Instead o' dancers to dance a dance,

Or minstrels for to play,

Were four-and-twenty well-wight men
Turned birds o' feathers gray;

Her seven sons in seven swans,
Aboon their heads to flee;
And he himsel' a gay gos-hawk,
A bird o' high degree.

This flock o' birds took flight and flew

Beyond the raging sea;

They landed near the Earl Mar's castle, And took shelter in every tree.

They were a flock o' pretty birds,
Right wondrous to be seen;
The weddin'eers they looked at them
Whilst walking on the green.

These birds flew out frae bush and tree, And lichted on the ha';

And, when the wedding-train cam' forth, Flew down amang them a'.

The storks they seized the boldest men,
That they could not fight or flee;

The swans they bound the bridegroom fast
Unto a green aik tree.

They flew around the bride-maidens,

Around the bride's own head;

And, wi' the twinkling o' an ee,

The bride and they were fled.

There's ancient men at weddings been
For eighty years or more;

But siccan a curious wedding-day
They never saw before.

For naething could the company do,
Nor naething could they say;
But they saw a flock o' pretty birds
That took their bride away.

Unknown

THE TWA SISTERS

THERE was twa sisters in a bower,
Binnorie, O Binnorie;

There was twa sisters in a bower,

Binnorie, O Binnorie;

There was twa sisters in a bower,
There came a knight to be their wooer,
By the bonny mill-dams o' Binnorie.

He courted the eldest wi' glove and ring,
But he lo'ed the youngest abune a' thing;

He courted the eldest wi' brooch and knife,
But he lo'ed the youngest abune his life;

The eldest she is vexèd sair,

And much envied her sister fair.

Into her bower she couldna rest,

Wi' grief and spite she almost brast.

Upon a morning fair and clear,

She cried upon her sister dear:

"O sister, come to yon sea-strand,

And see our father's ships come to land.”

She's ta'en her by the lily hand,
And led her down to yon sea-strand;

The youngest stude upon a stane,
The eldest came and pushed her in;

She took her by the middle sma',
And dashed her bonny back to the jaw.

"O sister, sister, reach your hand,
And
ye shall be heir of half my land."

"O sister, I'll not reach my hand, And I'll be heir of a' your land;

"Shame fa' the hand that I should take, It's twinèd me and my world's mate."

"O sister, reach me but your glove, And sweet William shall be your love."

"Sink on, nor hope for hand or glove! And sweet William shall be my love.

"Your cherry cheeks and your yellow hair, Garred me gang maiden evermair."

Sometimes she sunk, and sometimes she swam,

Until she cam to the miller's dam.

O, out it cam the miller's son,

And saw the fair maid swimmin' in.

"O father, father, draw your dam!

Here's either a mermaid, or a milk-white swan."

The miller hasted and drew his dam,
And there he found a drowned woman;

You couldna see her yellow hair,
For gowd and pearls that were so rare;

You couldna see her middle sma’,
Her gowden girdle was sae bra';

You couldna see her fingers white,
For gowden rings that were sae gryte.

A famous harper passing by,

The sweet pale face he chanced to spy;

And when he looked that lady on,
He sighed and made a heavy moan;

He made a harp of her breast-bane,
Whose sounds would melt a heart of stane;

The strings he framed of her yellow hair,
Whose notes made sad the listening ear;

He brought it to her father's ha';
And there was the court assembled a';

He laid his harp upon a stane,
And straight it began to play alane:

"O yonder sits my father, the king,
And yonder sits my mother, the queen;

"And yonder stands my brother Hugh,
And by him my William, sweet and true."

But the last tune that the harp played then,
Binnorie, O Binnorie;

Was-“Wae to my sister, false Helen!"

By the bonny mill-dams o' Binnorie.

THE WIFE OF USHER'S WELL

THERE lived a wife at Usher's Well,

And a wealthy wife was she;
She had three stout and stalwart sons,
And sent them o'er the sea.

They hadna been a week from her
A week but barely ane,

Whan word came to the carline wife,
That her three sons were gane.

They hadna been a week from her,
A week but barely three,

Whan word came to the carline wife,

That her sons she'd never see.

Unknown

"I wish the wind may never cease, Nor fashes in the flood,

Till my three sons come hame to me,

In earthly flesh and blood!"

It fell about the Martinmas,

When nights are lang and mirk,

The carline wife's three sons came hame, And their hats were o' the birk.

It neither grew in syke nor ditch,
Nor yet in ony sheugh;
But at the gates o' Paradise,

That birk grew fair eneugh.

"Blow up the fire, my maidens!
Bring water from the well!

For a' my house shall feast this night,
Since my three sons are well."

And she had made to them a bed,
She's made it large and wide;
And she's ta'en her mantle her about,
Sat down at the bed-side.

Up then crew the red, red cock,
And up and crew the gray;
The eldest to the youngest said,
"Tis time we were awa'."

The cock he hadna crawed but once,

And clapped his wings at a',

Whan the youngest to the eldest said,

"Brother, we must awa'.

"The cock doth craw, the day doth daw',

The channerin' worm doth chide;

Gin we be missed out o' our place,

A sair pain we maun bide."