Fair Annie and Sweet Willie
LORD THOMAS AND FAIR ANNET—H
1
Fair Annie and Sweet Willie,
As they talked on yon hill,
Though they had talked a lang summer day,
They wad na hae talked their fill.
2
‘If you would be a good woman, Annie,
An low leave a' your pride,
In spite of a' my friends, Annie,
I wad mak you my bride.’
3
‘Thick, thick lie your lands, Willie,
An thin, thin lie mine;
An little wad a' your friends think
O sic a kin as mine.
4
‘Thick, thick lie your lands, Willie,
Down by the coving-tree;
An little wad a' your friends think
O sic a bride as me.
5
‘O Fair Annie, O Fair Annie,
This nicht ye've said me no;
But lang or ever this day month
I'll make your heart as sore.’
6
It's Willie he went home that night,
An a sick man lay he down;
An ben came Willie's auld mither,
An for nae gude she came.
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7
‘It's if ye marry Fair Annie,
My malison ye's hae;
But if ye marry the nut-brown may,
My blessin an ye's hae.’
8
‘Mother, for your malison,
An mother, for your wis,
It's I will marry the nut-brown may,
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9
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It's up an spak his sister,
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10
‘The owsen may hang in the pleugh,
The kye drown in the myre,
An he'll hae naething but a dirty drab
To sit doun by the fire.’
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11
‘Where will I get a bonny boy,
That will win hose and shoon,
That will rin on to Annie's bower,
An haste him back again?’
12
‘It's I have run your errands, Willie,
An happy hae I been;
It's I will rin your errands, Willie,
Wi the saut tears in my een.’
13
‘When ye come to Annie's bower,
She will be at her dine;
And bid her come to Willie's weddin,
On Monday in good time.
14
‘Tell her neither to put on the dowie black,
Nor yet the mournfu brown,
But the gowd sae reed, and the silver white,
An her hair weel combed down.
15
‘Tell her to get a tailor to her bower,
To shape for her a weed,
And a smith to her smithy,
To shoe for her a steed.
16
‘To be shod wi silver clear afore,
An gold graithed behind,
An every foot the foal sets down,
The gold lie on the ground.’
17
It's when he came to Annie's bower,
It's she was at her dine:
‘Ye're bidden come to Willie's weddin,
On Monday in good time.
18
‘You're neither to put on the dowie black,
Nor get the mournfu brown,
But the gowd sae reid, an the silver white,
An yere hair well combed doun.
19
‘You're to get a tailor to your bower,
To shape for you a weed,
And likewise a smith to your smithy,
To shoe for you a steed.
20
‘To be shod with silver clear afore,
An gold graithed behind,
An every foot the foal sets down,
The gold lie on the ground.’
21
‘It's I will come to Willie's weddin,
I rather it had been mine;
It's I will come to Willie's weddin,
On Monday in good time.
22
‘It's I'll send to Willie a toweld silk,
To hing below his knee.
An ilka time he looks on it,
He'll hae gude mind o me.
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23
‘An askin, father, an askin,
An I hope you will grant me;
For it is the last askin
That ever I'll ask of thee.’
24
‘Ask me, Annie, gold,’ he said,
‘An ask me, Annie, fee,
But dinna ask me Sweet Willie,
Your bedfellow to be.’
25
‘It's I will ask you gold, father,
Sae will I ask you fee,
But I needna ask you Sweet Willie,
My bedfellow to be.
26
‘For I am bidden to Willie's weddin,
On Monday in good time,
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27
On every tait o her horse's mane
A siller bell did hing,
An on every tait o her horse's tail
A golden bell did ring.
28
Twal and twal rade her afore,
An twal an twal ahind,
An twal an twal on every side,
To hold her frae the wind.
29
Fair Annie shined mair on the top o the hill
Than Willie did in the glen;
Fair Annie shined mair on the heid o the hill
Than Willie wi a' his men.
30
Whan she came to Mary's kirk,
She lighted on the stane;
An when she came to the kirk-door,
She bade the bride gae in.
31
‘Clear, clear is your day, Willie,
But brown, brown is your bride;
Clear, clear is her lawn curches,
But weel dunned is her hide.’
32
‘Where got ye yon water, Annie,
That has made you so white?’
‘I got it in my father's garden,
Below yon hollan dyke.
33
‘But ye hae been washed i the moss water,
An rocked in the reek;
Ye hae been brunt in your mither's wame,
An ye will neer be white.’
34
‘Whatna fool were ye, Willie,
To lay your love on me;
She's mair gowd on her heid this day
Than I'll wear till I die!’
35
‘I've laid nae love on you, brown may,
I've laid nae love on you;
I've mair love for Fair Annie this day
Than I'll hae for you till I dee.’
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36
‘If you will neither eat nor drink,
You'll see good game an play;’
But she turned her horse head to the hill,
An swift she rode away.
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37
When they were all at supper set,
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Till he went to Fair Annie's bower,
By the ley licht o the mune.
38
An when he came to Annie's bower,
Annie was lying deid,
An seven o Annie's sisters an sisters' bairns
Were sewing at Annie's weed.
39
‘It's I will take your hand, Annie,
Since ye wald neer take mine;
The woman shall never have the hand
That I'll kiss after thine.
40
‘An I will kiss your mouth, Annie,
Since ye will never kiss mine;
The woman shall never have the lips
That I'll kiss after thine.
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41
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‘As much breid ye deal at Annie's dairgie
Tomorrow ye's deal at mine.’
