REVIEWS THE BALLADS OF SCOTLAND. 309 



THE WOOD 0' WARSLIN'. 



" -will ye gae to the schule, brother, 

 Or will ye gae to the ba' ? 

 Or will ye gae to the wood a-warslin', 

 And there we'll try a fa' ?"' 



'• It's I winna gae to the schule, brother, 

 , Nor will I gae to the ba', 



But I will gae to the wood a-warslin', 

 And its there that ye maun fa'." 



They warsled up, they warsled down, 



Till John fell to the ground. 

 And there was a knife in Willie's pouch, 



Gied him a deidly wound. 



" b lift me, brother, on your back, 

 Tak' me to yon burn clear, 

 And wash the bluid frae aff my wound, 

 And it will bleed nae mair 1 " 



He's taken aff his holland sark. 



And riv'd it gair by gair ; 

 He's stapt it in the bluidy wound, "^ n 



But aye it bled mair and mair, 



" brother dear, ye'll lift me up. 

 Take me to Kirkland fair, 

 :- And dig a grave baith wide and deep, 



And lay my body there 1" 



r " But what shall I say lo my father dear, 



When he speirs for his son ?" 

 " Say that ye left him at Kirkland fair. 

 Learning in schule alone." 



" But what shall I say to our ae sister 



When its—' Willie, where is John ? ' " 



" Te'li say ye left him in Kirkland fair. 

 The green grass growing aboon." 



" And what shall I say to our mother dear, 

 Gin she cry, — ' Why tarries my John ? ' " 



" tell her I lie in Kirkland fair. 

 And hame will I never come!" 



Professor Aytoun has restored the simple pathos and tender interest 

 of this little ballad bj ejecting an intruded stanza which made the 



