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

The English and Scottish Popular Ballads

Edited by Francis James Child.

Part I.

II.

III.

IV.

VI.

VII.

VIII.

IX.

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Bonny May

THE BROOM OF COWDENKNOWS—F

[_]

Gibb MS., p. 9. “From recitation; traced to Mary Jack, Lochlee, Forfarshire, died 1881, aged 94.”

1

Bonny may has to the ewe-bughts gane,
To milk her father's ewes,
An aye as she milked her bonny voice rang
Far out amang the knowes.

[OMITTED]

2

‘Milk on, milk on, my bonny, bonny may,
Milk on, milk on,’ said he;
‘Milk on, milk on, my bonny, bonny may;
Will ye shew me out-ower the lea?’

3

‘Ride on, ride on, stout rider,’ she said,
‘Yere steed's baith stout and strang;

198

For out o the ewe-bught I daurna come,
For fear ye do me wrang.’

4

But he's tane her by the milk-white hand,
An by the green gown-sleeve,
An he's laid her low on the dewy grass,
An at nae ane spiered he leave.

5

Then he's mounted on his milk-white steed,
An ridden after his men,
An a' that his men they said to him
Was, Dear master, ye've tarried lang.

6

‘I've ridden east, an I've ridden wast,
An I've ridden amang the knowes,
But the bonniest lassie eer I saw
Was milkin her daddie's yowes.’

7

She's taen the milk-pail on her heid,
An she's gane langin hame,
An a her father said to her
Was, Daughter, ye've tarried lang.

8

‘Oh, wae be to your shepherds! father,
For they take nae care o the sheep;
For they've bygit the ewe-bught far frae hame,
An they've trysted a man to me.

9

‘There came a tod unto the bucht,
An a waefu tod was he,
An, or ever he had tane that ae ewe-lamb,
I had rather he had tane ither three.’

10

But it fell on a day, an a bonny summer day,
She was ca'in out her father's kye,
An bye came a troop o gentlemen,
Cam ridin swiftly bye.

11

Out an spoke the foremost ane,
Says, Lassie hae ye got a man?
She turned herself saucy round about,
Says, Yes, I've ane at hame.

12

‘Ye lee, ye lee, ye my bonny may,
Sae loud as I hear ye lee!
For dinna ye mind that misty nicht
Ye were in the ewe-bughts wi me?’

13

He ordered ane o his men to get down;
Says, Lift her up behind me;
Your father may ca in the kye when he likes,
They sall neer be ca'ed in by thee.

14

‘For I'm the laird o Athole swaird,
Wi fifty ploughs an three,
An I hae gotten the bonniest lass
In a' the north countrie.’