Tell him to buy me an acre of land,
(Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme),
Betwixt the salt water and the sea sand,
Then he shall be a true lover of mine.
Tell him to plough it with a ram’s
horn.
(Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme),
And sow it all over with one pepper corn.
And he shall be a true lover of mine.
Tell him to shear’t with a sickle
of leather,
(Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme),
And bind it up with a peacock feather,
And he shall be a true lover of mine.
Tell him to thrash it on yonder wall,
(Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme),
And never let one corn of it fall,
Then he shall be a true lover of mine.
When he has done and finished his work,
(Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme),
O tell him to come and he’ll have
his shirt,
And he shall be a true lover of mine.
O THE OAK AND THE ASH.
A North country mayde up to London had
strayed,
Although with her nature it did not agree.
Which made her repent, and often lament,
Still wishing again in the North for to
be.
“O the Oak and the Ash
and the bonny Ivy tree,
They are all growing green
in my North Countrie!”
“O fain wad I be in the North Countrie
Where the lads and the lasses are all
making hay;
O there wad I see what is pleasant to
me,—
A mischief ’light on them enticed
me away!
O the Oak and the Ash and
the bonny Ivy tree,
They are all growing green
in my North Countrie!”
“Then farewell my father, and farewell
my mother,
Until I do see you I nothing but mourn;
Remembering my brothers, my sisters, and
others—
In less than a year I hope to return.
O the Oak and the Ash and
the bonny Ivy tree.
They are all growing green
in my North Countrie!”
SAIR FEYL’D, HINNY!
“Sair feyl’d,
hinny!
Sair feyl’d
now,
Sair feyl’d,
hinny,
Sin’ aw
ken’d thou.
Aw was young and lusty,
Aw was fair and clear;
Aw was young and lusty
Mony a lang year.
Sair feyl’d,
hinny!
Sair feyl’d
now;
Sair feyl’d,
hinny,
Sin’ aw
ken’d thou.
“When aw was young and lusty
Aw cud lowp u dyke;
But now aw’m aud and still.
Aw can hardly stop a syke.
Sair feyl’d,
hinny!
Sair feyl’d
now,
Sair feyl’d
hinny,
Sin’ aw
ken’d thou.
“When aw was five and twenty
Aw was brave an bauld.
Now at five an’ sixty
Aw’m byeth stiff an’ cauld.
Sair feyl’d,
hinny!
Sair feyl’d
now.
Sair feyl’d,
hinny,
Sin’ aw
ken’d thou”
Thus said the aud man
To the oak tree;
“Sair feyl’d is aw
Sin’ aw kenn’d thee!
Sair feyl’d,
hinny!
Sair feyl’d
now;
Sair feyl’d,
hinny,
Sin’ aw
ken’d thou.”