Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border Volume Ii Part 11

She princked hersell and prinn'd hersell, By the ae light of the moon, And she's away to Carterhaugh, To speak wi' young Tamlane.

And when she cam to Carterhaugh, She gaed beside the well; And there she saw the steed standing, But away was himsell.

She hadna pu'd a double rose, A rose but only twae, When up and started young Tamlane, Says--"Lady, thou pu's nae mae!

"Why pu' ye the rose, Janet, "Within this garden grene, "And a' to kill the bonny babe, "That we got us between?"

"The truth ye'll tell to me, Tamlane; "A word ye mauna lie; "Gin ye're ye was in haly chapel, "Or sained[B] in Christentie."

"The truth I'll tell to thee, Janet, "A word I winna lie; "A knight me got, and a lady me bore, "As well as they did thee.

"Randolph, Earl Murray, was my sire, "Dunbar, Earl March, is thine; "We loved when we were children small, "Which yet you well may mind.

"When I was a boy just turned of nine, "My uncle sent for me, "To hunt, and hawk, and ride with him, "And keep him c.u.mpanie.

"There came a wind out of the north, "A sharp wind and a snell; "And a dead sleep came over me, "And frae my horse I fell.

"The Queen of Fairies keppit me, "In yon green hill to dwell; "And I'm a Fairy, lyth and limb; "Fair ladye, view me well.

"But we, that live in Fairy-land, "No sickness know, nor pain; "I quit my body when I will, "And take to it again.

"I quit my body when I please, "Or unto it repair; "We can inhabit, at our ease, "In either earth or air.

"Our shapes and size we can convert, "To either large or small; "An old nut-sh.e.l.l's the same to us, "As is the lofty hall.

"We sleep in rose-buds, soft and sweet, "We revel in the stream; "We wanton lightly on the wind, "Or glide on a sunbeam.

"And all our wants are well supplied, "From every rich man's store, "Who thankless sins the gifts he gets, "And vainly grasps for more.

"Then would I never tire, Janet, "In elfish land to dwell; "But aye at every seven years, "They pay the teind to h.e.l.l; "And I am sae fat, and fair of flesh, "I fear 'twill be mysell.

"This night is Hallowe'en, Janet, "The morn is Hallowday;

"And, gin ye dare your true love win, "Ye hae na time to stay.

"The night it is good Hallowe'en, "When fairy folk will ride; "And they, that wad their true love win, "At Miles Cross they maun bide."

"But how shall I thee ken, Tamlane?

"Or how shall I thee knaw, "Amang so many unearthly knights, "The like I never saw.?"

"The first company, that pa.s.ses by, "Say na, and let them gae; "The next company, that pa.s.ses by, "Say na, and do right sae; "The third company, that pa.s.ses by, "Than I'll be ane o' thae.

"First let pa.s.s the black, Janet, "And syne let pa.s.s the brown; "But grip ye to the milk-white steed, "And pu' the rider down.

"For I ride on the milk-white steed, "And ay nearest the town; "Because I was a christened knight, "They gave me that renown.

"My right hand will be gloved, Janet, "My left hand will be bare; "And these the tokens I gie thee, "Nae doubt I will be there.

"They'll turn me in your arms, Janet, "An adder and a snake; "But had me fast, let me not pa.s.s, "Gin ye wad be my maik.

"They'll turn me in your arms, Janet, "An adder and an ask; "They'll turn me in your arms, Janet, "A bale[C] that burns fast.

"They'll turn me in your arms, Janet, "A red-hot gad o' aim; "But had me fast, let me not pa.s.s, "For I'll do you no harm.

"First, dip me in a stand o' milk, "And then in a stand o' water; "But had me fast, let me not pa.s.s-- "I'll be your bairn's father.

"And, next, they'll shape me in your arms, "A toad, but and an eel; "But had me fast, nor let me gang, "As you do love me weel.

"They'll shape me in your arms, Janet, "A dove, but and a swan; "And, last, they'll shape me in your arms, "A mother-naked man: "Cast your green mantle over me-- "I'll be mysell again."

Gloomy, gloomy, was the night, And eiry[D] was the way, As fair Janet, in her green mantle, To Miles Cross she did gae.

The heavens were black, the night was dark, And dreary was the place;

But Janet stood, with eager wish, Her lover to embrace.

Betwixt the hours of twelve and one, A north wind tore the bent; And straight she heard strange elritch sounds Upon that wind which went.

About the dead hour o' the night, She heard the bridles ring; And Janet was as glad o' that, As any earthly thing!

Their oaten pipes blew wondrous shrill, The hemlock small blew clear; And louder notes from hemlock large, And bog-reed struck the ear; But solemn sounds, or sober thoughts, The Fairies cannot bear.

They sing, inspired with love and joy, Like sky-larks in the air; Of solid sense, or thought that's grave, You'll find no traces there.

Fair Janet stood, with mind unmoved, The dreary heath upon; And louder, louder, wax'd the sound, As they came riding on.

Will o' Wisp before them went, Sent forth a twinkling light; And soon she saw the Fairy bands All riding in her sight.

And first gaed by the black black steed, And then gaed by the brown; But fast she gript the milk-white steed, And pu'd the rider down.

She pu'd him frae the milk-white steed, And loot the bridle fa'; And up there raise an erlish[E] cry-- "He's won amang us a'!"

They shaped him in fair Janet's arms, An esk[F], but and an adder; She held him fast in every shape-- To be her bairn's father.

They shaped him in her arms at last, A mother-naked man; She wrapt him in her green mantle, And sae her true love wan.

Up then spake the Queen o' Fairies, Out o' a bush o' broom-- "She that has borrowed young Tamlane, Has gotten a stately groom."

Up then spake the Queen of Fairies, Out o' a bush of rye-- "She's ta'en awa the bonniest knight In a' my c.u.mpanie.

"But had I kenn'd, Tamlane," she says, "A lady wad borrowed thee-- "I wad ta'en out thy twa gray een, "Put in twa een o' tree.

"Had I but kenn'd, Tamlane," she says, "Before ye came frae hame-- "I wad tane out your heart o' flesh, "Put in a heart o' stane.

"Had I but had the wit yestreen, "That I hae coft[G] the day-- "I'd paid my kane seven times to h.e.l.l, "Ere you'd been won away!"

[Footnote A: The ladies are always represented, in Dunbar's Poems, with green mantles and yellow hair. _Maitland Poems,_ Vol. I. p. 45.]

[Footnote B: _Sained_--Hallowed.]