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I
O ALISON GROSS, that lives in yon tow’r, | |
| The ugliest witch i’ the north countrie, | |
| Has trysted me ae day up till her bow’r | |
| And mony fair speeches she made to me. | |
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II
She straik’d my head an’ she kaim’d my hair, | 5 |
| An’ she set me down saftly on her knee; | |
| Says, ‘Gin ye will be my lemman sae true, | |
| Sae mony braw things as I would you gie!’ | |
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III
She show’d me a mantle o’ red scarlét, | |
| Wi’ gouden flowers an’ fringes fine; | 10 |
| Says, ‘Gin ye will be my lemman sae true, | |
| This gudely gift it sall be thine.’— | |
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IV
‘Awa’, awa’, ye ugly witch, | |
| Haud far awa’, an’ lat me be! | |
| I never will be your lemman sae true, | 15 |
| An’ I wish I were out o’ your company.’ | |
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V
She neist brought a sark o’ the saftest silk, | |
| Well wrought wi’ pearls about the band; | |
| Says, ‘Gin ye will be my lemman sae true, | |
| This gudely gift ye sall command.’ | 20 |
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VI
She show’d me a cup o’ the good red gowd, | |
| Well set wi’ jewels sae fair to see; | |
| Says, ‘Gin ye will be my lemman sae true, | |
| This gudely gift I will you gie.’— | |
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VII
‘Awa’, awa’, ye ugly witch, | 25 |
| Haud far awa’, an’ lat me be! | |
| For I wouldna once kiss your ugly mouth | |
| For a’ the gifts that ye could gie.’ | |
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VIII
She’s turn’d her right an’ roun’ about, | |
| An’ thrice she blaw on a grass-green horn; | 30 |
| An’ she sware by the moon an’ the stars abune | |
| That she’d gar me rue the day I was born. | |
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IX
Then out has she ta’en a silver wand, | |
| An’ she’s turn’d her three times roun’ and roun’; | |
| She mutter’d sic words till my strength it fail’d, | 35 |
| An’ I fell down senseless upon the groun’. | |
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X
She’s turn’d me into an ugly worm, | |
| And gar’d me toddle about the tree; | |
| An’ ay, on ilka Saturday’s night, | |
| My sister Maisry came to me, | 40 |
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XI
Wi’ silver bason an’ silver kaim | |
| To kaim my headie upon her knee; | |
| But or I had kiss’d [wi’ Alison Gross] | |
| I’d sooner ha’ toddled about the tree. | |
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XII
But as it fell out, on last Hallowe’en, | 45 |
| When the Seely Court was ridin’ by, | |
| The Queen lighted down on a gowany bank | |
| Nae far frae the tree where I wont to lye. | |
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XIII
She took me up in her milk-white han’, | |
| An’ she’s straik’d me three times o’er her knee; | 50 |
| She changed me again to my ain proper shape, | |
| An’ nae mair I toddle about the tree. | |
| | | GLOSS: jimp] slim, slender. trysted] invited. lemman] sweetheart. haud] hold, keep. Seely Court] the Happy Court (of the Fairies). gowany] daisied. |
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