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.’
