Collected English Verse — Anonymous Ballads and Songs (Part 10 of 18)
‘Ride hooly, hooly,3 gentlemen,
Ride hooly now wi’ me!
For never, I am sure, a wearier burd
Rade
in your companie.’—
But little wist Marie Hamilton,
When she rade on the brown,
That she was gaen to Edinburgh,
And
a’ to be put down.
‘Why weep ye so, ye burgess wives,
Why look ye so on me?
O I am going to Edinburgh town,
A
rich wedding to see.’
When she gaed up the Tolbooth stairs,
The corks frae her heels did flee;
And lang or e’er she
cam down again,
She was condemn’d to die.
When she cam to the Netherbow port,
She laugh’d loud laughters three;
But when she cam to
the gallows foot
The tears blinded her e’e.
‘Yestreen the Queen had four Maries,
The night she’ll hae but three;
There was Marie Seaton,
and Marie Beaton,
And Marie Carmichael, and me.
‘O often have I dress’d my Queen
And put gowd upon her hair;
But now I’ve gotten for my
reward
The gallows to be my share.
‘Often have I dress’d my Queen
And often made her bed;
But now I’ve gotten for my reward
The
gallows tree to tread.
‘I charge ye all, ye mariners,
When ye sail owre the faem,
Let neither my father nor mother
get wit
But that I’m coming hame.
‘I charge ye all, ye mariners,
That sail upon the sea,
That neither my father nor mother get
wit
The dog’s death I’m to die.
‘For if my father and mother got wit,
And my bold brethren three,
O mickle wad be the gude
red blude
This day wad be spilt for me!
‘O little did my mother ken,
The day she cradled me,
The lands I was to travel in
Or the death I
was to die!
386 Binnorie
THERE were twa sisters sat in a bour;
Binnorie, O Binnorie!
There cam a knight to be their
wooer,
By the bonnie milldams o’ Binnorie.
He courted the eldest with glove and ring,
But he lo’ed the youngest abune a’ thing.
The eldest she was vexàed sair,
And sair envàied her sister fair.
Upon a morning fair and clear,
She cried upon her sister dear:
‘O sister, sister, tak my hand,
And let’s go down to the river-strand.’
She’s ta’en her by the lily hand,
And led her down to the river-strand.
The youngest stood upon a stane,
The eldest cam and push’d her in.
‘O sister, sister, reach your hand!
And ye sall be heir o’ half my land:
‘O sister, reach me but your glove!
And sweet William sall be your love.’