Glen Collection of printed music > Printed text > Scottish ballads

301
WILLIE AND MAY MARGARET.
Willie stands in his stable door,
And clapping at his steed_,
And looking ower his white fingers,
His nose began to bleed.
** Gie corn unto my horse, mother ;
Gie meat unto my man ;
For I maun gang to Margaret's bower,
Before the nicht comes on."
" O stay at hame, now, my son Willie I
The wind blaws cauld and dour ;
The nicht will be baith mirk and late,
Before you reach her bower."
" O though the nicht were never sae dark,
Or the wind blew never sae cauld,
I will be in my Margaret's bower,
Before twa houi-s be tauld."
" O gin ye gang to May Margaret,
Without the leave o' me,
Clyde's water's wide and deep eneuch—
My malison droun thee I"
There lived twa sisters in a bouir ;
Stirling for aye ;
The youngest o' them, O, she was a flouir !
Bonnie Sanct Johnstoune stands upon Tay.
A fourth edition, with a different burden, has still more recently been given
by Mr Buchan, in his " Ancient B; llads," 182H. In the present reading,
the best lines and stanzas of all t e four copies are used, according, as
usual, to the taste of the editor. The twenty-fourth verse is of Mr Jamie-
son's own composition. The ballad is of considerable antiquity. Sir Wal-
ter Scott conjectures that the burden, " Binnorie, O Binnorie," is a cor-
ruption of " Hey, nonny, nonny, " alluded to in Shakspeare's delightful
song, " Sigh no more, ladye;" and Mr Jamieson shows, from a parody
published in 1656, that it must have been popular in England before that
period.
2c