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by Walter Scott, Sir (1771 - 1832)

My love he built me a bonny bower
Language: English 
My love [he built me a bonny]1 bower,
And clad it a' wi' lilye flower;
A brawer bower ye ne'er did see,
Than my true love he built for me.

There came a man, by middle day,
He spied his sport, and went away;
And brought the [king that very night]2,
Who brake my bower, and slew my knight.
 
He slew my knight, to me so dear;
He slew my knight, and poined his gear;
My servants all for life did flee,
And left me in extremitie.

I sewed his sheet, making my mane;
I watched the corpse, myself alane;
I watched his body, night and day;
No living creature came that way.

I took his body on my back,
And whiles I gaed, and whiles I sat;
I digged a grave, and laid him in,
And happed him with the sod sae green.
 
But think na ye my heart was sair,
When I laid the moul' on his yellow hair;
Think na ye my heart was wae,
When I turned about, away to gae?

Nae living man I'll love again,
Since that my lovely knight is slain;
Wi' ae lock of his yellow hair,
I'll chain my heart for evermair.

Available sung texts:   ← What is this?

•   J. Haydn 

J. Haydn sets stanzas 1-2, 4-5, 7

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)
Thomson noted: "This affecting Fragment, obtained by Mr Scott from recitation, is said to relate to the execution of Cockburne of Henderland, a Border freebooter, hanged over the gate of his own tower by James V.., in the course of that memorable expedition in 1529, which was fatal to Johnie Armstrong, Adam Scott of Tushielaw, and many other marauders."
Glossary:
Brawer = finer, more handsome
Happed = wrapped, covered

1 Haydn: "built me a bonnie"
2 Haydn: "king, at dead of night"

Text Authorship:

  • by Walter Scott, Sir (1771 - 1832), "The Lament of the Border Widow" [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

  • by (Franz) Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809), "The border widow's lament", Hob. XXXIa:232, JHW. XXXII/4 no. 289, stanzas 1-2,4-5,7 [voice and piano] [ sung text checked 1 time]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

  • Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Ferdinand Freiligrath (1810 - 1876) , "Klage der Grenzerwittwe" ; composed by Adolf Jensen.
      • Go to the text.

Researcher for this page: Ferdinando Albeggiani

This text was added to the website: 2009-07-05
Line count: 28
Word count: 204

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