Mary Hamilton
MARY HAMILTON—H
[_]
Kinloch's Ancient Scottish Ballads, p. 252; a North
Country version.
1
‘Whan I was a babe, and a very little babe,
And stood at my mither's knee,
Nae witch nor warlock did unfauld
The death I was to dree.
2
‘But my mither was a proud woman,
A proud woman and a bauld;
And she hired me to Queen Mary's bouer,
When scarce eleven years auld.
3
‘O happy, happy is the maid,
That's born of beauty free!
It was my dimpling rosy cheeks
That's been the dule o me;
And wae be to that weirdless wicht,
And a' his witcherie!’
4
Word's gane up and word's gane doun,
An word's gane to the ha,
That Mary Hamilton was wi bairn,
An na body kend to wha.
5
But in and cam the queen hersel,
Wi gowd plait on her hair:
Says, Mary Hamilton, whare is the babe
That I heard greet sae sair?
6
‘There is na babe within my bouer,
And I hope there neer will be;
But it's me wi a sair and sick colic,
And I'm just like to dee.’
7
But they looked up, they looked down,
Atween the bowsters and the wa,
It's there they got a bonnie lad-bairn,
But its life it was awa.
8
‘Rise up, rise up, Mary Hamilton,
Rise up, and dress ye fine,
For you maun gang to Edinbruch,
And stand afore the nine.
9
‘Ye'll no put on the dowie black,
Nor yet the dowie brown;
But ye'll put on the robes o red,
To sheen thro Edinbruch town.’
10
‘I'll no put on the dowie black,
Nor yet the dowie brown;
But I'll put on the robes o red,
To sheen thro Edinbruch town.’
11
As they gaed thro Edinbruch town,
And down by the Nether-bow,
There war monie a lady fair
Siching and crying, Och how!
12
‘O weep na mair for me, ladies,
Weep na mair for me!
Yestreen I killed my ain bairn,
The day I deserve to dee.
13
‘What need ye hech and how, ladies?
What need ye how for me?
Ye never saw grace at a graceless face,
Queen Mary has nane to gie.’
14
‘Gae forward, gae forward,’ the queen she said,
‘Gae forward, that ye may see;
For the very same words that ye hae said
Sall hang ye on the gallows-tree.’
15
As she gaed up the Tolbooth stairs,
She gied loud lauchters three;
But or ever she cam down again,
She was condemnd to dee.
16
‘O tak example frae me, Maries,
O tak example frae me,
Nor gie your luve to courtly lords,
Nor heed their witchin'ee.
17
‘But wae be to the Queen hersel,
She micht hae pardond me;
But sair she's striven for me to hang
Upon the gallows-tree.
18
‘Yestreen the Queen had four Maries,
The nicht she'll hae but three;
There was Mary Beatoun, Mary Seaton,
And Mary Carmichael, and me.
19
‘Aft hae I set pearls in her hair,
Aft hae I lac'd her gown,
And this is the reward I now get,
To be hangd in Edinbruch town!
20
‘O a' ye mariners, far and near,
That sail ayont the faem,
O dinna let my father and mither ken
But what I am coming hame!
21
‘O a' ye mariners, far and near,
That sail ayont the sea,
Let na my father and mither ken
The death I am to dee!
22
‘Sae, weep na mair for me, ladies,
Weep na mair for me;
The mither that kills her ain bairn
Deserves weel for to dee.’
