Young Hyndhorn
HIND HORN—B
[_]
Motherwell's MS., p. 418. From the singing of a servant-girl
at Halkhead.
1
I never saw my love before,
With a hey lillelu and a ho lo lan
Till I saw her thro an oger bore.
With a hey down and a hey diddle downie
2
She gave to me a gay gold ring,
With three shining diamonds set therein.
3
And I gave to her a silver wand,
With three singing lavrocks set thereon.
4
‘What if these diamonds lose their hue,
Just when your love begins for to rew?’
5
He's left the land, and he's gone to sea,
And he's stayd there seven years and a day.
6
But when he looked this ring upon,
The shining diamonds were both pale and wan.
7
He's left the seas and he's come to the land,
And there he met with an auld beggar man.
8
‘What news, what news, thou auld beggar man
For it is seven years sin I've seen lan.’
9
‘No news,’ said the old beggar man, ‘at all,
But there is a wedding in the king's hall.’
10
‘Wilt thou give to me thy begging coat?
And I'll give to thee my scarlet cloak.
11
‘Wilt thou give to me thy begging staff?
And I'll give to thee my good gray steed.’
12
The old beggar man was bound for to ride,
But Young Hynd Horn was bound for the bride.
13
When he came to the king's gate,
He asked a drink for Young Hynd Horn's sake.
14
The news unto the bonnie bride came
That at the yett there stands an auld man.
15
‘There stands an auld man at the king's gate;
He asketh a drink for young Hyn Horn's sake.’
16
‘I'll go thro nine fires so hot,
But I'll give him a drink for Young Hyn Horn's sake.’
17
She gave him a drink out of her own hand;
He drank out the drink and he dropt in the ring.
18
‘Got thou't by sea, or got thou't by land?
Or got thou't out of any dead man's hand?’
19
‘I got it not by sea, but I got it by land,
For I got it out of thine own hand.’
20
‘I'll cast off my gowns of brown,
And I'll follow thee from town to town.
21
‘I'll cast off my gowns of red,
And along with thee I'll beg my bread.’
22
‘Thou need not cast off thy gowns of brown,
For I can make thee lady of many a town.
23
‘Thou need not cast off thy gowns of red,
For I can maintain thee with both wine and bread.’
24
The bridegroom thought he had the bonnie bride wed,
But Young Hyn Horn took the bride to bed.
