WILLIE'S LYKE-WAKE—E
[_]
a. Buchan's Ballads of the North of Scotland, II, 51. b.
Christie, Traditional Ballad Airs, I, 122.
1
‘If my love loves me, she lets me not know,
That is a dowie chance;
I wish that I the same could do,
Tho my love were in France, France,
Tho my love were in France.
2
‘O lang think I, and very lang,
And lang think I, I true;
But lang and langer will I think
Or my love o me rue.
3
‘I will write a broad letter,
And write it sae perfite,
That an she winna o me rue,
I'll bid her come to my lyke.’
4
Then he has written a broad letter,
And seald it wi his hand,
And sent it on to his true love,
As fast as boy could gang.
5
When she looked the letter upon,
A light laugh then gae she;
But ere she read it to an end,
The tear blinded her ee.
6
‘O saddle to me a steed, father,
O saddle to me a steed;
For word is come to me this night,
That my true love is dead.’
7
‘The steeds are in the stable, daughter,
The keys are casten by;
Ye cannot won to-night, daughter,
To-morrow ye'se won away.’
8
She has cut aff her yellow locks,
A little aboon her ee,
And she is on to Willie's lyke,
As fast as gang could she.
9
As she gaed ower yon high hill head,
She saw a dowie light;
It was the candles at Willie's lyke,
And torches burning bright.
10
Three o Willie's eldest brothers
Were making for him a bier;
One half o it was gude red gowd,
The other siller clear.
11
Three o Willie's eldest sisters
Were making for him a sark;
The one half o it was cambric fine,
The other needle wark.
12
Out spake the youngest o his sisters,
As she stood on the fleer:
How happy would our brother been,
If ye'd been sooner here!
13
She lifted up the green covering,
And gae him kisses three;
Then he lookd up into her face,
The blythe blink in his ee.
14
O then he started to his feet,
And thus to her said he:
Fair Annie, since we're met again,
Parted nae mair we'se be.
