Arthur Quiller-Couch, ed. 1919. The Oxford Book of English Verse: 1250–1900.
O, I hae come from far away, | |
From a warm land far away, | |
A southern land across the sea, | |
With sailor-lads about the mast, | |
Merry and canny, and kind to me. | 5 |
|
And I hae been to yon town | |
To try my luck in yon town; | |
Nort, and Mysie, Elspie too. | |
Right braw we were to pass the gate, | |
Wi’ gowden clasps on girdles blue. | 10 |
|
Mysie smiled wi’ miminy mouth, | |
Innocent mouth, miminy mouth; | |
Elspie wore a scarlet gown, | |
Nort’s grey eyes were unco’ gleg. | |
My Castile comb was like a crown. | 15 |
|
We walk’d abreast all up the street, | |
Into the market up the street; | |
Our hair with marigolds was wound, | |
Our bodices with love-knots laced, | |
Our merchandise with tansy bound. | 20 |
|
Nort had chickens, I had cocks, | |
Gamesome cocks, loud-crowing cocks; | |
Mysie ducks, and Elspie drakes,— | |
For a wee groat or a pound; | |
We lost nae time wi’ gives and takes. | 25 |
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—Lost nae time, for well we knew, | |
In our sleeves full well we knew, | |
When the gloaming came that night, | |
Duck nor drake, nor hen nor cock | |
Would be found by candle-light. | 30 |
|
And when our chaffering all was done, | |
All was paid for, sold and done, | |
We drew a glove on ilka hand, | |
We sweetly curtsied, each to each, | |
And deftly danced a saraband. | 35 |
|
The market-lassies look’d and laugh’d, | |
Left their gear, and look’d and laugh’d; | |
They made as they would join the game, | |
But soon their mithers, wild and wud, | |
With whack and screech they stopp’d the same. | 40 |
|
Sae loud the tongues o’ randies grew, | |
The flytin’ and the skirlin’ grew, | |
At all the windows in the place, | |
Wi’ spoons or knives, wi’ needle or awl, | |
Was thrust out every hand and face. | 45 |
|
And down each stair they throng’d anon, | |
Gentle, semple, throng’d anon: | |
Souter and tailor, frowsy Nan, | |
The ancient widow young again, | |
Simpering behind her fan. | 50 |
|
Without a choice, against their will, | |
Doited, dazed, against their will, | |
The market lassie and her mither, | |
The farmer and his husbandman, | |
Hand in hand dance a’ thegither. | 55 |
|
Slow at first, but faster soon, | |
Still increasing, wild and fast, | |
Hoods and mantles, hats and hose, | |
Blindly doff’d and cast away, | |
Left them naked, heads and toes. | 60 |
|
They would have torn us limb from limb, | |
Dainty limb from dainty limb; | |
But never one of them could win | |
Across the line that I had drawn | |
With bleeding thumb a-widdershin. | 65 |
|
But there was Jeff the provost’s son, | |
Jeff the provost’s only son; | |
There was Father Auld himsel’, | |
The Lombard frae the hostelry, | |
And the lawyer Peter Fell. | 70 |
|
All goodly men we singled out, | |
Waled them well, and singled out, | |
And drew them by the left hand in; | |
Mysie the priest, and Elspie won | |
The Lombard, Nort the lawyer carle, | 75 |
I mysel’ the provost’s son. | |
|
Then, with cantrip kisses seven, | |
Three times round with kisses seven, | |
Warp’d and woven there spun we | |
Arms and legs and flaming hair, | 80 |
Like a whirlwind on the sea. | |
|
Like a wind that sucks the sea, | |
Over and in and on the sea, | |
Good sooth it was a mad delight; | |
And every man of all the four | 85 |
Shut his eyes and laugh’d outright. | |
|
Laugh’d as long as they had breath, | |
Laugh’d while they had sense or breath; | |
And close about us coil’d a mist | |
Of gnats and midges, wasps and flies, | 90 |
Like the whirlwind shaft it rist. | |
|
Drawn up I was right off my feet, | |
Into the mist and off my feet; | |
And, dancing on each chimney-top, | |
I saw a thousand darling imps | 95 |
Keeping time with skip and hop. | |
|
And on the provost’s brave ridge-tile, | |
On the provost’s grand ridge-tile, | |
The Blackamoor first to master me | |
I saw, I saw that winsome smile, | 100 |
The mouth that did my heart beguile, | |
And spoke the great Word over me, | |
In the land beyond the sea. | |
|
I call’d his name, I call’d aloud, | |
Alas! I call’d on him aloud; | 105 |
And then he fill’d his hand with stour, | |
And threw it towards me in the air; | |
My mouse flew out, I lost my pow’r! | |
|
My lusty strength, my power were gone; | |
Power was gone, and all was gone. | 110 |
He will not let me love him more! | |
Of bell and whip and horse’s tail | |
He cares not if I find a store. | |
|
But I am proud if he is fierce! | |
I am as proud as he is fierce; | 115 |
I’ll turn about and backward go, | |
If I meet again that Blackamoor, | |
And he’ll help us then, for he shall know | |
I seek another paramour. | |
|
And we’ll gang once more to yon town, | 120 |
Wi’ better luck to yon town; | |
We’ll walk in silk and cramoisie, | |
And I shall wed the provost’s son | |
My lady of the town I’ll be! | |
|
For I was born a crown’d king’s child, | 125 |
Born and nursed a king’s child, | |
King o’ a land ayont the sea, | |
Where the Blackamoor kiss’d me first, | |
And taught me art and glamourie. | |
|
Each one in her wame shall hide | 130 |
Her hairy mouse, her wary mouse, | |
Fed on madwort and agramie,— | |
Wear amber beads between her breasts, | |
And blind-worm’s skin about her knee. | |
|
The Lombard shall be Elspie’s man, | 135 |
Elspie’s gowden husband-man; | |
Nort shall take the lawyer’s hand; | |
The priest shall swear another vow: | |
We’ll dance again the saraband! | |