Contents -BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD

William Stanley Braithwaite, ed. The Book of Restoration Verse. 1910.

Love Gregor; or, the Lass of Lochroyan

Anonymous

O WHA will shoe my fu’ fair foot?

And wha will glove my hand?

And wha will lace my middle jimp,

Wi’ the new made London band?

‘And wha will kaim my yellow hair,

Wi’ the new made silver kaim?

And wha will father my young son,

Till Love Gregor come hame?’

‘Your father will shoe your fu’ fair foot,

Your mother will glove your hand;

Your sister will lace your middle jimp

Wi’ the new made London band.

‘Your brother will kaim your yellow hair,

Wi’ the new made silver kaim;

And the king of heaven will father your bairn,

Till Love Gregor come haim.’

‘But I will get a bonny boat,

And I will sail the sea,

For I maun gang to Love Gregor,

Since he canno come hame to me.’

O she has gotten a bonny boat,

And sail’d the sa’t sea fame;

She langd to see her ain true-love,

Since he could no come hame.

‘O row your boat, my mariners,

And bring me to the land,

For yonder I see my love’s castle,

Close by the sa’t sea strand.’

She has ta’en her young son in her arms,

And to the door she’s gone,

And lang she’s knocked and sair she ca’d,

But answer got she none.

‘O open the door, Love Gregor,’ she says,

‘O open, and let me in;

For the winds blows thro’ my yellow hair,

And the rain draps o’er my chin.’

‘Awa, awa, ye ill woman,

You’r nae come here for good;

You’r but some witch, or wile warlock,

Or mermaid of the flood.’

‘I am neither a witch nor a wile warlock,

Nor mermaid of the sea,

I am Fair Annie of Rough Royal;

O open the door to me.’

‘Gin ye be Annie of Rough Royal—

And I trust ye are not she—

Now tell me some of the love-tokens

That past between you and me.’

‘O dinna ye mind now, Love Gregor,

When we sat at the wine,

How we changed the rings frae our fingers?

And I can show thee thine.

‘O yours was good, and good euneugh,

But ay the best was mine;

For yours was o’ the good red goud,

But mine o’ the diamonds fine.

‘But open the door now, Love Gregor,

O open the door I pray,

For your young son that is in my arms

Will be dead ere it be day.’

‘Awa, awa, ye ill woman,

For here ye shanno win in;

Gae drown ye in the raging sea,

Or hang on the gallows-pin.’

When the cock had crawn, and day did dawn,

And the sun began to peep,

Then it raise him, Love Gregor,

And sair, sair did he weep.

‘O I dreamd a dream, my mother dear,

The thoughts o’ it gars me greet,

That Fair Annie of Rough Royal

Lay cauld dead at my feet.’

‘Gin it be for Annie of Rough Royal

That ye mak a’ this din,

She stood a’ last night at this door,

But I trow she wan no in.’

‘O wae betide ye, ill woman,

An ill dead may ye die!

That ye woud no open the door to her,

Nor yet woud waken me.’

O he has gone down to yon shore-side,

As fast as he could fare;

He saw Fair Annie in her boat,

But the wind it tossed her sair.

And ‘Hey, Annie!’ and ‘How, Annie!

O Annie, winna ye bide?’

But ay the mair that he cried ‘Annie,’

The braider grew the tide.

And ‘Hey, Annie!’ and ‘How, Annie!

Dear Annie, speak to me!’

But ay the louder he cried ‘Annie,’

The louder roared the sea.

The wind blew loud, the sea grew rough,

And dashd the boat on shore;

Fair Annie floats on the raging sea,

But her young son raise no more.

Love Gregor tare his yellow hair,

And made a heavy moan;

Fair Annie’s corpse lay at his feet,

But her bonny young son was gone.

O cherry, cherry was her cheek,

And gowden was her hair,

But clay cold were her rosey lips,

Nae spark of life was there,

And first he’s kissd her cheery cheek,

And neist he’s kissed her chin;

And saftly pressed her rosey lips,

But there was nae breath within.

‘O wae betide my cruel mother,

And an ill dead may she die!

For she turnd my true-love frae my door,

When she came sae far to me.’