Billeder på siden
PDF
ePub

Sae luvin, sae movin, I'll tell her my story,
Unmixed wi' the deeds o' ambition or glory,

Whaur wide-spreading hawthorns sae ancient and hoary
Enrich the sweet breeze on the braes o' Bedlay.

WINSOME MARY GRIEVE, OR THE

WELLS O' WEARIE.

(AIR: BONNIE HOUSE O' AIRLIE).

WEETLY shines the sun, on auld Edinbro' town,

SWEE

And mak's her look young and cheerie;

Yet I maun awa' to spend the afternoon

At the lonesome Wells o' Wearie.

And you maun gang wi' me, my winsome Mary Grieve, There's naught in the world to fear ye;

For I ha'e asked your mither, an' she has gi'en ye leave To gang to the Wells o' Wearie.

Oh, the sun winna blink in thy bonnie blue een,
Nor tinge the white brow o' my dearie;
For I'll shade a bower wi' rushes lang and green,
By the lanesome Wells o' Wearie.

But Mary, my luve, beware ye dinna glower,

At your form, in the water so clearly;

Or the Fairy will change you into a wee, wee flower.
And you'll grow by the Wells o' Wearie!

Yestreen as I wander'd there a' alane,

I felt unco douf and drearie,

For wanting my Mary a' aroun' me was but pain,

At the lanesome Wells o' Wearie.

Let fortune or fame, their minions deceive,
Let fate look gruesome and eerie;

True glory and wealth are mine wi' Mary Grieve,
When we meet by the Wells o' Wearie.

Then gang wi' me, my bonnie Mary Grieve,
No danger will daur to come near ye;

For I ha'e asked your mither and she has gi'en ye leave,
To gang to the Wells o' Wearie!

"A

MARY AND THE FARIES.

ND where have you been, my Mary,

And where have you been from me?" "I've been to the top of the Caldon-Low, The Midsummer night to see."

"And what did you see my Mary, All up on the Caldon-Low?"

"I saw the blithe sunshine come down, And I saw the merry winds blow."

"And what did you hear my Mary, All up on the Caldon-Hill?"

"I heard the drops of the water made, And the green corn ears to fill.”

"Oh tell me all my Mary

All, all that ever you know:

For you must have seen the faries,
Last night on the Caldon-Low."

Then listen close to me mother,
Yes, listen mother of mine:
A hundred faries danced last night,
And the Harpers, -they were nine.

And merry was the glee of the harp-strings,
And their dancing feet so small:

But oh! the sound of their talking was-
Was merrier far than all."

"And what were the words my Mary,

That did hear them say?" you

"I'll tell you all my mother

But let me have my way.

And some they played with the water,
And rolled it down the hill:
And this they said shall speedily turn
The poor old miller's mill.

For there has been no water

Ever since the first of May:
And a busy man shall the miller be
By the dawning of the day.

Oh! the miller, how he will laugh,
When he sees the mill-dam rise.
The jolly old miller, how he will laugh,
Till the tears fill both his eyes."

And some they seized the little winds,
That sounded over the hill,

And each put a horn into his mouth,
And blew so sharp and shrill;—

"And there," said they, "the merry winds go,

Away from every horn:

And those shall clear the mildew dank,
From the blind old widow's corn."

And some they brought the brown lintseed,
And flung it down from the Low-
"And this," said they, "by the sunrise,
In the weaver's croft shall grow."

[blocks in formation]

And then up spoke a merry Brownie,
With a long beard on his chin--
"I have spun up all the tow," said he,
And I want some more to spin.

I've spun a piece of hempen cloth,-
And I want to spin another;

A fair fine sheet for Mary's bed,
And an apron for her mother."

And with that I could not help but laugh,
And I laughed out loud and free,
And then on the top of the Caldon-Low
There was no one left but me!

And all on the top of the Caldon-Low,
The mists were cold and gray,

And nothing I saw but the mossy stones
That round about me lay.

« ForrigeFortsæt »