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Andrew Lang - Willie`s Ladye
Work rating: Low

Willie has ta`en him o`er the faem,
He`s wooed a wife, and brought her hame;
He`s wooed her for her yellow hair,
But his mother wrought her meikle care;

And meikle dolour gar`d her dree,
For lighter she can never be;
But in her bow`r she sits with pain,
And Willie mourns o`er her in vain.

And to his mother he has gane,
That vile rank witch, of vilest kind!
He says--"My lady has a cup,
With gowd and silver set about;
This gudely gift shall be your ain,
And let her be lighter of her bairn."

"Of her bairn she`s never be lighter,
Nor in her bow`r to shine the brighter
But she shall die, and turn to clay,
And you shall wed another may."

"Another may I`ll never wed,
Another may I`ll never bring hame."
But, sighing, said that weary wight--
"I wish my life were at an end."

"Yet gae ye to your mother again,
That vile rank witch, of vilest kind
And say, your ladye has a steed,
The like of him`s no in the land of Leed.

"For he is silver shod before,
And he is gowden shod behind;
At every tuft of that horse mane
There`s a golden chess, and a bell to ring.
This gudely gift shall be her ain,
And let me be lighter of my bairn."

"Of her young bairn she`s ne`er be lighter,
Nor in her bow`r to shine the brighter;
But she shall die, and turn to clay,
And ye shall wed another may."

"Another may I`ll never wed,
Another may I`ll never bring hame."
But, sighing, said that weary wight--
I wish my life were at an end!"

"Yet gae ye to your mother again,
That vile rank witch, of rankest kind!
And say, your ladye has a girdle,
It`s all red gowd to the middle;

"And aye, at ilka siller hem,
Hang fifty siller bells and ten;
This gudely gift shall be her ain,
And let me be lighter of my bairn."

"Of her young bairn she`s ne`er be lighter,
Nor in your bow`r to shine the brighter;
For she shall die, and turn to clay,
And thou shall wed another may."

"Another may I`ll never wed,
Another may I`ll never bring hame."
But, sighing, said that weary wight--
"I wish my days were at an end!"

Then out and spak the Billy Blind,
He spak aye in good time [his mind]:-
"Yet gae ye to the market place,
And there do buy a loaf of wace;
Do shape it bairn and bairnly like,
And in it two glassen een you`ll put.

"Oh, wha has loosed the nine witch-knots
That were amang that ladye`s locks?
And wha`s ta`en out the kames of care,
That were amang that ladye`s hair?

"And wha has ta`en down that bush of woodbine
That hung between her bow`r and mine?
And wha has kill`d the master kid
That ran beneath that ladye`s bed?
And wha has loosed her left foot shee,
And let that ladye lighter be?"

Syne, Willie`s loosed the nine witch-knots
That were amang that ladye`s locks;
And Willie`s ta`en out the kames of care
That were into that ladye`s hair;
And he`s ta`en down the bush of woodbine,
Hung atween her bow`r and the witch carline.

And he has killed the master kid
That ran beneath that ladye`s bed;
And he has loosed her left foot shee,
And latten that ladye lighter be;
And now he has gotten a bonnie son,
And meikle grace be him upon.
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