Arthur Quiller-Couch, ed. 1919. The Oxford Book of English Verse: 1250–1900.
THERE were twa sisters sat in a bour; | |
Binnorie, O Binnorie! | |
There cam a knight to be their wooer, | |
By the bonnie milldams o’ Binnorie. | |
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He courted the eldest with glove and ring, | 5 |
But he lo’ed the youngest abune a thing. | |
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The eldest she was vexèd sair, | |
And sair envìed her sister fair. | |
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Upon a morning fair and clear, | |
She cried upon her sister dear: | 10 |
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‘O sister, sister tak my hand, | |
And let ‘s go down to the river-strand.’ | |
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She ‘s ta’en her by the lily hand, | |
And led her down to the river-strand. | |
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The youngest stood upon a stane, | 15 |
The eldest cam and push’d her in. | |
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‘O sister, sister reach your hand! | |
And ye sall be heir o’ half my land: | |
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‘O sister, reach me but your glove! | |
And sweet William sall be your love.’ | 20 |
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Sometimes she sank, sometimes she swam, | |
Until she cam to the miller’s dam. | |
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Out then cam the miller’s son, | |
And saw the fair maid soummin’ in. | |
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‘O father, father draw your dam! | 25 |
There ‘s either a mermaid or a milk-white swan.’ | |
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The miller hasted and drew his dam, | |
And there he found a drown’d womèn. | |
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You couldna see her middle sma’, | |
Her gowden girdle was sae braw. | 30 |
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You couldna see her lily feet, | |
Her gowden fringes were sae deep. | |
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All amang her yellow hair | |
A string o’ pearls was twisted rare. | |
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You couldna see her fingers sma’, | 35 |
Wi’ diamond rings they were cover’d a’. | |
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And by there cam a harper fine, | |
That harpit to the king at dine. | |
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And when he look’d that lady on, | |
He sigh’d and made a heavy moan. | 40 |
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He ‘s made a harp of her breast-bane, | |
Whose sound wad melt a heart of stane. | |
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He ‘s ta’en three locks o’ her yellow hair, | |
And wi’ them strung his harp sae rare. | |
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He went into her father’s hall, | 45 |
And there was the court assembled all. | |
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He laid his harp upon a stane, | |
And straight it began to play by lane. | |
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‘O yonder sits my father, the King, | |
And yonder sits my mother, the Queen; | 50 |
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‘And yonder stands my brother Hugh, | |
And by him my William, sweet and true.’ | |
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But the last tune that the harp play’d then— | |
Binnorie, O Binnorie! | |
Was, ‘Woe to my sister, false Helèn!’ | 55 |
By the bonnie milldams o’ Binnorie. | |