fat wad ye think of me if I wad gae to Edinbrugh citty
An bring this fair creatur we me?’
3
‘If ye gae to Edinbrugh city
An bring this fair creatur we the,
Bring her home we ne flatry,
But by grait policy.’
4
Fan he came to the Netherbou,
Elisa Lindsy for to see,
She drank we him a bottel of cherry,
And bare him gued company.
5
‘Will ye goo to the Hillands we me, Lisee?
Will ye go to [the] Hillands we me?
. . . . . . . .
Ye’s gett cruds an grean why.’
6
Out spak Lissy’s mother,
An out spak she;
‘If ye say so to my daughter,
[I] swaer I ell gar ye die.’
7
‘Keep well yer dother, old lady,
Keep well yer dother fra me,
For I care as littel for yer dother
As she dos for me.’
8
Out spak Lissie Lindsy,
We the tear in her eay;
‘I will gie ye ten gunies,
If ye wad bat sitt in my roum bat a whill
Till I dra you[r] picter,
To mind me on your swit smill.’
9
‘I care as littel for your ten gunies
As ye dou for mine,
But if ye love my person,
Goo we me if ye inclayn.’
10
Fan they came to Carnusie, an even to the glen,
Out came the old day:
‘Ye’r welcom home, Sir Donall, ye’r welcom home,
An that fair creatur ye we.’
11
‘Caa na me mare Sir Donald,
Bat caa me Donall, yer son,
An I’ll caa ye my mother,
An caa me Donall, yer son:’
The words wer spoken in Ears,
Lissie she had nean.
12
‘Gett us a supper of cruds,
[A supper of cruds] an green whay,
An a bed of the best of yeer rushes,
Besids a covering of gray.’
13
Lissy Lindsy bieng weary,
She lay over long in they day:
‘Win up, Lissy Lindsy,
Ye haa layen our lang in the day;
Ye might haa ben out we my mider,
Milken the eus an the kay.’
14
Out spak Lissie Lindsy,
The tear in her eay;
‘I wiss I wer in Edenbrugh citty,
I cannë milk eus nor kay.’
15
‘Hold your toung, Lissie Lindsy,
An dou not freat on me,
For I will haa ye back to Edenbrugh citty,
Nou we grait safity.’
16
Out spak Lissie Lindsy,
The tear in her eay;
‘If I wer in Edenbrugh citty,
They woud think littel of me.’
17
He touk her by the milk-white hand,
Some other forest to vue;
. . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . .
18
Fan they came to Carnusy, out came Donal’s father,
A gay old knight was he;
Out cam Donald’s father,
An four-an-tuenty him we.
19
‘Ye’r welcom, Lissie Lends[y],
Dear welcom to me;
Ye’s be Lady Carnusie,
An gett Donal, my son.’
20
Out came Donald’s mother,
An four-an-tuenty her we:
‘Ye’r welcom, my son,
An that fair creatur ye we.’
172. Forest: doubtful.
227. Bonny Lizie Baillie.
P. 266. h. ‘Elisa Bailly,’ “The Old Lady’s Collection,” No 37.
3
As I came in by Carron sid,
An in nou by Dumblain,
Ther I mett we Dugall Grame:
He said he wad see me hame.
4
‘My bonny Lisey Ballie,
I ill rou ye in my plady,
An ye wad gaa along we me,
I wad make ye a Heallend lady.’
5
‘If I wad gaa along we ye,
They wad say I wer na wise;
For I cane nether milk cou nor ewe,
Nor can I speak Ears.’
6
‘My bonny Lisie Bailly,
For that ye nead na fear;
For onye that I cane dou,
I ill learn to you, my dear.’
19, 21
‘Then I ill cast off my bra nou goun,
Made of the silk an saten,
An I ell pitt on the hame-made grays,
To skip among the breachan.’
‘My bonny Lisie Bailly,
I ill rou ye in my plaidy,
An ye will go along we me,
I ill make ye a Healand lady.’
20
‘Then I ell cast aff my bra nou shous,
Made of the Turky lader,
An I ell pit on the hame-made broges,
To skip among the header.’
‘My bonny Lisie Bailly,
I ell rou ye in my plady;
Since ye’r to goo along we me,
I ell make ye a Healend lady.’
16
Foull faa the logarheaded Loland lads
That lives near Castell Carey,
Has latten the bonny lass away
The Heallend lad to marry.
162. Carey written so as to look like Carly.
228. Glasgow Peggie.
P. 271. A is extant among Sharpe’s relics, written on paper having 1819 in the water-mark, in two hands: stanzas 1-6, 8, 91, in one, 7 (inserted in the margin) and the rest in another. Sharpe has made a few slight changes in the text, besides regulating the spelling. The ballad is now given as it stands in the original copy.
1
‘As I cam in by boney Glassgow town,
The Highland troops were a’ before me,
And the bon[ey]est lass that ere I saw,
She lives in Glassgow, tha ca her Peggy.
2
‘I wad gie my boney black horse,
So wad I my good gray nagie,
If I were a hundred miles in the North,
And nan wee me but my boney Peggy.’
3
Up then spoke her father dear,
Dear vow! but he was wondrous sorey;
‘Weel may yea steel a cow or a ewe,
But ye darna steel my boney Peggy.’
4
Up then spoke her mother dear,
Dear vow! but she spoke wondrious sorey;
‘Now, since I’ve brought ye up this length,
Wod ye gang awa wee a Highland fellow?’
5
He set her on his boney black horse,
He set himsel on his good gray nagy;
They have riden over hill and dales,
Now he is awa wee his boney Peggy.
6
They are riden or hills and dales,
They have riden or mountains maney,
Untill that thay com to a low, low glen,
And there he’s lain down wee his boney Peggy.
7
Up then spoke the Earll o Argyle,
Dear vow! bet he spoke wondrous sorry;
‘The bonniest lass in a’ Scotland
Is af an awa wi [a] Highland fellow!’
8
There bed was of the boney green grass,
There blankets was o the hay sa boney;
He falded his philabeg below her head,
Now he’s lawing down wee his boney Peggy.
9
Up then spoke the boney Lawland lass,
And oh, but she spoke wondrous sorry;
‘A’s warruant my mother would hae a gae soir heart
To see me lian here wi you, my Willie!’
10
‘In my father’s house there’s feather-beds,
Feather-beds an blankets many;
The’re a’ mine, an the’ll shoon be thine,
An what needs your mother be sae sorry, Peggie?
11
‘Dinna you see yon nine score o kye,
Feding on yon hill sae boney?
The’re a’ mine, an the’ll shoon be thine,
An what needs your mother be sorry, Peggie?
12
‘Dinna you see yon nine score o sheep,
Feeding on yon brae sae bonny?
The’re a’ mine, an the’ll shoon be thine,
An what needs your mother be sorry for you?
13
‘Dinna you see yon bonny white house,
Shining on yon brae sae bonny?
An I am the earl o the Isle o Sky,
And surely my Peggie will be calle[d] a lady.’
12, 23. where.
23. a: not unlike 2, but really a.
92. she sape.
93. soir: i not dotted.
103. be the thene.
275.