Cambric Shirt- Alex Stephens (Aber) c.1869 Carpenter
[From James Madison Carpenter Collection, JMC/1/11/311, Disc Side 305, 04:42. Nicol's version, which is the source, is different but similar.
R. Matteson 2018]
The Elfin Knight- from Alexander Stephens of Turfhill, New Deer, Strichen, learned from Nicol fifty-one years ago (c. 1869)
[He:]
As I gaed up to yonder hill,
Where every rose grew bonnie an' thyme,
I met a fair maid, her name it was Nell,
She longed to be a true lover o' mine.
"Ye'll mak' to me a cambric shirt, [sim.]
An' stitch it all over withoot needle wark,
"Ye will wash it in yonder well,
Where dew never dropped, nor rain never fell,
"Ye will bleach it on yonder green,
Where wind never blew or grass never grew,
"Ye will dry it up on yonder hedge,
Where bud never blossomed since Adam was formed,
[She]
"Questions three you've asked me
An' for as monny mair ye'll answer tee me,
"Ye will ploo me an acre o' Land,
Betwixt the saut water an' the sea sand,
"Ye will harrow it wi' a ram's horn,
An' sow it a' over with a handful o' corn,
"Ye will cut it wi' a cock's feather
An' bind it up wi' the sting o' an ather[1],
"Ye will thack it on yonder sea,
Where every rose grew bonnie an' thyme,
An' bring back that which is still dry tee me,
An' then I will be a true lover o' thine.
When your wark is finished an' ower,
Where every rose grew bonnie an' thyme,
When your wark is finished an' done,
An' then I'll be a true lover of thine.
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1. adder (snake)