Hind Etin
No: 41; variant: 41C
- 'O WELL like I to ride in a mist,
And shoot in a northern win,
And far better a lady to steal,
That's come of a noble kin.'
- Four an twenty fair ladies
Put on this lady's sheen,
And as mony young gentlemen
Did lead her ower the green.
- Yet she preferred before them all
Him, young Hastings the Groom;
He's coosten a mist before them all,
And away this lady has taen.
- He's taken the lady on him behind,
Spared neither grass nor corn,
Till they came to the wood o Amonshaw,
Where again their loves were sworn.
- And they hae lived in that wood
Full mony a year and day,
And were supported from time to time
By what he made of prey.
- And seven bairns, fair and fine,
There she has born to him,
And never was in gude church-door,
Nor ever got gude kirking.
- Ance she took harp into her hand,
And harped them a' asleep,
Then she sat down at their couch-side,
And bitterly did weep.
- Said, Seven bairns hae I born now
To my lord in the ha;
I wish they were seven greedy rats,
To run upon the wa,
And I mysel a great grey cat,
To eat them ane and a'.
- For ten lang years now I hae lived
Within this cave of stane,
And never was at gude church-door,
Nor got no gude churching.
- O then out spake her eldest child,
And a fine boy was he:
O hold your tongue, my mother dear;
I'll tell you what to dee.
- Take you the youngest in your lap,
The next youngest by the hand,
Put all the rest of us you before,
As you learnt us to gang.
- And go with us unto some kirk--
You say they are built of stane--
And let us all be christened,
And you get gude kirking.
- She took the youngest in her lap,
The next youngest by the hand,
Set all the rest of them her before,
As she learnt them to gang.
- And she has left the wood with them,
And to the kirk has gane,
Where the gude priest them christened,
And gave her gude kirking.