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

Communicated to Scott by Mrs Christiana Greenwood, London, May 27, 1806 (Letters, I, No 189); presumably learned by her at Longuewton, near Jedburgh. “Scotch Ballads, Materials for Border Minstrelsy,” No 84, Abbotsford.

1

The cock did craw, and the day did daw,
And the moon shone fair and clearly;
Sir James gade out o his castle-yett,
To meet fair Anne, his dearie.

2

‘O come down, come down, my true-love Anne,
And speak but ae word to me!
But ae kiss o your bonny mouth
Wad yield much comfort to me.’

3

‘O how can I come down?’ she says,
‘Or how can I win to thee?
When there is nane that I can trust
Wad safe convey me to thee.

4

‘But gang doun, gang doun, to yon hostess' house,
And there take on yere lawing,
And, as I'm a woman kind and true,
I'll meet you at the dawing.’

5

Then he gade thro the good green-wood,
And oer the moor sae eerie,
And lang he stayd, and sair he sighd,
But he never mair saw his dearie.

6

And ay he sat, and lang he drank,
And ay he counted his lawing,
Till fifteen men did him surround,
To slay him or the dawing.

7

‘O she promisd ance to meet me this night,
But I find she has deceived me;
She promisd ance to meet me this night,
And she's sent fifteen to slay me!

8

‘There are twa swords in my scabard,
They cost me gowd and money;
Take ye the best, and gie me the warst,
And man for man I'll try ye.’

9

Then they fought on, and on they fought,
Till maist o them were fallen,
When her brother John cam him behind,
And slew him at the dawing.

10

Then he's away to his sister Anne,
To the chamber where's she's lying:
‘Come doun, come doun, my sister Anne,
And take up your true-love Jamie!

11

‘Come doun, come doun now, sister Anne!
For he's sleeping in yon logie;

176

Sound, sound he sleeps, nae mair to wake,
And nae mair need ye be vogie.’

12

‘I dreamd a drearie dream yestreen,
Gin it be true, it will prove my sorrow;
I dreamd my luive had lost his life,
Within the yetts o Gowrie.

13

‘O wae betide ye, lassies o Gowrie
For ye hae sleepit soundly;
Gin ye had keepit your yetts shut,
Ye might hae sav'd the life o my Jamie.

14

‘Yestreen my luive had a suit o claise
Were o the finest tartan;
But lang or ere the day did daw
They war a' red bluid to the garten.

15

‘Yestreen my luive had a suit o claise
Were o the apple reamin;
But lang or ere the day did daw
The red bluid had them streamin.’

16

In yon fair ha, where the winds did blaw,
When the moon shone fair and clearly,
She's thrawn her green skirt oer her head,
And ay she cried out mercy.