2. Young Jamie loo'd me weel, and sought me for his bride; But saving ae crown-piece, he'd naething else beside. To make the crown a pound,* my Jamie gaed to sea; And the crown and the pound, O they were baith for me! 3. Before he had been gane a twelvemonth and a day, My father brak his arm, our cow was stown away; "I must also mention" (says Lady Anne, in the letter already quoted) "the Laird of Dalziel's advice, who, in a tête-à-tête, afterwards said, My dear, the next time you sing that song, try to change the words a wee bit, and instead of singing, 'To make the crown a pound, my Jamie gaed to sea,' say, to make it twenty merks, for a Scottish pund is but twenty pence, and Jamie was na such a gowk as to leave Jenny and gang to sea to lessen his gear. It is that line [whisper'd he] that tells me that sang was written by some bonnie lassie that didna ken the value of the Scots money quite so well as an auld writer in the town of Edinburgh would have kent it.'" My mother she fell sick-my Jamie was at seaAnd auld Robin Gray, oh! he came a-courting me. 4. My father cou'dna work-my mother cou❜dna spin; I toil'd day and night, but their bread I cou❜dna win; Auld Rob maintain'd them baith, and, wi' tears in his ee, Said, "Jenny, oh! for their sakes, will you marry me?" 5. My heart it said na, and I look'd for Jamie back; But hard blew the winds, and his ship was a wrack : His ship it was a wrack! Why didna Jamie dee? Or, wherefore am I spar'd to cry out, Woe is me! 6, My father argued sair-my mother didna speak, But she look'd in my face till my heart was like to break; They gied him my hand, but my heart was in the sea; And so Auld Robin Gray, he was gudeman to me. B B 7. I hadna been his wife, a week but only four, When mournfu' as I sat on the stane at my door, I saw my Jamie's ghaist I cou'dna think it he, Till he said, "I'm come hame, my love, to marry thee!" 8. O sair, sair did we greet, and mickle say of a'; Ae kiss we took, nae mair I bad him gang awa. I wish that I were dead, but I'm no like to dee; For O, I am but young to cry out, Woe is me! 9. I gang like a ghaist, and I carena much to spin; JANE ELLIOT. were "The following well-known and beautiful stanzas," says Sir W. Scott, in the Minstrelsy of the S. B., 66 composed, many years ago, by a lady of family in Roxburghshire. The manner of the ancient Minstrels is so happily imitated, that it required the most positive evidence to convince the editor that the song was of modern date." The Flowers of the Forest. (The supposed date of the lamentation is about the period of the field of Flodden.) I've heard them lilting, at the ewe-milking, But now they are moaning, on ilka green loaning; At bughts, in the morning, nae blithe lads are scorning; Lasses are lonely, and dowie, and wae; Nae daffing, nae gabbing, but sighing and sabbing; Ilk ane lifts her leglin, and hies her awae. In har'st, at the shearing, nae youths now are jearing; Bandsters are runkled, and lyart, or grey; At fair, or at preaching, nae wooing, nae fleeching; The flowers of the forest are a' wede awae. At e'en, in the gloaming, nae younkers are roaming, 'Bout stacks, with the lasses at bogle to play; But ilk maid sits dreary, lamenting her dearyThe flowers of the forest are weded away. Dool and wae for the order, sent our lads to the border! The English for ance, by guile wan the day; The flowers of the forest, that fought aye the foremost, The prime of our land, are cauld in the clay. We'll hear nae mair lilting, at the ewe-milking; Women and bairns are heartless and wae; Sighing and moaning, on ilka green loaning— The flowers of the forest are a' wede awae. NOTE.-Lilting, singing cheerfully-loaning, broadlane-wede awae, weeded out-scorning, rallyingdowie, dreary—daffing, joking-gabbing, chatting— leglin, milk-pail—harʼst, harvest—shearing, reaping— bandsters, sheaf-binders — runkled, wrinkled — lyart, inclining to grey-fleeching, coaxing — gloaming, twilight. |