Fair lady Anne sate in her bower,
Down by the greenwood
side,
And the flowers did spring, and the birds
did sing,
’Twas the pleasant
May-day tide.
But fair lady Anne on sir William call’d,
With the tear grit in
her e’e,
“O though thou be fause, may heaven
thee guard,
“In the wars ayont
the sea!”
Out of the wood came three bonnie boys,
Upon the simmer’s
morn,
And they did sing, and play at the ba’,
As naked as they were
born.
“O seven lang year was I sit here,
“Amang the frost
and snaw,
“A’ to hae but ane o’
these bonnie boys,
“A playing at the ba’.”
Then up and spake the eldest boy,
“Now listen, thou
fair ladie!
“And ponder well the read that I
tell,
“Then make ye
a choice of the three.
“’Tis I am Peter, and this
is Paul,
“And that are,
sae fair to see,
“But a twelve-month sinsyne to paradise
came,
“To join with
our companie.”
“O I will hae the snaw-white boy,
“The bonniest
of the three.”
“And if I were thine, and in thy
propine,[A]
“O what wad ye
do to me?”
“’Tis I wad clead thee in
silk and gowd,
“And nourice thee
on my knee.”
“O mither! mither! when I was thine,
“Sic kindness
I could na see.
“Before the turf, where I now stand,
“The fause nurse
buried me;
“Thy cruel penknife sticks still
in my heart,
“And I come not
back to thee.”
[Footnote A: Propine—Usually
gift, but here the power of giving or bestowing.]
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