The English and Scottish Popular Ballads :: :: University of Virginia Library

‘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.