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164

The Braes of Yarrow

THE BRAES O YARROW—A

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Communicated to Percy by Dr William Robertson, Principal of Edinburgh.

1

‘I dreamed a dreary dream this night,
That fills my heart wi sorrow;
I dreamed I was pouing the heather green
Upon the braes of Yarrow.

2

‘O true-luve mine, stay still and dine,
As ye ha done before, O;’
‘O I'll be hame by hours nine,
And frae the braes of Yarrow.’

3

I dreamed a dreary dream this night,
That fills my heart wi sorrow;
165

I dreamed my luve came headless hame,
O frae the braes of Yarrow!

4

‘O true-luve mine, stay still and dine,
As ye ha done before, O;’
‘O I'll be hame by hours nine,
And frae the braes of Yarrow.’

5

‘O are ye going to hawke,’ she says,
‘As ye ha done before, O?
Or are ye going to weild your brand,
Upon the braes of Yarrow?’

6

‘O I am not going to hawke,’ he says,
‘As I have done before, O,
But for to meet your brother Jhon,
Upon the braes of Yarrow.’

7

As he gade down yon dowy den,
Sorrow went him before, O;
Nine well-wight men lay waiting him,
Upon the braes of Yarrow.

8

‘I have your sister to my wife,
‘Ye’ think me an unmeet marrow;
But yet one foot will I never flee
Now frae the braes of Yarrow.’

9

‘Than’ four he killd and five did wound,
That was an unmeet marrow!
‘And he had weel nigh wan the day
Upon the braes of Yarrow.’

10

‘Bot’ a cowardly ‘loon’ came him behind,
Our Lady lend him sorrow!
And wi a rappier pierced his heart,
And laid him low on Yarrow.

11

‘Now Douglas’ to his sister's gane,
Wi meikle dule and sorrow:
‘Gae to your luve, sister,’ he says,
‘He's sleeping sound on Yarrow.’

12

As she went down yon dowy den,
Sorrow went her before, O;
She saw her true-love lying slain
Upon the braes of Yarrow.

13

‘She swoond thrice upon his breist
That was her dearest marrow;
Said, Ever alace and wae the day
Thou wentst frae me to Yarrow!’

14

She kist his mouth, she kaimed his hair,
As she had done before, O;
She ‘wiped’ the blood that trickled doun
Upon the braes of Yarrow.

15

Her hair it was three quarters lang,
It hang baith side and yellow;
She tied it round ‘her’ white hause-bane,
‘And tint her life on Yarrow.’
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