He's ta'en her by the middle jimp,
And by the grass-green sleeve;
He's lifted her over the fauld-dyke,
And speer'd at her sma' leave.
O he's ta'en out a purse o' gowd,45
And streek'd her yellow hair;
"Now, take ye that, my bonny may,
Of me till you hear mair."—
O he's leapt on his berry-brown steed,
An' soon he's o'erta'en his men;50
And ane and a' cried out to him,
"O master, ye've tarry'd lang!"—
"O I hae been east, and I hae been west,
An' I hae been far o'er the knowes,
But the bonniest lass that ever I saw55
Is i' the bought, milking the ewes."—
She set the cog upon her head,
An' she's gane singing hame;
"O where hae ye been, my ae daughter?
"O naebody was wi' me, father,
O naebody has been wi' me;
The night is misty and mirk, father,
Yee may gang to the door and see.
"But wae be to your ewe-herd, father,65
And an ill deed may he die;
He bug the bought at the back o' the knowe,
And a tod has frighted me.
"There came a tod to the bought door,
The like I never saw;70
And ere he had ta'en the lamb he did,
I had lourd he had ta'en them a'."—
O whan fifteen weeks was come and gane,
Fifteen weeks and three,
That lassie began to look thin and pale,75
An' to long for his merry-twinkling ee.