218THE FALSE LOVER WON BACK

A.‘The Fause Lover,’ Buchan’s MSS, I, 114; Buchan’s Ballads of the North of Scotland, I, 268.

B.‘The place where my love Johnny dwells,’ Christie’s Traditional Ballad Airs, I, 144.

A young man is deserting one maid for another. The object of his new fancy lives at a distance, and he is on his way to her. He is followed by his old love from stage to stage; he repelling her, and she tenderly remonstrating. His heart gradually softens; he buys her gifts from town to town, and though each time he bids her go back, he ends with buying her a wedding gown (ring) and marrying her.

Two pretty stanzas inA, 4, 5, seem not to belong to this story. The inconstant youth would have been only too glad to have the faithful maid look to other men, and gives her all liberty to do so. These two stanzas are first found in Herd’s MSS, I, 53, and inHerd’s Ancient and Modern Scottish Songs, 1776, II, 6, as follows:

False luve, and hae ye played me this,In the simmer, mid the flowers?I sall repay ye back agen,In the winter, mid the showers.Bot again, dear luve, and again, dear luve,Will ye not turn again?As ye look to ither women,Sall I to ither men.

False luve, and hae ye played me this,In the simmer, mid the flowers?I sall repay ye back agen,In the winter, mid the showers.

False luve, and hae ye played me this,

In the simmer, mid the flowers?

I sall repay ye back agen,

In the winter, mid the showers.

Bot again, dear luve, and again, dear luve,Will ye not turn again?As ye look to ither women,Sall I to ither men.

Bot again, dear luve, and again, dear luve,

Will ye not turn again?

As ye look to ither women,

Sall I to ither men.

In a manuscript at Abbotsford, entitled Scottish Songs, 1795 (containing pieces dated up to 1806), fol. 69, they stand thus:

False luve, and hae ye played me this,In simmer amang the flowers?I shall repay you back agenIn winter amang the showers.Unless again, again, dear luve,But if ye turn agen,As ye look other women to,Sall I to other men.

False luve, and hae ye played me this,In simmer amang the flowers?I shall repay you back agenIn winter amang the showers.

False luve, and hae ye played me this,

In simmer amang the flowers?

I shall repay you back agen

In winter amang the showers.

Unless again, again, dear luve,But if ye turn agen,As ye look other women to,Sall I to other men.

Unless again, again, dear luve,

But if ye turn agen,

As ye look other women to,

Sall I to other men.

Scott has put these verses, a little varied, into Davie Gellatley’s mouth, in the ninth chapter of ‘Waverley.’ The first, with a change, occurs also in ‘The Gardener,’ No 219,A7,B15,C3.

Ais translated by Rosa Warrens, Schottische Volkslieder, p. 141, No 32; by Gerhard, p. 114.

Buchan’s MSS, I, 114.

1A Fair maid sat in her bower-door,Wringing her lily hands,And by it came a sprightly youth,Fast tripping oer the strands.2‘Where gang ye, young John,’ she says,‘Sae early in the day?It gars me think, by your fast trip,Your journey’s far away.’3He turnd about wi surly look,And said, What’s that to thee?I’m gaen to see a lovely maid,Mair fairer far than ye.4‘Now hae ye playd me this, fause love,In simmer, mid the flowers?I shall repay ye back again,In winter, mid the showers.5‘But again, dear love, and again, dear love,Will ye not turn again?For as ye look to other women,I shall to other men.’6‘Make your choice of whom you please,For I my choice will have;I’ve chosen a maid more fair than thee,I never will deceive.’7But she’s kilt up her claithing fine,And after him gaed she;But aye he said, Ye’ll turn again,Nae farder gae wi me.8‘But again, dear love, and again, dear love,Will ye never love me again?Alas for loving you sae well,And you nae me again!’9The first an town that they came till,He bought her brooch and ring;And aye he bade her turn again,And gang nae farder wi him.10‘But again, dear love, and again, dear love,Will ye never love me again?Alas for loving you sae well,And you nae me again!’11The next an town that they came till,He bought her muff and gloves;But aye he bade her turn again,And choose some other loves.12‘But again, dear love, and again, dear love,Will ye never love me again?Alas for loving you sae well,And you nae me again!’13The next an town that they came till,His heart it grew mair fain,And he was as deep in love wi herAs she was ower again.14The next an town that they came till,He bought her wedding gown,And made her lady of ha’s and bowers,Into sweet Berwick town.

1A Fair maid sat in her bower-door,Wringing her lily hands,And by it came a sprightly youth,Fast tripping oer the strands.

A Fair maid sat in her bower-door,

Wringing her lily hands,

And by it came a sprightly youth,

Fast tripping oer the strands.

2‘Where gang ye, young John,’ she says,‘Sae early in the day?It gars me think, by your fast trip,Your journey’s far away.’

‘Where gang ye, young John,’ she says,

‘Sae early in the day?

It gars me think, by your fast trip,

Your journey’s far away.’

3He turnd about wi surly look,And said, What’s that to thee?I’m gaen to see a lovely maid,Mair fairer far than ye.

He turnd about wi surly look,

And said, What’s that to thee?

I’m gaen to see a lovely maid,

Mair fairer far than ye.

4‘Now hae ye playd me this, fause love,In simmer, mid the flowers?I shall repay ye back again,In winter, mid the showers.

‘Now hae ye playd me this, fause love,

In simmer, mid the flowers?

I shall repay ye back again,

In winter, mid the showers.

5‘But again, dear love, and again, dear love,Will ye not turn again?For as ye look to other women,I shall to other men.’

‘But again, dear love, and again, dear love,

Will ye not turn again?

For as ye look to other women,

I shall to other men.’

6‘Make your choice of whom you please,For I my choice will have;I’ve chosen a maid more fair than thee,I never will deceive.’

‘Make your choice of whom you please,

For I my choice will have;

I’ve chosen a maid more fair than thee,

I never will deceive.’

7But she’s kilt up her claithing fine,And after him gaed she;But aye he said, Ye’ll turn again,Nae farder gae wi me.

But she’s kilt up her claithing fine,

And after him gaed she;

But aye he said, Ye’ll turn again,

Nae farder gae wi me.

8‘But again, dear love, and again, dear love,Will ye never love me again?Alas for loving you sae well,And you nae me again!’

‘But again, dear love, and again, dear love,

Will ye never love me again?

Alas for loving you sae well,

And you nae me again!’

9The first an town that they came till,He bought her brooch and ring;And aye he bade her turn again,And gang nae farder wi him.

The first an town that they came till,

He bought her brooch and ring;

And aye he bade her turn again,

And gang nae farder wi him.

10‘But again, dear love, and again, dear love,Will ye never love me again?Alas for loving you sae well,And you nae me again!’

‘But again, dear love, and again, dear love,

Will ye never love me again?

Alas for loving you sae well,

And you nae me again!’

11The next an town that they came till,He bought her muff and gloves;But aye he bade her turn again,And choose some other loves.

The next an town that they came till,

He bought her muff and gloves;

But aye he bade her turn again,

And choose some other loves.

12‘But again, dear love, and again, dear love,Will ye never love me again?Alas for loving you sae well,And you nae me again!’

‘But again, dear love, and again, dear love,

Will ye never love me again?

Alas for loving you sae well,

And you nae me again!’

13The next an town that they came till,His heart it grew mair fain,And he was as deep in love wi herAs she was ower again.

The next an town that they came till,

His heart it grew mair fain,

And he was as deep in love wi her

As she was ower again.

14The next an town that they came till,He bought her wedding gown,And made her lady of ha’s and bowers,Into sweet Berwick town.

The next an town that they came till,

He bought her wedding gown,

And made her lady of ha’s and bowers,

Into sweet Berwick town.

Christie’s Traditional Ballad Airs, I, 144; from the recitation of a woman born in Buchan.

1The sun shines high on yonder hill,And low on yonder town;In the place where my love Johnny dwells,The sun gaes never down.2‘O when will ye be back, bonny lad,O when will ye be hame?’‘When heather-hills are nine times brunt,And a’ grown green again.’3‘O that’s ower lang awa, bonny lad,O that’s ower lang frae hame;For I’ll be dead and in my graveEre ye come back again.’4He put his foot into the stirrupAnd said he maun go ride,But she kilted up her green claithingAnd said she woudna bide.5The firsten town that they came to,He bought her hose and sheen,And bade her rue and return again,And gang nae farther wi him.6‘Ye likena me at a’, bonny lad,Ye likena me at a’;’‘It’s sair for you likes me sae weelAnd me nae you at a’.’7The nexten town that they came to,He bought her a braw new gown,And bade her rue and return again,And gang nae farther wi him.8The nexten town that they came to,He bought her a wedding ring,And bade her dry her rosy cheeks,And he would tak her wi him.9‘O wae be to your bonny face,And your twa blinkin een!And wae be to your rosy cheeks!They’ve stown this heart o mine.10‘There’s comfort for the comfortless,There’s honey for the bee;There’s comfort for the comfortless,There’s nane but you for me.’

1The sun shines high on yonder hill,And low on yonder town;In the place where my love Johnny dwells,The sun gaes never down.

The sun shines high on yonder hill,

And low on yonder town;

In the place where my love Johnny dwells,

The sun gaes never down.

2‘O when will ye be back, bonny lad,O when will ye be hame?’‘When heather-hills are nine times brunt,And a’ grown green again.’

‘O when will ye be back, bonny lad,

O when will ye be hame?’

‘When heather-hills are nine times brunt,

And a’ grown green again.’

3‘O that’s ower lang awa, bonny lad,O that’s ower lang frae hame;For I’ll be dead and in my graveEre ye come back again.’

‘O that’s ower lang awa, bonny lad,

O that’s ower lang frae hame;

For I’ll be dead and in my grave

Ere ye come back again.’

4He put his foot into the stirrupAnd said he maun go ride,But she kilted up her green claithingAnd said she woudna bide.

He put his foot into the stirrup

And said he maun go ride,

But she kilted up her green claithing

And said she woudna bide.

5The firsten town that they came to,He bought her hose and sheen,And bade her rue and return again,And gang nae farther wi him.

The firsten town that they came to,

He bought her hose and sheen,

And bade her rue and return again,

And gang nae farther wi him.

6‘Ye likena me at a’, bonny lad,Ye likena me at a’;’‘It’s sair for you likes me sae weelAnd me nae you at a’.’

‘Ye likena me at a’, bonny lad,

Ye likena me at a’;’

‘It’s sair for you likes me sae weel

And me nae you at a’.’

7The nexten town that they came to,He bought her a braw new gown,And bade her rue and return again,And gang nae farther wi him.

The nexten town that they came to,

He bought her a braw new gown,

And bade her rue and return again,

And gang nae farther wi him.

8The nexten town that they came to,He bought her a wedding ring,And bade her dry her rosy cheeks,And he would tak her wi him.

The nexten town that they came to,

He bought her a wedding ring,

And bade her dry her rosy cheeks,

And he would tak her wi him.

9‘O wae be to your bonny face,And your twa blinkin een!And wae be to your rosy cheeks!They’ve stown this heart o mine.

‘O wae be to your bonny face,

And your twa blinkin een!

And wae be to your rosy cheeks!

They’ve stown this heart o mine.

10‘There’s comfort for the comfortless,There’s honey for the bee;There’s comfort for the comfortless,There’s nane but you for me.’

‘There’s comfort for the comfortless,

There’s honey for the bee;

There’s comfort for the comfortless,

There’s nane but you for me.’

91. first and: come.

111, 131. next and.

Variations inBuchan’s Ballads of the North of Scotland, I, 268.

54. Shall I.

61. your choose.

73. turn back.

74. gang.

11, 12.Omitted.

133. aswanting.

144. In bonny Berwick.

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