Willie’s Ladye 

Willie’s ta’en him o’er the faem,
He’s wooed a wife, and brought her hame;
He’s wooed her for her yallow hair,
But his mother wrought her meikle care:

And meikle dolour gar’d her drie,
For lighter she can never be,
But in her bour she sits wi’ pain,
And Willie mourns o’er her in vain.
And to his mother he has gane,
That vile rank witch, o’ vilest kind!
He says—“My ladye has a cup,
Wi’ gowd and silver set about,
This gudely gift sall be your ain,
And let her be lighter o’ her young bairn.”—

—“Of her young bairn she’s never be lighter,
Nor in her bour to shine the brighter;
But she sall die, and turn to clay,
And you shall wed another May.”—

—“Another May I’ll never wed,
Another May I’ll never bring hame.”—
But, sighing, said that weary wight—
—“I wish my life were at an end!

“Yet gae ye to your mother again,
That vile rank witch, o’ vilest kind!
And say, your ladye has a steed,
The like o’ him’s no in the land of Leed.

“For he is silver shod before,
And he is gowden shod behind;
At every tuft of that horse main,
There’s a golden chess, and a bell to ring.
This gudely gift sall be her ain,
And let me be lighter o’ my young bairn.”—

—“Of her young bairn she’s ne’er be lighter,
Nor in her bour to shine the brighter;
But she sall die, and turn to clay,
And ye sall wed another May.”—

—“Another May I’ll never wed,
Another May I’ll ne’er bring hame.”—
But, sighing, said that weary wight—
—“I wish my life were at an end!

“Yet gae ye to your mither again,
That vile rank witch, o’ rankest kind!
And say, your ladye has a girdle,
It is a’ red gowd to the middle;

“And aye, at ilka siller hem
Hangs fifty siller bells and ten;
This gudely gift sall be her ain,
And let me be lighter o’ my young bairn.”—

—“Of her young bairn she’s ne’er be lighter,
Nor in your bour to shine the brighter;
For she sall die, and turn to clay,
And thou sall wed another May.”—

—“Another May I’ll never wed,
Another May I’ll never bring hame.”—
But, sighing, said that weary wight—
“I wish my days were at an end!”—

Then out and spake the Billy-blind—
(He spak ay in a gude time:)
—“Yet gae ye to the market place,
And there do buy a loaf of wace;
Do shape it bairn and bairnly like,
And in it twa glassen e’en you’ll put;

“And bid her your boy’s christening to,
Then notice weel what she shall do;
And do ye stand a little away,
To notice weel what she may saye.—

*       *       *       *       *

{A stanza seems to be wanting. Willie is supposed

to follow the advice of the spirit. His mother speaks.}

—“O wha has loosed the nine witch knots,
That were amang that ladye’s locks?
And wha’s ta’en out the kaims o’ care,
That were amang that ladye’s hair?

“And wha has ta’en downe that bush o’ woodbine,
That hung between her bour and mine?
And wha has kill’d the master kid,
That ran beneath that ladye’s bed?
And wha has loosed her left foot shee,
And let that ladye lighter be!!”—

Syne, Willy’s loosed the nine witch knots,
That were amang that ladye’s locks;
And Willy’s ta’en out the kaims o’ care,
That were into that ladye’s hair;
And he’s ta’en down the bush o’ woodbine,
Hung atween her bour and the witch carline;

And he has kill’d the master kid,
That ran beneath that ladye’s bed;
And he has loosed her left foot shee,
And latten that ladye lighter be;
And now he has gotten a bonny son,
And meikle grace be him upon.