The Nut-Brown Bride
LORD THOMAS AND FAIR ANNET—B
[_]
Kinloch MSS, I, 1, from the recitation of Mary Barr, Lesmahago.
1
Sweet Willie and Fair Annie
Sat a' day on yon hill;
Though they had sat til the leventh o June,
They wad na got their fill.
2
But Willie spak a word amiss,
Fair Annie took it ill:
‘I'll neer marry a tocherless lass
Agen my ain friends' will.’
3
Then on she lap, and awa she gat,
As fast as she could hie:
‘Fare ye weel now, Sweet Willie,
It's fare ye weel a wee.’
4
Then he is gane to his father's ha,
And tirled at the pin;
Then up and rase his father proud,
And loot Sweet Willie in.
5
‘Come riddle us, riddle us, father dear,
Yea both of us into ane;
Whether sall I marry Fair Annie,
Or bring the brown bride hame?’
6
‘The brown bride she has houses and land,
And Annie she has nane;
Sae on my blessing, my auld son,
Bring ye Brown Bride hame.’
7
Then he is to his mither's bouer,
And tirled at the pin;
Then up and rose his mother dear
To let Sweet Willie in.
8
‘Come riddle us, riddle us, mother dear,
Yea baith o us into ane;
Whether sall I marry Fair Annie,
Or bring the brown bride hame?’
9
‘The brown bride she has gowd and gear,
Fair Annie she has nane;
And for my blessing, my auld son,
Bring ye Brown Bride hame.’
10
Then he is to his sister's bouer,
And tirled at the pin;
And wha sae ready as his sister dear
To let her brither in.
11
‘Come riddle us, riddle us, sister fair,
Us baith yea into ane;
Whether sall I marry Fair Annie,
Or bring the brown bride hame?’
12
‘The brown bride she has horse and kye,
And Annie she has nane;
But for my love, my brither dear,
Bring hame the fair woman.
13
‘Your horse may dee into the staw,
The kye into the byre,
And ye'll hae nocht but a howther o dirt,
To feed about your fire.’
14
Then he is to Fair Annie's bouer,
And tirled at the pin;
And wha sae ready as Fair Annie
To let Sweet Willie in.
15
‘You're welcome here to me, Willie,
You're welcome here to me:’
‘I'm na welcome to thee, Annie,
I'm na welcome to thee,
For I'm come to bid ye to my wedding,
It's gey sad news to thee.’
16
‘It's gey sad news to me, Willie,
The saddest ye could tell;
It's gey sad news to me, Willie,
That shoud been bride mysel.’
17
Then she is to her father gane,
And bowed low on her knee:
[OMITTED]
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18
‘Come riddle us, riddle us, father dear,
Us baith yea into ane;
Whether sall I gang to Willie's wedding,
Or sall I stay at hame?’
19
‘Whare ane will be your frien, Annie,
Twenty will be your fae;’
‘But prove it gude, or prove it bad,
To Willie's wedding I'll gae.
20
‘I'll na put on the grisly black,
Nor yet the dowie green,
But I'll put on a scarlet robe
To sheen like onie queen.’
21
She's orderd the smiths to the smithy,
To shoe her a riding steed;
She has orderd the tailors to her bouer,
To dress her a riding weed.
22
She has calld her maries to her bour,
To lay gowd on her hair:
‘Whare e'er ye put ae plait before,
See ye lay ten times mair.’
23
The steed Fair Annie rade upon,
He bounded like the wind;
Wi silver he was shod before,
Wi burning gowd behind.
24
And four and twenty siller bells
War tiëd til his mane;
Wi ae blast o the norland wind
They tinkled ane by ane.
25
And whan she cam unto the place,
And lichted on the green,
Ilka ane that did her see
Thought that she was a queen.
26
‘Is this your bride, Sweet Willie?’ she said,
‘I think she's wondrous wan;
Ye micht have had as fair a bride
As eer the sun sheend on.’
27
‘O haud your tongue, Fair Annie,’ he said,
‘Wi your talk let me abee;
For better I loe your little finger
Than the brown bride's haill bodie.’
28
Then out and spak the nut-brown bride,
And she spak out of spite:
‘O whare gat ye the water, Annie,
That washd your face sae white?’
29
‘O I gat een the water,’ quo she,
‘Whare ye will neer get nane;
It's I gat een the water,’ quo she,
‘Aneath yon marble stane.’
30
Then out and spake the nut-brown bride,
And she spak yet again:
‘O whare gat ye the claith, Annie,
That dried your face sae clean?’
31
‘O I gat een the claith,’ quo she,
‘Whare ye will neer get nane;
It's I gat een the claith,’ quo she,
‘Aneath yon bouer o bane.’
32
The brown bride had a little penknife,
Which she kept secret there;
She stabbd Fair Annie to the heart,
A deep wound and a sair.
33
It's out and spak he Sweet Willie,
And he spak yet again:
‘O what's the matter wi thee, Annie,
That ye do look sae wan?’
34
‘Oh are ye blind, Willie?’ she said,
‘Or do ye no weel see?
I think ye micht see my heart's blude,
Come rinning by my knee.’
35
Then Willie took a little sword,
Which he kept secret there,
And strak the brown bride to the heart,
A word she neer spak mair.
36
And after that a' this was dune,
He drew it through the strae,
And through his ain fair bodie
He causd the cauld iron gae.
37
The last words that Sweet Willie spak,
His heart was almaist gane;
‘May never a young man like me
Have sic a sad wedding.
38
‘For gear will come, and gear will gang,
And gear's ae but a lend,
And monie a ane for warld's gear
A silly brown bride brings hame.’
39
Sweet Willie was buried in Mary's kirk,
And Annie in Mary's quire,
And out o the ane there grew a birk,
And out o the ither a brier.
40
And ae they grew, and ae they threw,
Until the twa did meet,
That ilka ane micht plainly see
They were true lovers sweet.
