THE BRAES O YARROW—R
[_]
Macmath MS. p. 91. Inserted in a copy of The Scottish
Ballads ... by Robert Chambers, 1829, p. 145, latterly
belonging to Rev. Dr James C. Burns, Free Church, Kirkliston.
1
‘There were three lords drinking at the wine
In the Leader Haughs of Yarrow:
‘Shall we go play at cards and dice,
As we have done before, O?
Or shall we go play at the single sword,
In the Leader Haughs of Yarrow?’
[OMITTED]
2
Three he wounded, and five he slew,
As he had [done] before, O,
But an English lord lap from a bush,
And he proved all the sorrow;
He had a spear three quarters long,
And he thrust his body thorogh.
[OMITTED]
3
‘I dreamed [OMITTED]
I wis it prove nae sorrow!
I dreamed I was puing the apples green
In the dowie howms o Yarrow.’
4
‘O sister, sister, I'll read your dream,
And I'll read it in sorrow;
Ye may gae bring hame your ain true-love,
For he's sleepin sound in Yarrow.’
5
She sought him east, she sought him west,
She sought him all the forest thorogh;
She found him asleep at the middle yett,
In the dowie howms o Yarrow.
6
Her hair it was three quarters lang,
And the colour of it was yellow;
She's bound it round his middle waist,
And borne him hame from Yarrow.
