LXXV

LOVE'S ENTERPRISE.

Over the mountains

And over the waves, Under the fountains

And under the graves;
Under floods that are deepest,
Which Neptune obey,

Over rocks that are steepest
Love will find out the way.

Where there is no place

For the glowworm to lie;

Where there is no space

For receipt of a fly;

Where the midge dares not venture,
Lest herself fast she lay;

If Love come, he will enter
And find out the way.

You may esteem him

A child for his might;

Or you may deem him

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ΙΟ

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A coward from his flight;

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His plots to prevent;

But if once the message greet him,
That his true-love doth stay,

There were twa brothers at the scule,
And when they got awa'-

'Its will ye play at the stane-chucking,

Or will ye play at the ba',

Or will ye gae up to yon hill head,

And there we'll warsell a fa'.'

'I winna play at the stane-chucking,

Nor will I play at the ba',

But I'll gae up to yon bonnie green hill,
And there we'll warsel a fa'.

They warsled up, they warsled down,

Till John fell to the ground;

A dirk fell out of Willie's pouch,
And gave him a deadly wound.

'Oh, Billie, lift me on your back,

Take me to yon well fair,

And wash the bluid frae aff my wound,
And it will bleed nae mair.'

He's lifted his brother upon his back,

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And torn it gair by gair;
He's stappit it in his bluidy wound,
But ay it bled mair and mair.

'Tak now aff my green sleiding,

And row me saftly in;

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'What will ye say to your father dear

When ye gae hame at e'en?'

'I'll say ye're lying at yon kirk style, Where the grass grows fair and green.

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"O no, O no, my brother dear,

O you must not say so;

But say that I'm gane to a foreign land,
Where nae man does me know.

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When he sat in his father's chair
He grew baith pale and wan.

'O what blude's that upon your brow?

O dear son, tell to me.'

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'It is the blude o' my gude gray steed, He wadna ride wi' me.'

'O thy steed's blude was ne'er sae red, Nor e'er sae dear to me:

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O what blude's this upon your cheek?

O dear son, tell to me.'

He wadna hunt for me.'

'It is the blude of my greyhound,

'O thy hound's blude was ne'er sae red, Nor e'er sae dear to me :

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O what blude's this upon your hand?

O dear son, tell to me.'

'It is the blude of my gay gosshawk,

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He wadna flee for me.'

'O thy hawk's blude was ne'er sae red, Nor e'er sae dear to me :

O what blude's this upon your dirk?

Dear Willie, tell to me.'

It is the blude of my ae brother,

O dule and wae is me!'

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'O what will ye say to your father,

Dear Willie, tell to me?'

'I'll saddle my steed, and awa' I'll ride

To dwell in some far countrie.'

'O when will ye come hame again,

Dear Willie, tell to me?'

'When the sun and mune dance on yon green,

And that will never be.'

She turned hersel' right round about,

And her heart burst into three :

'My ae best son is deid and gane, And my tother ane I'll ne'er see.'

Anon.

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LXXVII

THE TWA SISTERS.

There were twa sisters lived in a bouir;
Binnorie, O Binnorie;

The youngest o' them, oh, she was a flouir !
By the bonnie mill-dams o' Binnorie.

There came a squire frae the west;

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He lo'ed them baith, but the youngest best;

He gied the eldest a gay gowd ring;
But he lo'ed the youngest abune a' thing.

He courted the eldest wi' broach and knife;

But he lo'ed the youngest as his life.

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The eldest she was vexèd sair,

And sore envied her sister fair.

And it fell once upon a day,
The eldest to the youngest did say: