Minstrelsy of the Scottish border - National Library of Scotland

THE SCOTTISH EORDET^. 29
" O out of my den I winna rise,
" Nor flee it for the fear o"" thee,
" Till Kempion, that courteous knight,
He''s louted him o'er the lofty crag,
And he has giVn her kisses three
Awa she gaed, and again she cam,
The loveliest ladye e'er could be.
" And by my sooth," says Kempion,
" My ain true love (for this is she,)
" They surely had a heart o"" stane,
" Could put thee to such misery.
" O was it warwolf in the wood ?
" Or was it mermaid in the sea ?
*' Or was it man, or vile woman,
" My ain true love, that mishaped thee ?*"
" It wasna warwolf in the wood,
" Nor was it mermaid in the sea ;
" But it was my wicked step-mother,
" And wae and weary may she be !"