"And yours was gude and gude eneuch, So open the door now, Love Gregòr, And open it wi' speed, Or your young son that's in my arms For cauld will soon be dead." "Awa', awa', ye ill woman, "O hae ye gotten another love, O hooly, hooly gaed she back, "Tak doun, tak doun that mast o' goud, Set up the mast o' tree; Ill sets it a forsaken ladie "Tak down, tak down the sails o' silk, Set up the sails o' skin; Ill sets the outside to be gay When there's sic grief within." Love Gregor started frae his sleep, "I dreamt a dream this night, mither, "I dreamt that Annie o' Lochroyan, Was standing mournin' at my door, "There was a woman at the door, O quickly, quickly raise he up, And fast, fast ran to the stran', And there he saw his fair Annie Fast sailin' from the lan'. And "Heigh, Annie," and "Ho, Annie, O Annie, winna ye bide?" But aye the louder he cried "Annie" The louder roared the tide. And "Heigh, Annie," and "Ho, Annie, O Annie, speak to me;" But aye the louder he cried "Annie," The wind grew loud, the sea grew rough, And soon he saw her, fair Annie, He saw his young son in her arms, He wrung his hands, and fast he ran, He caught her by the yellow hair, Oh! first he kissed her bonnie cheek, Oh, he has mourned for fair Annie BINNORIE. Published in Jamieson's Collection, and in Scott's Border Minstrelsy. Scott seems to have touched without improving Jamieson's version. Such lines as "A famous harper, passing by, The sweet fair face chanced to espy," are not to be compared in vigour to the original minstrel's "By there cam' a harper fine, That harped to the king at dine;" and the phrase in which the first author says of the weird harp "The harp untouched to the windes rang, are infinitely preferable to such a bald modernism as— "The strings he formed of her yellow hair, THERE were twa sisters lived in a bower, There came a knicht to be their wooer He courted the eldest wi' glove and ring, But he loved the youngest aboon a' thing, He courted the eldest wi' broach and knife; But he loved the youngest as his life, The eldest she was vexèd sair, And sair envièd her sister fair, By the bonnie mill-dams o' Binnorie. Intil her bower she couldna rest, Wi' grief and spite she maistly brast, Upon a mornin' fair and clear, She cried upon her sister dear By the bonnie mill-dams o' Binnorie. O sister come to the sea-strand, And see our father's ships come to land, She's ta'en her by the milk-white hand, And led her down to yon sea-strand The youngest stood upon a stane, The eldest cam and threw her in, She took her by the middle sma', And dashed her bonnie back to ja' "O sister, sister, tak my hand, And I'se mak ye heir to a' my land, "O sister, sister, save my life, Binnorie, O Binnorie! And I'll swear I'se never be nae man's wife, By the bonnie mill-dams o' Binnorie." "Foul fa' the hand that I should tak, Binnorie, O Binnorie! It twined me o' my warld's mak, By the bonnie mill-dams o' Binnorie. "Your cherry cheek and yellow hair, Binnorie, O Binnorie! Gar me gang maiden for evermair, By the bonnie mill-dams o' Binnorie." |