The English and Scottish Popular Ballads Edited by Francis James Child. |
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 | The English and Scottish Popular Ballads |  |
119
Lord Derntwater
LORD DERWENTWATER—D
1
The king has written a braid letter,And seald it up wi gowd,
And sent it to Lord Derntwater,
To read it if he coud.
2
The first lines o't that he read,A blythe, blythe man was he;
But ere he had it half read through,
The tear blinded his ee.
3
‘Go saddle to me my milk-white horse,Go saddle it with speed;
For I maun ride to Lun[n]on town,
To answer for my head.’
4
‘Your will, your will, my lord Derntwater,Your will before ye go;
For you will leave three dochters fair,
And a wife to wail and woe.’
5
‘My will, my will, my lady Derntwater?Ye are my wedded wife;
Be kind, be kind to my dochters dear,
If I should lose my life.’
6
He set his ae fit on the grund,The tither on the steed;
The ring upon his finger burst,
And his nose began to bleed.
7
He rode till he cam to Lunnon town,To a place they ca Whiteha;
And a' the lords o merry England
A traitor him gan ca.
8
‘A traitor! a traitor! O what means this?A traitor! what mean ye?’
‘It's a' for the keeping o five hundred men
To fecht for bonny Jamie.’
9
Then up started a gray-headed man,Wi a braid axe in his hand:
‘Your life, your life, my lord Derntwater,
Your life's at my command.’
10
‘My life, my life, ye old gray-headed man,My life I'll freely gie;
But before ye tak my life awa
Let me speak twa words or three.
11
‘I've fifty pounds in ae pocket,Go deal it frae door to door;
I've fifty five i the other pocket,
Go gie it to the poor.
12
‘The velvet coat that I hae on,Ye may tak it for your fee;
And a' ye lords o merry Scotland
Be kind to my ladie!’
| The English and Scottish Popular Ballads | |