[BOOK I]
[1. Thomas the Rhymer]
I
True Thomas lay on Huntlie bank;
A ferlie[5] he spied wi’ his e’e;
And there he saw a ladye bright
Come riding down by the Eildon Tree.
II
Her skirt was o’ the grass-green silk,
Her mantle o’ the velvet fyne;
At ilka tett[6] o’ her horse’s mane
Hung fifty siller bells and nine.
III
True Thomas he pu’d aff his cap,
And louted low down on his knee:
‘Hail to thee, Mary, Queen of Heaven!
For thy peer on earth could never be.’
IV
‘O no, O no, Thomas,’ she said,
‘That name does not belang to me;
I’m but the Queen o’ fair Elfland,
That am hither come to visit thee.