| |
| O, I HAE come from far away, | |
| From a warm land far away, | |
| A southern land across the sea, | |
| With sailor-lads about the mast, | |
| Merry and canny, and kind to me. | 5 |
| |
| And I hae been to yon town | |
| To try my luck in yon town; | |
| Nort, and Mysie, Elspie too. | |
| Right braw we were to pass the gate, | |
| Wi’ gowden clasps on girdles blue. | 10 |
| |
| Mysie smiled wi’ miminy 1 mouth, | |
| Innocent mouth, miminy mouth; | |
| Elspie wore a scarlet gown, | |
| Nort’s grey eyes were unco’ gleg, 2 | |
| My Castile comb was like a crown. | 15 |
| |
| We walk’d abreast all up the street, | |
| Into the market up the street; | |
| Our hair with marigolds was wound, | |
| Our bodices with love-knots laced, | |
| Our merchandise with tansy bound. | 20 |
| |
| Nort had chickens, I had cocks, | |
| Gamesome cocks, loud-crowing cocks; | |
| Mysie ducks, and Elspie drakes,— | |
| For a wee groat or a pound; | |
| We lost nae time wi’ gives and takes. | 25 |
| |
| —Lost nae time, for well we knew, | |
| In our sleeves full well we knew, | |
| When the gloaming came that night, | |
| Duck nor drake, nor hen nor cock | |
| Would be found by candle-light. | 30 |
| |
| And when our chaffering all was done, | |
| All was paid for, sold and done, | |
| We drew a glove on ilka hand, | |
| We sweetly curtsied, each to each, | |
| And deftly danced a saraband. | 35 |
| |
| The market-lassies look’d and laugh’d, | |
| Left their gear, and look’d and laugh’d; | |
| They made as they would join the game, | |
| But soon their mithers, wild and wud, 3 | |
| With whack and screech they stopp’d the same. | 40 |
| |
| Sae loud the tongues o’ randies 4 grew, | |
| The flytin’ 5 and the skirlin’ 6 grew, | |
| At all the windows in the place, | |
| Wi’ spoons or knives, wi’ needle or awl, | |
| Was thrust out every hand and face. | 45 |
| |
| And down each stair they throng’d anon, | |
| Gentle, semple, throng’d anon; | |
| Souter 7 and tailor, frowsy Nan, | |
| The ancient widow young again, | |
| Simpering behind her fan. | 50 |
| |
| Without a choice, against their will, | |
| Doited, 8 dazed, against their will, | |
| The market lassie and her mither, | |
| The farmer and his husbandman, | |
| Hand in hand dance a’ thegither. | 55 |
| |
| Slow at first, but faster soon, | |
| Still increasing, wild and fast, | |
| Hoods and mantles, hats and hose, | |
| Blindly doff’d and cast away, | |
| Left them naked, heads and toes. | 60 |
| |
| They would have torn us limb from limb, | |
| Dainty limb from dainty limb; | |
| But never one of them could win | |
| Across the line that I had drawn | |
| With bleeding thumb a-widdershin. 9 | 65 |
| |
| But there was Jeff the provost’s son, | |
| Jeff the provost’s only son; | |
| There was Father Auld himsel’, | |
| The Lombard frae the hostelry, | |
| And the lawyer Peter Fell. | 70 |
| |
| All goodly men we singled out, | |
| Waled 10 them well, and singled out, | |
| And drew them by the left hand in; | |
| Mysie the priest, and Elspie won | |
| The Lombard, Nort the lawyer carle, | 75 |
| I mysel’ the provost’s son. | |
| |
| Then, with cantrip 11 kisses seven, | |
| Three times round with kisses seven, | |
| Warp’d and woven there spun we | |
| Arms and legs and flaming hair, | 80 |
| Like a whirlwind on the sea. | |
| |
| Like a wind that sucks the sea, | |
| Over and in and on the sea, | |
| Good sooth it was a mad delight; | |
| And every man of all the four | 85 |
| Shut his eyes and laugh’d outright. | |
| |
| Laugh’d as long as they had breath, | |
| Laugh’d while they had sense or breath; | |
| And close about us coil’d a mist | |
| Of gnats and midges, wasps and flies, | 90 |
| Like the whirlwind shaft it rist. | |
| |
| Drawn up I was right off my feet, | |
| Into the mist and off my feet; | |
| And, dancing on each chimney-top, | |
| I saw a thousand darling imps | 95 |
| Keeping time with skip and hop. | |
| |
| And on the provost’s brave ridge-tile, | |
| On the provost’s grand ridge-tile, | |
| The Blackamoor first to master me | |
| I saw, I saw that winsome smile, | 100 |
| The mouth that did my heart beguile, | |
| And spoke the great Word over me, | |
| In the land beyond the sea. | |
| |
| I call’d his name, I call’d aloud, | |
| Alas! I call’d on him aloud; | 105 |
| And then he fill’d his hand with stour, 12 | |
| And threw it towards me in the air; | |
| My mouse flew out, I lost my pow’r! | |
| |
| My lusty strength, my power were gone; | |
| Power was gone, and all was gone. | 110 |
| He will not let me love him more! | |
| Of bell and whip and horse’s tail | |
| He cares not if I find a store. | |
| |
| But I am proud if he is fierce! | |
| I am as proud as he is fierce; | 115 |
| I’ll turn about and backward go, | |
| If I meet again that Blackamoor, | |
| And he’ll help us then, for he shall know | |
| I seek another paramour. | |
| |
| And we’ll gang once more to yon town, | 120 |
| Wi’ better luck to yon town; | |
| We’ll walk in silk and cramoisie, 13 | |
| And I shall wed the provost’s son, | |
| My lady of the town I’ll be! | |
| |
| For I was born a crown’d king’s child, | 125 |
| Born and nursed a king’s child, | |
| King o’ a land ayont the sea, | |
| Where the Blackamoor kiss’d me first, | |
| And taught me art and glamourie. 14 | |
| |
| Each one in her wame shall hide | 130 |
| Her hairy mouse, her wary mouse, | |
| Fed on madwort, and agramie,— | |
| Wear amber beads between her breasts, | |
| And blind-worm’s skin about her knee. | |
| |
| The Lombard shall be Elspie’s man, | 135 |
| Elspie’s gowden husband-man; | |
| Nort shall take the lawyer’s hand; | |
| The priest shall swear another vow: | |
| We’ll dance again the saraband! | |
