160. The Lowlands o' Holland. Quiller-Couch, Arthur, ed. 1910. The Oxford Book of Ballads

Arthur Quiller-Couch, ed. (1863–1944). The Oxford Book of Ballads. 1910.

160. The Lowlands o’ Holland

‘MY love has built a bonny ship, and set her on the sea,

With seven score good mariners to bear her company

There’s three score is sunk, and three score dead at sea,

And the Lowlands o’ Holland has twin’d my love and me.

‘My love he built another ship, and set her on the main,

And nane but twenty mariners for to bring her hame;

But the weary wind began to rise, and the sea began to rout,

My love then and his bonny ship turn’d withershins about.

III

‘Then shall neither coif come on my head nor comb come in my hair;

Then shall neither coal nor candle-light shine in my bower mair;

Nor will I love another one until the day I die,

Sin’ the Lowlands o’ Holland has twin’d my love and me.’—

‘O haud your tongue, my daughter dear, be still and be content;

There are mair lads in Galloway, ye neen nae sair lament.’—

‘O there is none in Gallow, there’s none at a’ for me,

For I never loved a love but one, and he’s drown’d in the sea.’

GLOSS: twin’d] parted. withershins] around against the sun.