The Wedding of Robin Hood and Little John
ROSE THE RED AND WHITE LILY—C
[_]
Kinloch's Ancient Scottish Ballads, annotated by the editor,
p. 69.
1
The king has wedded an ill woman,
Into some foreign land;
His daughters twa, that stood in awe,
They bravely sat and sang.
2
Then in became their step-mother,
Sae stately stepping ben:
‘O gin I live and bruik my life,
I'll gar ye change your tune.’
3
‘O we sang neer that sang, ladie,
But we will sing again;
And ye neer boor that son, ladie,
We wad lay our love on.
4
‘But we will cow our yellow locks
A little abune our bree,
And we will on to gude greenwud,
And serve for meat and fee.
5
‘And we will kilt our gay claithing
A little below the knee,
And we will on to gude greenwud,
Gif Robin Hood we see.
6
‘And we will change our ain twa names,
When we gae frae the toun;
The tane we will call Nicholas,
The tither Rogee Roun.’
7
Then they hae cowd their yellow locks
A little abune their bree,
And they are on to gude greenwud,
To serve for meat and fee.
8
And they hae kilt their gay claithing
A little below their knee,
And they are on to gud greenwud,
Gif Robin Hood they see.
9
And they hae chang'd thair ain twa names,
Whan they gaed frae the toun;
The tane they've called Nicholas,
The tither Rogee Roun.
10
And they hae staid in gude greenwud,
And never a day thoucht lang,
Till it fell ance upon a day
That Rogee sang a sang.
11
‘Whan we were in our father's bouer,
We sewd the silken seam;
But now we walk the gude greenwud,
And bear anither name.
12
‘When we were in our father's ha,
We wore the beaten gold;
But now we wear the shield sae sharp;
Alas, we'll die with cold!’
13
Then up bespak him Robin Hood,
As he to them drew near:
‘Instead of boys to carry the bow,
Two ladies we've got here.’
14
So they had not been in gud greenwud
A twalmonth and a day,
Till Rogee Roun was as big wi bairn
As onie lady could gae.
15
‘O wae be to my stepmother,
That garrd me leave my hame!
For I'm wi bairn to Robin Hood,
And near nine month is gane.
16
‘O wha will be my bouer-woman?
Na bouer-woman is here;
O wha will be my bouer-woman,
Whan that sad time draws near?’
17
Then up bespak him Robin Hood,
At the foot o yon greenwud tree:
O hold your tongue, fair Rogee Roun,
For married ye sall be.
18
The tane was wedded to Robin Hood,
And the tither to Little John;
And it was a' owing to their stepmother,
That garrd them leave their hame.
