O he has mourn'd o'er fair Annie,
Till the sun was ganging down ;
Syne wi' a sich his heart it brast,

And his saul to heaven has flown.

135

THE LASS OF LOCHROYAN.

Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, iii. 199.

"THIS edition of the ballad is composed of verses selected from three MS. copies, and two obtained from recitation. Two of the copies are in Herd's MS.; the third in that of Mrs. Brown of Falkland.”

Lord Gregory is represented in Scott's version, as confined by fairy charms in an enchanted castle situated in the sea." But Jamieson assures us that when a boy he had frequently heard this ballad chanted in Morayshire, and no mention was ever made of enchantment, or 66 fairy charms." "Indeed," he very justly adds, "the two stanzas on that subject [v. 4152,] are in a style of composition very peculiar, and different from the rest of the piece, and strongly remind us of the interpolations in the ballad of Gil Morris."

“O WHA will shoe my bonny foot?
And wha will glove my hand?
And wha will lace my middle jimp
Wi' a lang, lang linen band ?

"O wha will kame my yellow hair,
With a new-made silver kame?
And wha will father my young son,
Till Lord Gregory come hame? ".

"Thy father will shoe thy bonny foot,
Thy mother will glove thy hand,
Thy sister will lace thy middle jimp,
Till Lord Gregory come to land.

"Thy brother will kame thy yellow hair
With a new-made silver kame,

And God will be thy bairn's father
Till Lord Gregory come hame."

“But I will get a bonny boat,

And I will sail the sea;

5

10

15

And I will gang to Lord Gregory,

Since he canna come hame to me.”

20

Syne she's gar'd build a bonny boat,
To sail the salt, salt sea;

The sails were o' the light green silk,
The tows o' taffety.

30

She hadna sailed but twenty leagues,

But twenty leagues and three, When she met wi' a rank robber,

And a' his company.

"Now whether are ye the queen hersell,

(For so ye weel might be,)

Or are ye the Lass of Lochroyan,
Seekin' Lord Gregory?"-

"O I am neither the queen." she said,

"Nor sic I seem to be;

But I am the Lass of Lochroyan,
Seekin' Lord Gregory."

"O see na thou yon bonny bower,

It's a' cover'd o'er wi' tin?

When thou hast sail'd it round about,

Lord Gregory is within.”

And when she saw the stately tower

Shining sae clear and bright, Whilk stood aboon the jawing wave, Built on a rock of height;

Says "Row the boat, my mariners,

And bring me to the land!

For yonder I see my love's castle

Close by the salt-sea strand."

25

She sail'd it round, and sail'd it round,
And loud, loud cried she-

“Now break, now break, ye fairy charms, And set my true love free!”

She's ta'en her young son in her arms,

And to the door she's gane;

50

And long she knock'd, and sair she ca'd, 55

But answer got she nane.

"O open the door, Lord Gregory!

O open and let me in!

For the wind blaws through my yellow hair,

And the rain draps o'er my chin.”

00

"I am neither witch, nor wil warlock,

65

Nor mermaid o' the sea;

But I am Annie of Lochroyan ;

O open the door to me!".

"Gin thou be Annie of Lochroyan,

(As I trow thou binna she,)

Now tell me some o' the love tokens

That past between thee and me.".

70