Bessie Bell and Mary Gray
17th Century
Child Ballad 201
Oh, Bessie Bell and Mary Gray,
They were twa bonnie lassies!
They biggit a bower on yon burnbrae,
And theekit it ower wi' rashes,
Fair Bessie Bell I lo'ed yestreen,
And thocht I ne'er could alter;
But Mary Gray's twa pawkie een
Gar'd a' my fancy falter!
Chorus
Oh, Bessie Bell... and Mary Gray,
They were twa bonnie lasses!
They biggit a bower on yon burnbrae,
And theekit it ower wi' rashes.
Bessie's hair's like a lint-tap,
She smiles like a May mornin',
When Phoebus starts frae Thetis' lap,
The hills wi' rays adornin';
White is her neck, soft is her hand,
Her waist and feet fu' gently,
Wi' ilka grace she can command;
Her lips, O vow! they're dainty.
Chorus
Mary's locks are like the craw,
Her een like diamond's glances;
She's aye sae clean, redd-up, and braw;
She kills whene'er she dances.
Blythe as a kid, wi' wit and will,
She's blooming, tight, and tall is,
And guides her airs sae gracefu' still;
O Jove, she's like thy Pallas!
Chorus
Young Bessie Bell and Mary Gray,
Ye unco' sair oppress us;
Our fancies jee between ye twa,
Ye are sic bonnie lasses.
Wae's me! for baith, I cannot get;
To ane by law we're stinted;
Then I'll draw cuts, and tak' my fate,
And be wi' ane contented.
Chorus
First Verse of Original Ballad
They theekit it ower wi' rashes green,
They theekit ower wi' heather;
But the pest came from the burrows-town,
And slew them baith thegither.
They thocht to lie in Methven kirk
Amang their noble kin;
But they maun lie in Lynedoch Brae
To beek forment the sun.
DayPoems Poem No. 2496
<a href="http://www.daypoems.net/poems/2496.html">Bessie Bell and Mary Gray by Anonymous</a>
The DayPoems Poetry Collection, www.daypoems.net
Timothy Bovee, editor
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