The Mermaid of Galloway - Emily Smith

• published: 05 Jan 2015
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I do not own this very pretty song. EMILY SMITH The Mermaid Of Galloway A maid has sat on the green merse side For ten lang years and mair An’ every night o’ the clear new moon She combs her yellow hair An‘ while she sheds her burning gowd Full sweet she sings an hie ‘Til each bird that wooes the green wood Is charmed and heaves a sigh Wha e’er listens to that sweet sang Or gangs the fair dame tae Ne’er hears the sang o’ the lark again Nor waukens an earthlie ee It fell aboot the sweet summer month In the first night o’ the moon She sat upon a sea weed rock And combed her silk locks doon I’ve dwelt on the Nith said young Cowehill For twenty years an’ three The sweetest sang that e’er broke frae a lip Comes through the greenwood tae me Is it a voice frae twae earthlie lips That makes sic a melody? It wad tempt the lark frae the lift And weel may it tempt me Then up and spoke his little foot page Sir I dreamed a dreary thing I dreamed ye kissed a pair o’ sweet lips And sadness did they bring Come take my steed my little foot page And hameward ye may gan I maun kiss thae lips that sing And through the greenwood he ran Young Cowehill has the merse side reached and seen the maid sat there Wi’ ilka stroke o’ her pearlie comb She bid him touch her hair You maun kiss me ‘neath the chin An syne come kiss my cheek An’ spread my hanks o‘ watery hair In the new moon beam to drip So first he kissed her dimpled chin And syne he kissed her cheek And lang he woo’ed her willin’ lips Like heather honey sweet What will she say yer bonnie young bride Busked wi’ the siller fine When the kisses ye kept for her lips Are left wi vows on mine? He took his lips frae her red rose mou His airm frae her waist sae sma Sweet maiden I’m in bridal speed It’s time I were awa She pulled the bride ring frae his finger And threw it in the sea That hand shall grace nae other ring But wi the will o’ me She held him in her lillie white airms An‘ left her pearlie comb His fleecy locks trailed o’er the sand And she took to the white sea foam First raise the star oot o’er the hill And neist the clear new moon While the bride o‘ Gallowa’ Looked for her blithe bride groom She laid the bride cake ‘neath her head An’ syne below her feet She laid down ‘tween the lillie white sheets And soondlie did she sleep ‘Twas in the middle hour o’ the night Her siller bell did ring An sount’ as if nae earthlie hand Had pulled the silken string There was a cheek touch that young maid’s Cauld as the marble stane An’ a hand like icy snaw Was laid on her breast bane O cold is thy hand my Billy O cold, cold is thy cheek Ani wring thae locks o‘ yellow hair Frae which the cold draps dreep Seek anither bridegroom Marie On thae bosom faulds tae sleep My bride it is the water lillie Its leaves my bridal sheet