The Knight and the Shepherd’s Daughter
No: 110; variant: 110H
- THERE was a shepherd's daughter,
Kept sheep on yonder hill;
There came a knight o courage bright,
And he wad have his will. Diddle, &c.
- He's taen her by the milk-white hand,
Gien her a gown o green;
'O take you that, fair may,' he says,
'There's nae mair o me to be seen.'
- 'Since ye have taen your wills o me,
Your wills o me you've taen,
Since ye have taen your wills o me,
Pray tell to me your name.'
- 'O some they call me Jack, lady,
And others call me John;
But when I'm in the king's court,
Sweet William is my name.'
- She's kilted up her green clothing
A little below her knee,
And she is to the king's court,
As fast as she could gae.
- And when she came unto the king,
She knelt low on her knee:
'There is a man into your court
This day has robbed me.'
- 'Has he robbd you of your gold,' he says,
'Or of your white monie?
Or robbed you of the flowery branch,
The flower of your bodie?'
- 'He has not robbd me of my gold,' she says,
'Nor of my white monie,
But he's robbd me of the flowery branch,
The flower of my bodie.'
- 'O if he be a bond-man,
High hanged shall he be;
But if he be a free man,
He'se well provide for thee.'
- The king's called on his nobles all,
By thirty and by three;
Sweet William should have been the foremost man,
But the hindmost man was he.
- 'Do you not mind yon shepherd's daughter,
You met on yonder hill?
When a' her flocks were feeding round,
Of her you took your will.'
- And he's taen out a purse o gold,
And tied up in a glove;
'Take you that, fair may,' he says,
'And choice for you a love.'
- O he's taen out three hundred pounds,
Tied up in a purse;
'See, take you that, fair may,' he says,
'And that will pay the nurse.'
- 'I'll neither have your gold,' she says,
'Nor yet your white monie,
But I will have the king's grant,
That he has granted me.'
- Then he's taen her on a milk-white steed,
Himsell upon another,
And to his castle they have rode,
Like sister and like brother.
- O ilka nettle that they came to,
'O well mote you grow!
For mony a day's my minny and me
Pilkit at your pow.'
- O ilka mill that they came to,
'O well mote you clack!
For monie a day's my minnie and me
Buckled up our lap.'
- 'You're the king of England's ae brother,
I trust well that you be;
I'm the Earl of Stampford's ae daughter,
And he has nae mair but me.'
- O saw you eer such a near marriage,
Between the one and the other,
The Earl of Stampford's ae daughter,
And the King of England's brother!