English and Scottish Ballads Volume IV Part 11

The gard'ner stands in his bouer door, Wi' a primrose in his hand, And bye there cam a leal maiden, As jimp as a willow wand; And bye there cam a leal maiden, As jimp as a willow wand.

"O ladie can ye fancy me, 5 For to be my bride; Ye'se get a' the flowers in my garden, To be to you a weed.

"The lily white sall be your smock; It becomes your body best; 10 Your head sall be buskt wi' gelly-flower, Wi' the primrose in your breist.

"Your goun sall be the Sweet William; Your coat the camovine; Your ap.r.o.n o' the sallads neat, 15 That taste baith sweet and fine.

"Your hose sall be the brade kail-blade, That is baith brade and lang; Narrow, narrow, at the cute, And brade, brade at the brawn. 20

"Your gloves sall be the marigold, All glittering to your hand, Weel spread owre wi' the blue blaewort, That grows amang corn-land."

"O fare ye weil, young man," she says, 25 "Fareweil, and I bid adieu; Sin ye've provided a weed for me Amang the simmer flowers, It's I'se provide anither for you, Amang the winter-showers: 30

"The new fawn snaw to be your smock; It becomes your bodie best; Your head sall be wrapt wi' the eastern wind, And the cauld rain on your breist."

THE DUKE OF ATHOL.

"Taken down from the recitation of an idiot boy in Wishaw." Kinloch's _Ancient Scottish Ballads_, p. 170.

"I am gaing awa, Jeanie, I am gaing awa, I am gaing ayont the saut seas, I'm gaing sae far awa."

"What will ye buy to me, Jamie, 5 What will ye buy to me?"

"I'll buy to you a silken plaid, And send it wi' vanitie."

"That's na love at a', Jamie, That's na love at a'; 10 All I want is love for love, And that's the best ava.

"Whan will ye marry me, Jamie, Whan will ye marry me?

Will ye tak me to your countrie,-- 15 Or will ye marry me?"

"How can I marry thee, Jeanie, How can I marry thee?

Whan I've a wife and bairns three,-- Twa wad na weill agree." 20

"Wae be to your fause tongue, Jamie, Wae be to your fause tongue; Ye promised for to marry me, And has a wife at hame!

"But if your wife wad dee, Jamie, 25 And sae your bairns three, Wad ye tak me to your countrie,-- Or wad ye marry me?

"But sin they're all alive, Jamie, But sin they're all alive, 30 We'll tak a gla.s.s in ilka hand, And drink, 'Weill may they thrive.'"

"If my wife wad dee, Jeanie, And sae my bairns three, I wad tak ye to my ain countrie, 35 And married we wad be."

"O an your head war sair, Jamie, O an your head war sair, I'd tak the napkin frae my neck, And tie doun your yellow hair." 40

"I hae na wife at a', Jeanie, I hae na wife at a', I hae neither wife nor bairns three; I said it to try thee."

"Licht are ye to loup, Jamie, 45 Licht are ye to loup, Licht are ye to loup the d.y.k.e, Whan I maun wale a slap."

"Licht am I to loup, Jeanie, Licht am I to loup; 50 But the hiest d.y.k.e that we come to, I'll turn and tak you up.

"Blair in Athol is mine, Jeanie, Blair in Athol is mine; Bonnie Dunkel is whare I dwell, 55 And the boats o' Garry's mine.

"Huntingtower is mine, Jeanie, Huntingtower is mine, Huntingtower, and bonnie Belford, And a' Balquhither's mine." 60

THE RANTIN' LADDIE.

An imperfect copy of this ballad was printed in Johnson's _Museum_, (p. 474,) contributed, Mr. Stenhouse informs us, by Burns. The present copy is from the _Thistle of Scotland_, p. 7. Another, shorter than either, is given in Buchan's _Ballads of the North of Scotland_, ii.

66, _Lord Aboyne_. (Also in Smith's _Scottish Minstrel_, iv. 6.)

"Aft hae I playd at cards and dice For the love o' a bonny rantin' laddie, But now I maun sit i' my father's kitchen nook, And sing, 'Hush, balow, my baby.'

"If I had been wise, and had ta'en advice, 5 And dane as my bonny love bade me, I would hae been married at Martinmas, And been wi' my rantin' laddie.

"But I was na wise, I took nae advice, Did not as my bonny love bade me, 10 And now I maun sit by mysel' i' the nook, And rock my b.a.s.t.a.r.d baby.

"If I had horse at my command, As often I had many, I would ride on to the Castle o' Aboyne, 15 Wi' a letter to my rantin' laddie."

Down the stair her father came, And looked proud and saucy; "Who is the man, and what is his name, That ye ca' your rantin' laddie? 20

"Is he a lord, or is he a laird, Or is he but a caddie?

Or is it the young Earl o' Aboyne, That ye ca' your rantin' laddie?"

"He is a young and n.o.ble lord, 25 He never was a caddie; It is the n.o.ble Earl o' Aboyne That I ca' my rantin' laddie."

"Ye shall hae a horse at your command, As ye had often many, 30 To go to the Castle o' Aboyne, Wi' a letter to your rantin' laddie."

"Where will I get a little page, Where will I get a caddie, That will run quick to bonny Aboyne, 35 Wi' this letter to my rantin' laddie?"

Then out spoke the young scullion boy, Said, "Here am I, a caddie; I will run on to bonny Aboyne Wi' the letter to your rantin' laddie." 40

"Now when ye come to bonny Deeside, Where woods are green and bonny, Then will ye see the Earl o' Aboyne, Among the bushes mony.

"And when ye come to the lands o' Aboyne, 45 Where all around is bonny, Ye'll take your hat into your hand, Gie this letter to my rantin' laddie."

When he came near the banks of Dee, The birks were blooming bonny, 50 And there he saw the Earl o' Aboyne Among the bushes mony.

"Where are ye going, my bonny boy, Where are ye going, my caddie?"

"I am going to the Castle o' Aboyne 55 Wi' a letter to the rantin' laddie."

"See yonder is the castle there, My young and handsome caddie, And I myself am the Earl o' Aboyne, Tho they ca' me the rantin' laddie." 60

"O pardon, my lord, if I've done wrong; Forgive a simple caddie; O pardon, pardon, Earl o' Aboyne, I said but what she bade me."