| |
I
HYND Horn’s bound, love, and Hynd Horn’s free, | |
| With a hey lillelu and a how lo lan; | |
| Where was ye born, or in what countrie? | |
| And the birk and the broom blows bonnie. | |
| |
II
‘In good greenwood, there I was born, | 5 |
| And all my forbears me beforn. | |
| |
III
‘O seven long years I served the King, | |
| And as for wages I never gat nane; | |
| |
IV
‘But ae sight o’ his ae daughter. | |
| And that was thro’ an auger-bore.’ | 10 |
| |
V
Seven long years he served the King, | |
| And it’s a’ for the sake of his daughter Jean. | |
| |
VI
The King an angry man was he; | |
| He sent young Hynd Horn to the sea. | |
| |
VII
He’s gi’en his luve a silver wand | 15 |
| Wi’ seven silver laverocks sittin’ thereon. | |
| |
VIII
She’s gi’en to him a gay gold ring | |
| Wi’ seven bright diamonds set therein. | |
| |
IX
‘As lang’s these diamonds keep their hue, | |
| Ye’ll know I am a lover true: | 20 |
| |
X
‘But when the ring turns pale and wan, | |
| Ye may ken that I love anither man.’ | |
| |
XI
He hoist up sails and awa’ sail’d he | |
| Till that he came to a foreign countrie. | |
| |
XII
One day as he look’d his ring upon, | 25 |
| He saw the diamonds pale and wan. | |
| |
XIII
He’s left the seas and he’s come to the land, | |
| And the first that he met was an auld beggar man. | |
| |
XIV
‘What news, what news? thou auld beggar man, | |
| For it’s seven years sin I’ve seen land.’ | 30 |
| |
XV
‘No news,’ said the beggar, ‘no news at a’, | |
| But there is a wedding in the King’s ha’. | |
| |
XVI
‘But there is a wedding in the King’s ha’ | |
| That has halden these forty days and twa.’ | |
| |
XVII
‘Cast off, cast off thy auld beggar weed, | 35 |
| And I’ll gi’e thee my gude grey steed: | |
| |
XVIII
‘And lend to me your wig o’ hair | |
| To cover mine, because it is fair.’— | |
| |
XIX
‘My begging weed is na for thee, | |
| Your riding steed is na for me.’ | 40 |
| |
XX
But part by right and part by wrang | |
| Hynd Horn has changed wi’ the beggar man. | |
| |
XXI
The auld beggar man was bound for to ride, | |
| But young Hynd Horn was bound for the bride. | |
| |
XXII
When he came to the King’s gate, | 45 |
| He sought a drink for Hynd Horn’s sake. | |
| |
XXIII
The bride came trippin’ down the stair, | |
| Wi’ the scales o’ red gowd in her hair; | |
| |
XXIV
Wi’ a cup o’ the red wine in her hand, | |
| And that she gae to the auld beggar man. | 50 |
| |
XXV
Out o’ the cup he drank the wine, | |
| And into the cup he dropt the ring. | |
| |
XXVI
‘O got ye this by sea or land? | |
| Or got ye it of a dead man’s hand?’— | |
| |
XXVII
‘I got it na by sea nor land, | 55 |
| But I got it, madam, of your own hand. | |
| |
XXVIII
‘O, I’ll cast off my gowns o’ brown, | |
| And beg with you frae town to town. | |
| |
XXIX
‘O, I’ll cast off my gowns o’ red, | |
| And I’ll beg wi’ you to win my bread. | 60 |
| |
XXX
‘O I’ll take the scales o’ gowd frae my hair, | |
| And I’ll follow you for evermair.’ | |
| |
XXXI
She has cast awa’ the brown and the red, | |
| And she’s follow’d him to beg her bread. | |
| |
XXXII
She has ta’en the scales o’ gowd frae her hair | 65 |
| And she’s follow’d him for evermair. | |
| |
XXXIII
But atween the kitchen and the ha’ | |
| He has let his cloutie cloak down fa’. | |
| |
XXXIV
And the red gowd shinèd over him a’, | |
| With a hey lillelu, and a how lo lan; | 70 |
| And the bride frae the bridegroom was stown awa’, | |
| And the birk and the broom blows bonnie. | |
| | | GLOSS: laverocks] larks. weed] clothes. |
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