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Hind Horn

No: 17; variant: 17H

  1. 'HYND HORN fair, and Hynd Horn free, O where were you born, in what countrie?'
  2. 'In gude greenwood, there I was born, And all my forbears me beforn.
  3. 'O seven years I served the king, And as for wages, I never gat nane;
  4. 'But ae sight o his ae daughter, And that was thro an augre bore.
  5. 'My love gae me a siller wand, 'Twas to rule ower a' Scotland.
  6. 'And she gae me a gay gowd ring, The virtue o't was above a' thing.'
  7. 'As lang's this ring it keeps the hue, Ye'll know I am a lover true:
  8. 'But when the ring turns pale and wan, Ye'll know I love another man.'
  9. He hoist up sails, and awa saild he, And saild into a far countrie.
  10. And when he lookd upon his ring, He knew she loved another man.
  11. He hoist up sails and home came he, Home unto his ain countrie.
  12. The first he met on his own land, It chancd to be a beggar man.
  13. 'What news, what news, my gude auld man? What news, what news, hae ye to me?'
  14. 'Nae news, nae news,' said the auld man, 'The morn's our queen's wedding day.'
  15. 'Will ye lend me your begging weed? And I'll lend you my riding steed.'
  16. 'My begging weed will ill suit thee, And your riding steed will ill suit me.'
  17. But part be right, and part be wrang, Frae the beggar man the cloak he wan.
  18. 'Auld man, come tell to me your leed; What news ye gie when ye beg your bread.'
  19. 'As ye walk up unto the hill, Your pike staff ye lend ye till.
  20. 'But whan ye come near by the yett, Straight to them ye will upstep.
  21. 'Take nane frae Peter, nor frae Paul, Nane frae high or low o them all.
  22. 'And frae them all ye will take nane, Until it comes frae the bride's ain hand.'
  23. He took nane frae Peter nor frae Paul, Nane frae the high nor low o them all.
  24. And frae them all he would take nane, Until it came frae the bride's ain hand.
  25. The bride came tripping down the stair, The combs o red gowd in her hair.
  26. A cup o red wine in her hand, And that she gae to the beggar man.
  27. Out o the cup he drank the wine, And into the cup he dropt the ring.
  28. 'O got ye't by sea, or got ye't by land, Or got ye't on a drownd man's hand?'
  29. 'I got it not by sea, nor got it by land, Nor got I it on a drownd man's hand.
  30. 'But I got it at my wooing gay, And I'll gie't you on your wedding day.'
  31. 'I'll take the red gowd frae my head, And follow you, and beg my bread.
  32. 'I'll take the red gowd frae my hair, And follow you for evermair.'
  33. Atween the kitchen and the ha, He loot his cloutie cloak down fa.
  34. And wi red gowd shone ower them a', And frae the bridegroom the bride he sta.