Sacred Texts Legends & Sagas England Index Previous Next
260A.1 LORD THOMAS is to the hunting gone, To hunt the fallow deer; Lady Margaret’s to the greenwood shaw, To see her lover hunt there. 260A.2 He has looked over his left shoulder, To see what might be seen, And there he saw Lady Margaret, As she was riding her lane. 260A.3 He called on his servants all, By one, by two, by three: ‘Go hunt, go hunt that wild woman, Go hunt her far from me!’ 260A.4 They hunted her high, they hunted her low, They hunted her over the plain, And the red scarlet robes Lady Margaret had on Would never be mended again. 260A.5 They hunted her high, they hunted her low, They hunted her over the plain, Till at last she spy’d a tall young man, As he was riding alane. 260A.6 ‘Some relief, some relief, thou tall young man! Some relief I pray thee grant me! For I am a lady deep wronged in love, And chased from my own countrie.’ 260A.7 ‘No relief, no relief, thou lady fair, No relief will I grant unto thee Till once thou renounce all the men in the world My wedded wife for to be.’ 260A.8 Then he set her on a milk-white steed, Himself upon a gray, And he has drawn his hat over his face, And chearfully they rode away. 260A.9 Lady Margaret was at her bower-window, Sewing her silken seam, And there she spy’d, like a wandering bodie, Lord Thomas begging alane. 260A.10 ‘Dome relief, some relief, thou lady fair! Some relief, I pray thee grant me! For I am a puir auld doited carle, And banishd from my ain countrie.’ 260A.11 ‘No relief, no relief, thou perjured man, No relief will I grant unto thee; For oh, if I had thee within my bower, There hanged dead thou would be.’ 260A.12 ‘No such thing, Lady Margaret,’ he said, ‘Such a thing would never be; For with my broadsword I would kill thy wedded lord, And carry thee far off with me.’ 260A.13 ‘Oh no, no! Lord Thomas,’ she said, ‘Oh, no such things must be; For I have wine in my cellars, And you must drink with me.’ 260A.14 Lady Margaret then called her servants all, By one, by two, by three: ‘Go fetch me the bottles of blude-red wine, That Lord Thomas may drink with me.’ 260A.15 They brought her the bottles of blude-red wine, By one, by two, by three, And with her fingers long and small She poisond them all three. 260A.16 She took the cup in her lilly-white hand, Betwixt her finger and her thumb, She put it to her red rosy lips, But never a drop went down. 260A.17 Then he took the cup in his manly hand, Betwixt his finger and his thumb, He put it to his red rosy lips, And so merrily it ran down. 260A.18 ‘Oh, I am wearied drinking with thee, Margaret! I am wearied drinking with thee!’ ‘And so was I,’ Lady Margaret said, ‘When thou hunted thy hounds after me.’ 260A.19 ‘But I will bury thee, Lord Thomas,’ she said, ‘Just as if thou wert one of my own; And when that my good lord comes home I will say thou’s my sister’s son.’
260B.1 CLERK TAMAS lovd her fair Annie As well as Mary lovd her son; But now he hates her fair Annie, And hates the lands that she lives in. 260B.2 ‘Ohon, alas!’ said fair Annie, ‘Alas! this day I fear I’ll die; But I will on to sweet Tamas, And see gin he will pity me.’ 260B.3 As Tamas lay ower his shott-window, Just as the sun was gaen down, There he beheld her fair Annie, As she came walking to the town. 260B.4 ‘O where are a’ my well-wight men, I wat, that I pay meat and fee, For to lat a’ my hounds gang loose To hunt this vile whore to the sea.’ 260B.5 The hounds they knew the lady well, And nane o them they woud her bite, Save ane that is ca’d Gaudywhere, I wat he did the lady smite. 260B.6 ‘O wae mat worth ye, Gaudywhere! An ill reward this is to me; For ae bit that I gae the lave, I’m very sure I’ve gien you three. 260B.7 ‘For me, alas! there’s nae remeid, Here comes the day that I maun die; I ken ye lovd your master well, And sae, alas for me! did I.’ 260B.8 A captain lay ower his ship-window, Just as the sun was gaen down; There he beheld her fair Annie, As she was hunted frae the town. 260B.9 ‘Gin ye’ll forsake father and mither, And sae will ye your friends and kin, Gin ye’ll forsake your lands sae broad, Then come and I will take you in.’ 260B.10 ‘Yes, I’ll forsake baith father and mither, And sae will I my friends and kin; Yes, I’ll forsake my lands sae broad, And come gin ye will take me in.’ 260B.11 Then a’ thing gaed frae fause Tamas, And there was naething byde him wi; Then he thought lang for Arrandella, It was fair Annie for to see. 260B.12 ‘How do ye now, ye sweet Tamas? And how gaes a’ in your countrie?’ ‘I’ll do better to you than ever I’ve done, Fair Annie, gin ye’ll come an see.’ 260B.13 ‘O Guid Forbid,’ said fair Annie, ‘That e’er the like fa in my hand! Woud I forsake my ain gude lord And follow you, a gae-through-land? 260B.14 ‘Yet nevertheless now, sweet Tamas, Ye’ll drink a cup o wine wi me, And nine times in the live lang day Your fair claithing shall changed be.’ 260B.15 Fair Annie pat it till her cheek, Sae did she till her milk-white chin, Sae did she till her flattering lips, But never a drap o wine gaed in. 260B.16 Tamas put it till his cheek, Sae did he till he dimpled chin; He pat it till his rosy lips, And then the well o wine gaed in. 260B.17 ‘These pains,’ said he, ‘are ill to bide; Here is the day that I maun die; O take this cup frae me, Annie, For o the same I am weary.’ 260B.18 ‘And sae was I o you, Tamas, When I was hunted to the sea; But I’se gar bury you in state, Which is mair than ye’d done to me.’