True Thomas lay on Huntlie bank;[2] A ferlie[3] he spied wi' his ee; And there he saw a ladye bright, Come riding down by the Eildon Tree.
Her shirt was o' the grass-green silk, Her mantle o' the velvet fyne; At ilka[4] tett of her horse's mane, Hung fifty siller bells and nine.
True Thomas, he pulled aff his cap, And louted[5] low down to his knee, "All hail, thou mighty Queen of Heaven! For thy peer on earth I never did see."
"O no, O no, Thomas," she said, "That name does not belang to me; I am but the Queen of fair Elfland, That am hither come to visit thee.
"Harp and carp, Thomas," she said; "Harp and carp along wi' me; And if ye dare to kiss my lips, Sure of your bodie I will be."
"Betide me weal, betide me woe, That weird[6] shall never daunton me."— Syne he has kiss'd her rosy lips, All underneath the Eildon Tree.
"Now, ye maun go wi' me," she said; "True Thomas, ye maun go wi' me; And ye maun serve me seven years, Thro' weal or woe as may chance to be."
She mounted on her milk-white steed; She's ta'en true Thomas up behind: And aye, whene'er her bridle rung, The steed flew swifter than the wind.
O they rade on, and farther on; The steed gaed swifter than the wind; Until they reached a desert wide, And living land was left behind.
"Light down, light down, now, true Thomas, And lean your head upon my knee; Abide and rest a little space, And I will show you ferlies[7] three.