J. F. Campbell Collection > Minstrelsy of the Scottish border

MINSTRELSY OF THE SCOTTISH BORDER.
' I saw the new moon, late yestreen,
Wi' the auld moon in her arm ;
And, if we gang to sea, master,
I fear we'll come to harm."
They hadna sailed a league, a league,
A league but barely three,
When the lift grew dark, and the wind blew loud,
And gurly grew the sea.
The ankers brak, and the topmasts lap,*
It was sic a deadly storm ;
And the waves cam o'er the broken ship.
Till a' her sides were torn.
■ where will I get a gude sailor,
" To take my helm in hand,
Till I get up to the tall top-mast.
To see if I can spy land ?"
O here am I, a sailor gude.
To take the helm in hand,
Till you go up to the tall top-mast ;
But I fear j'ou'll ne'er spy land."
He hadna gane a step, a step,
A step but barely ane,
When a bout flew out of our goodly ship,
And the salt sea it came in.
Gae, fetch a web o' the silken claith,
Another o' the twine.
And wap them into our ship's side.
And let na the sea come in."
They fetched a web o' the silken claith,
Another of the twine,
And they wapped them round that gude ship's side
But still the sea came in.
O laith, laith, were our gude Scots lords
To weet their cork-heel'd shoon !
But lang or a' the play was play'd,
They wat their hats aboon.
A nd mony was the feather-bed,
That flattered f on the faem ;
And mony was the gude lord's son.
Thai never mair cam hame.
Lap — Sprang. + Flattered — Fluttered, or rather floated, on tlie foam.