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Andrew Lang - Alison Gross
Work rating: Low

O Alison Gross, that lives in yon tow`r,
The ugliest witch in the north countrie,
She trysted me ae day up till her bow`r,
And mony fair speeches she made to me.

She straik`d my head, and she kaim`d my hair,
And she set me down saftly on her knee;
Says--"If ye will be my leman sae true,
Sae mony braw things as I will you gi`e."

She shaw`d me a mantle of red scarlet,
With gowden flowers and fringes fine;
Says--"If ye will be my leman sae true,
This goodly gift it shall be thine."

"Awa, awa, ye ugly witch,
Hand far awa, and let me be;
I never will be your leman sae true,
And I wish I were out of your company."

She neist brocht a sark of the saftest silk,
Weel wrought with pearls about the band;
Says--"If ye will be my ain true love,
This goodly gift ye shall command."

She show`d me a cup of the good red gowd,
Weel set with jewels sae fair to see;
Says--"If ye will be my leman sae true,
This goodly gift I will you gi`e."

"Awa, awa, ye ugly witch,
Haud far awa, and let me be;
For I wadna ance kiss your ugly mouth,
For all the gifts that ye cou`d gi`e."

She`s turn`d her richt and round about,
And thrice she blew on a grass-green horn;
And she sware by the moon and the stars aboon,
That she`d gar me rue the day I was born.

Then out has she ta`en a silver wand,
And she turn`d her three times round and round;
She mutter`d sic words, that my strength it fail`d,
And I fell down senseless on the ground.

She turn`d me into an ugly worm,
And gar`d me toddle about the tree;
And aye on ilka Saturday night,
Auld Alison Gross she came to me,

With silver basin, and silver kame,
To kame my headie upon her knee;
But rather than kiss her ugly mouth,
I`d ha`e toddled for ever about the tree.

But as it fell out on last Hallow-e`en,
When the seely court was ridin` by,
The queen lighted down on a gowan bank,
Near by the tree where I wont to lye.

She took me up in her milk-white hand,
And she straik`d me three times o`er her knee;
She chang`d me again to my ain proper shape,
And nae mair do I toddle about the tree.
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