Lord William was the bravest knight
That dwait in fair Scotland,
And, though renowned in France and Spain,
Fell by a ladie’s
hand.
As she was walking maid alone,
Down by yon shady wood.
She heard a smit[A] o’ bridle reins,
She wish’d might be
for good.
“Come to my arms, my dear Willie,
“You’re
welcome hame to me;
“To best o’ chear and charcoal
red,[B]
“And candle burnin’ free.”
“I winna light, I darena light,
“Nor come to your
arms at a’;
“A fairer maid than ten o’
you,
“I’ll meet
at Castle-law.”
“A fairer maid than me, Willie!
“A fairer maid
than me!
“A fairer maid than ten o’
me,
“Your eyes did
never see.”
He louted owr his saddle lap,
To kiss her ere they
part,
And wi’ a little keen bodkin,
She pierced him to the
heart.
“Ride on, ride on, lord William,
now,
“As fast as ye
can dree!
“Your bonny lass at Castle-law
“Will weary you
to see.”
Out up then spake a bonny bird,
Sat high upon a tree,—
How could you kill that noble lord?
“He came to marry
thee.”
“Come down, come down, my bonny
bird,
“And eat bread
aff my hand!
“Your cage shall be of wiry goud,
“Whar now its
but the wand.”
“Keep ye your cage o’ goud,
lady,
“And I will keep
my tree;
“As ye hae done to lord William.,
“Sae wad ye do
to me.”
She set her foot on her door step,
A bonny marble stane;
And carried him to her chamber,
O’er him to make
her mane.
And she has kept that good lord’s
corpse
Three quarters of a
year,
Until that word began to spread,
Then she began to fear.
Then she cried on her waiting maid,
Ay ready at her ca’;
“There is a knight unto my bower,
“’Tis time
he were awa.”
The ane has ta’en him by the head,
The ither by the feet,
And thrown him in the wan water,
That ran baith wide
and deep.
“Look back, look back, now, lady
fair,
“On him that lo’ed
ye weel!
“A better man than that blue corpse
“Ne’er drew
a sword of steel.”
[Footnote A: Smit—Clashing
noise, from smite—hence also (perhaps)
Smith and Smithy.]
[Footnote B: Charcoal red—This
circumstance marks the antiquity of the poem.
While wood was plenty in Scotland, charcoal was the
usual fuel in the chambers of the wealthy.]
