Hind Horn
No: 17; variant: 17B
- I NEVER saw my love before,
With a hey lillelu and a ho lo lan
Till I saw her thro an oger bore.
With a hey down and a hey diddle downie
- She gave to me a gay gold ring,
With three shining diamonds set therein.
- And I gave to her a silver wand,
With three singing lavrocks set thereon.
- 'What if these diamonds lose their hue,
Just when your love begins for to rew?'
- He's left the land, and he's gone to sea,
And he's stayd there seven years and a day.
- But when he looked this ring upon,
The shining diamonds were both pale and wan.
- He's left the seas and he's come to the land,
And there he met with an auld beggar man.
- 'What news, what news, thou auld beggar man
For it is seven years sin I've seen lan.'
- 'No news,' said the old beggar man, 'at all,
But there is a wedding in the king's hall.'
- 'Wilt thou give to me thy begging coat?
And I'll give to thee my scarlet cloak.
- 'Wilt thou give to me thy begging staff?
And I'll give to thee my good gray steed.'
- The old beggar man was bound for to ride,
But Young Hynd Horn was bound for the bride.
- When he came to the king's gate,
He asked a drink for Young Hynd Horn's sake.
- The news unto the bonnie bride came
That at the yett there stands an auld man.
- 'There stands an auld man at the king's gate;
He asketh a drink for young Hyn Horn's sake.'
- 'I'll go thro nine fires so hot,
But I'll give him a drink for Young Hyn Horn's sake.'
- She gave him a drink out of her own hand;
He drank out the drink and he dropt in the ring.
- 'Got thou't by sea, or got thou't by land?
Or got thou't out of any dead man's hand?'
- 'I got it not by sea, but I got it by land,
For I got it out of thine own hand.'
- 'I'll cast off my gowns of brown,
And I'll follow thee from town to town.
- 'I'll cast off my gowns of red,
And along with thee I'll beg my bread.'
- 'Thou need not cast off thy gowns of brown,
For I can make thee lady of many a town.
- 'Thou need not cast off thy gowns of red,
For I can maintain thee with both wine and bread.'
- The bridegroom thought he had the bonnie bride wed,
But Young Hyn Horn took the bride to bed.