The Braes o Yarrow
No: 214; variant: 214A
- 'I dreamed a dreary dream this night,
That fills my heart wi sorrow;
I dreamed I was pouing the heather green
Upon the braes of Yarrow.
- 'O true-love mine, stay still and dine,
As ye ha done before, O;'
'O I'll be hame by hours nine,
And frae the braes of Yarrow.'
- I dreamed a dreary dream this night,
That fills my heart wi sorrow;
I dreamed my luve came headless hame,
O frae the braes of Yarrow!
- 'O true-luve mine, stay still and dine,
As ye ha done before, O;'
'O I'll be hame by hours nine,
And frae the braes of Yarrow.'
- 'O are ye going to hawke,' she says,
'As ye ha done before, O?
Or are ye going to weild your brand,
Upon the braes of Yarrow?'
- 'O I am not going to hawke,' he says,
'As I have done before, O,
But for to meet your brother Jhon,
Upon the braes of Yarrow,
- As he gade down yon dowy den,
Sorrow went him before, O;
Nine well-wight men lay waiting him,
Upon the braes of Yarrow.
- 'I have your sister to my wife,
'Ye' think me an unmeet marrow;
But yet one foot will I never flee
Now frae the braes of Yarrow.'
- 'Than' four he killd and five did wound,
That was an unmeet marrow!
'And he had weel nigh wan the day
Upon the braes of Yarrow.'
- 'Bot' a cowardly 'loon' came him behind,
Our Lady lend him sorrow!
And wi a rappier pierced his heart,
And laid him low on Yarrow.
- 'Now Douglas' to his sister's gane,
Wi meikle dule and sorrow:
'Gae to your luve, sister,' he says,
'He's sleeping sound on Yarrow.'
- As she went down yon dowy den,
Sorrow went her before, O;
She saw her true-love lying slain
Upon the braes of Yarrow.
- 'She swoond thrice upon his breist
That was her dearest marrow;
Said, Ever alace and wae the day
Thou wentst frae me to Yarrow!'
- She kist his mouth, she kaimed his hair,
As she had done before, O ;
She 'wiped' the blood that trickled doun
Upon the braes of Yarrow.
- Her hair it was three quarters lang,
It hang baith side and yellow;
She tied it round 'Her' white hause-bane,
'And tint her life on Yarrow.'