Page:Oxford Book of English Verse 1250-1900.djvu/456

 'I wad gie a' my gowd, my bairn, Sae wad I a' my fee, For ae blast o' the western wind, To blaw the reek frae thee.'

O then bespake her dochter dear— She was baith jimp and sma': 'O row me in a pair o' sheets, And tow me owre the wa'!'

They row'd her in a pair o' sheets, And tow'd her owre the wa'; But on the point o' Gordon's spear She gat a deadly fa'.

O bonnie, bonnie was her mouth, And cherry were her cheiks, And clear, clear was her yellow hair, Whereon the red blood dreips.

Then wi' his spear he turn'd her owre; O gin her face was wane! He said, 'Ye are the first that e'er I wish'd alive again.'

He turn'd her owre and owre again; O gin her skin was white! 'I might hae spared that bonnie face To hae been some man's delight.

'Busk and boun, my merry men a', For ill dooms I do guess; I canna look in that bonnie face As it lies on the grass.'

jimp] slender, trim. row] roll, wrap. Busk and boun] trim up and prepare to go.