The English and Scottish Popular Ballads Edited by Francis James Child. |
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The English and Scottish Popular Ballads | ||
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THE GREAT SILKIE OF SULE SKERRY
THE GREAT SILKIE OF SULE SKERRY
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Proceedings of The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, I, 86, 1852. Communicated by the late Captain F. W. L. Thomas, R. N.; written down by him from the dictation of a venerable lady of Snarra Voe, Shetland.
1
An eartly nourris sits and sings,And aye she sings, Ba, lily wean!
Little ken I my bairnis father,
Far less the land that he staps in.
2
Then ane arose at her bed-fit,An a grumly guest I'm sure was he:
‘Here am I, thy bairnis father,
Although that I be not comelie.
3
‘I am a man, upo the lan,An I am a silkie in the sea;
And when I'm far and far frae lan,
My dwelling is in Sule Skerrie.’
4
‘It was na weel,’ quo the maiden fair,‘It was na weel, indeed,’ quo she,
‘That the Great Silkie of Sule Skerrie
Suld hae come and aught a bairn to me.’
5
Now he has taen a purse of goud,And he has pat it upo her knee,
Sayin, Gie to me my little young son,
An tak thee up thy nourris-fee.
6
An it sall come to pass on a simmer's day,When the sin shines het on evera stane,
That I will tak my little young son,
An teach him for to swim the faem.
7
An thu sall marry a proud gunner,An a proud gunner I'm sure he'll be,
An the very first schot that ere he schoots,
He'll schoot baith my young son and me.
The English and Scottish Popular Ballads | ||