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THE HOLY NUNNERY

‘The Holy Nunnery,’ Buchan’s Ballads of the North of Scotland, I, 193.

Willie’s father and mother have vowed that he shall never marry Annie. Annie resolves that she will be a nun, asks her father’s consent and obtains it readily. At the nunnery-gate there is a maiden porter ‘wi gowd upon her hat,’ who would not have been quite out of place at the wicket of the garden of the Rose. Porter though she be, she seems to exercise the authority of a mother-superior. Annie asks admission, ‘there to live or die,’and is allowed to come in on terms: never to kiss a young man’s mouth, and to work hard; conditions not surprising, but there is another which is unusual, never to go to church (or is it Kirk that is meant?) Annie is seven years in the nunnery, all which time Willie lies languishing. His mother asks him if there is nothing that would help him; there is nothing, he says, but his love Annie. They dress him up like a lady, in silk and gold, he goes to the nunnery-gate, and the maiden porter ‘wi gowd upon her hat’ makes no difficulty about letting him in. Annie knows him, and says, Come up, my sister dear. Willie essays to kiss her lips, but she whispers, This I dare not avow. The rest is wanting, and again we may doubt whether the balladist had not exhausted himself, whether a story so begun could be brought to any conclusion.

1Fair Annie had a costly bower,Well built wi lime and stane,And Willie came to visit her,Wi the light o the meen.2When he came to Annie’s bower-door,He tirled at the pin:‘Ye sleep ye, wake ye, Fair Annie,Ye’ll open, lat me come in.’3‘O never a fit,’ says Fair Annie,‘Till I your errand ken;’‘My father’s vowd a vow, Annie,I’ll tell you when I’m in.4‘My father’s vowed a rash vow,I darena marry thee;My mither’s vowed anither vow,My bride ye’se never be.’5‘If ye had tauld me that, Willie,When we began to woo,There was naithing in this warld wideShoud drawn my love to you.6‘A nun, a nun,’ said Fair Annie,‘A nun will I be then;’‘A priest, a priest,’ said Sweet Willie,‘A priest will I be syne.’7She is gane to her father,For mither she had nane;And she is on to her father,To see if she’d be a nun.8‘An asking, asking, father dear,An asking ye’ll grant me;That’s to get to the holy nunnery,And there to live or die.’9‘Your asking’s nae sae great, daughter,But granted it shall be;For ye’se won to the holy nunnery,There to live or die.’10Then they gaed on, and farther on,Till they came to the yate;And there they spied a maiden porter,Wi gowd upon her hat.11‘An asking, asking, maiden porter,An asking ye’ll grant me;If I’ll won to the holy nunnery,There to live or die.’12‘Your asking’s nae sae great, lady,But granted it shall be;For ye’se won to the holy nunnery,There to live or die.13‘But ye maun vow a vow, lady,Before that ye seek in;Never to kiss a young man’s mouthThat goes upon the grun.14‘And ye must vow anither vow,Severely ye must work;The well-warst vow that ye’re to vow,Is never to gang to kirk.’15‘I will vow a vow,’ she said,‘Before that I seek in;I neer shall kiss a young man’s mouthThat goes upon the grun.16‘And I will vow anither vow,Severely I will work;The well-warst vow that I’m to vowIs never to gang to kirk.’17For seven years now Fair Annie,In the holy nunnery lay she,And seven years Sweet Willie lay,In languish like to die.18‘Is there nae duke nor lord’s daughter,My son, can comfort thee,And save thee frae the gates o death?Is there nae remedie?’19‘There is nae duke nor lord’s daughter,Mother, can comfort me,Except it be my love, Annie,In the holy nunnery lies she.’20They’ve dressd Sweet Willie up in silk,Wi gowd his gown did shine,And nane coud ken by his pale faceBut he was a lady fine.21So they gaed on, and farther on,Till they came to the yate,And there they spied a maiden porter,Wi gowd upon her hat.22‘An asking, an asking, maiden porter,An asking ye’ll grant me;For to win in to the holy nunnery,Fair Annie for to see.’23‘Your asking’s nae sae great, lady,But granted it shall be;Ye’se won into the holy nunnery,Fair Annie for to see.24‘Be she duke’s or lord’s daughter,It’s lang sin she came here:’Fair Annie kent her true love’s face;Says, Come up, my sister dear.25Sweet Willie went to kiss her lips,As he had wont to do;But she softly whispered him,I darena this avow.

1Fair Annie had a costly bower,Well built wi lime and stane,And Willie came to visit her,Wi the light o the meen.

Fair Annie had a costly bower,

Well built wi lime and stane,

And Willie came to visit her,

Wi the light o the meen.

2When he came to Annie’s bower-door,He tirled at the pin:‘Ye sleep ye, wake ye, Fair Annie,Ye’ll open, lat me come in.’

When he came to Annie’s bower-door,

He tirled at the pin:

‘Ye sleep ye, wake ye, Fair Annie,

Ye’ll open, lat me come in.’

3‘O never a fit,’ says Fair Annie,‘Till I your errand ken;’‘My father’s vowd a vow, Annie,I’ll tell you when I’m in.

‘O never a fit,’ says Fair Annie,

‘Till I your errand ken;’

‘My father’s vowd a vow, Annie,

I’ll tell you when I’m in.

4‘My father’s vowed a rash vow,I darena marry thee;My mither’s vowed anither vow,My bride ye’se never be.’

‘My father’s vowed a rash vow,

I darena marry thee;

My mither’s vowed anither vow,

My bride ye’se never be.’

5‘If ye had tauld me that, Willie,When we began to woo,There was naithing in this warld wideShoud drawn my love to you.

‘If ye had tauld me that, Willie,

When we began to woo,

There was naithing in this warld wide

Shoud drawn my love to you.

6‘A nun, a nun,’ said Fair Annie,‘A nun will I be then;’‘A priest, a priest,’ said Sweet Willie,‘A priest will I be syne.’

‘A nun, a nun,’ said Fair Annie,

‘A nun will I be then;’

‘A priest, a priest,’ said Sweet Willie,

‘A priest will I be syne.’

7She is gane to her father,For mither she had nane;And she is on to her father,To see if she’d be a nun.

She is gane to her father,

For mither she had nane;

And she is on to her father,

To see if she’d be a nun.

8‘An asking, asking, father dear,An asking ye’ll grant me;That’s to get to the holy nunnery,And there to live or die.’

‘An asking, asking, father dear,

An asking ye’ll grant me;

That’s to get to the holy nunnery,

And there to live or die.’

9‘Your asking’s nae sae great, daughter,But granted it shall be;For ye’se won to the holy nunnery,There to live or die.’

‘Your asking’s nae sae great, daughter,

But granted it shall be;

For ye’se won to the holy nunnery,

There to live or die.’

10Then they gaed on, and farther on,Till they came to the yate;And there they spied a maiden porter,Wi gowd upon her hat.

Then they gaed on, and farther on,

Till they came to the yate;

And there they spied a maiden porter,

Wi gowd upon her hat.

11‘An asking, asking, maiden porter,An asking ye’ll grant me;If I’ll won to the holy nunnery,There to live or die.’

‘An asking, asking, maiden porter,

An asking ye’ll grant me;

If I’ll won to the holy nunnery,

There to live or die.’

12‘Your asking’s nae sae great, lady,But granted it shall be;For ye’se won to the holy nunnery,There to live or die.

‘Your asking’s nae sae great, lady,

But granted it shall be;

For ye’se won to the holy nunnery,

There to live or die.

13‘But ye maun vow a vow, lady,Before that ye seek in;Never to kiss a young man’s mouthThat goes upon the grun.

‘But ye maun vow a vow, lady,

Before that ye seek in;

Never to kiss a young man’s mouth

That goes upon the grun.

14‘And ye must vow anither vow,Severely ye must work;The well-warst vow that ye’re to vow,Is never to gang to kirk.’

‘And ye must vow anither vow,

Severely ye must work;

The well-warst vow that ye’re to vow,

Is never to gang to kirk.’

15‘I will vow a vow,’ she said,‘Before that I seek in;I neer shall kiss a young man’s mouthThat goes upon the grun.

‘I will vow a vow,’ she said,

‘Before that I seek in;

I neer shall kiss a young man’s mouth

That goes upon the grun.

16‘And I will vow anither vow,Severely I will work;The well-warst vow that I’m to vowIs never to gang to kirk.’

‘And I will vow anither vow,

Severely I will work;

The well-warst vow that I’m to vow

Is never to gang to kirk.’

17For seven years now Fair Annie,In the holy nunnery lay she,And seven years Sweet Willie lay,In languish like to die.

For seven years now Fair Annie,

In the holy nunnery lay she,

And seven years Sweet Willie lay,

In languish like to die.

18‘Is there nae duke nor lord’s daughter,My son, can comfort thee,And save thee frae the gates o death?Is there nae remedie?’

‘Is there nae duke nor lord’s daughter,

My son, can comfort thee,

And save thee frae the gates o death?

Is there nae remedie?’

19‘There is nae duke nor lord’s daughter,Mother, can comfort me,Except it be my love, Annie,In the holy nunnery lies she.’

‘There is nae duke nor lord’s daughter,

Mother, can comfort me,

Except it be my love, Annie,

In the holy nunnery lies she.’

20They’ve dressd Sweet Willie up in silk,Wi gowd his gown did shine,And nane coud ken by his pale faceBut he was a lady fine.

They’ve dressd Sweet Willie up in silk,

Wi gowd his gown did shine,

And nane coud ken by his pale face

But he was a lady fine.

21So they gaed on, and farther on,Till they came to the yate,And there they spied a maiden porter,Wi gowd upon her hat.

So they gaed on, and farther on,

Till they came to the yate,

And there they spied a maiden porter,

Wi gowd upon her hat.

22‘An asking, an asking, maiden porter,An asking ye’ll grant me;For to win in to the holy nunnery,Fair Annie for to see.’

‘An asking, an asking, maiden porter,

An asking ye’ll grant me;

For to win in to the holy nunnery,

Fair Annie for to see.’

23‘Your asking’s nae sae great, lady,But granted it shall be;Ye’se won into the holy nunnery,Fair Annie for to see.

‘Your asking’s nae sae great, lady,

But granted it shall be;

Ye’se won into the holy nunnery,

Fair Annie for to see.

24‘Be she duke’s or lord’s daughter,It’s lang sin she came here:’Fair Annie kent her true love’s face;Says, Come up, my sister dear.

‘Be she duke’s or lord’s daughter,

It’s lang sin she came here:’

Fair Annie kent her true love’s face;

Says, Come up, my sister dear.

25Sweet Willie went to kiss her lips,As he had wont to do;But she softly whispered him,I darena this avow.

Sweet Willie went to kiss her lips,

As he had wont to do;

But she softly whispered him,

I darena this avow.

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