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448

Lizie Wan

LIZIE WAN—A

[_]

Herd's MSS, I, 151; stanzas 1-6, II, p. 78. Herd's Scottish Songs, 1776, I, 91.

1

Lizie Wan sits at her father's bower-door,
Weeping and making a mane,
And by there came her father dear:
‘What ails thee, Lizie Wan?’

2

‘I ail, and I ail, dear father,’ she said,
‘And I'll tell you a reason for why;
There is a child between my twa sides,
Between my dear billy and I.’

3

Now Lizie Wan sits at her father's bowerdoor,
Sighing and making a mane,
And by there came her brother dear:
‘What ails thee, Lizie Wan?’

4

‘I ail, I ail, dear brither,’ she said,
‘And I'll tell you a reason for why;
There is a child between my twa sides,
Between you, dear billy, and I.’

5

‘And hast thou tald father and mother o that?
And hast thou tald sae o me?’
And he has drawn his gude braid sword,
That hang down by his knee.

6

And he has cutted aff Lizie Wan's head,
And her fair body in three,
And he's awa to his mothers bower,
And sair aghast was he.

7

‘What ails thee, what ails thee, Geordy Wan?
What ails thee sae fast to rin?
For I see by thy ill colour
Some fallow's deed thou hast done.’

8

‘Some fallow's deed I have done, mother,
And I pray you pardon me;
For I've cutted aff my greyhound's head;
He wadna rin for me.’

9

‘Thy greyhound's bluid was never sae red,
O my son Geordy Wan!
For I see by thy ill colour
Some fallow's deed thou hast done.’

10

‘Some fallow's deed I hae done, mother,
And I pray you pardon me;
For I hae cutted aff Lizie Wan's head
And her fair body in three.’

11

‘O what wilt thou do when thy father comes hame,
O my son Geordy Wan?’
‘I'll set my foot in a bottomless boat,
And swim to the sea-ground.’

12

‘And when will thou come hame again,
O my son Geordy Wan?’
‘The sun and the moon shall dance on the green
That night when I come hame.’
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