Rossetti Archive Textual Transcription

Document Title: The Laird of Waristoun (corrected draft manuscript)
Author: Dante Gabriel Rossetti
Author: Algernon Charles Swinburne
Date of Composition: 1861
Type of Manuscript: corrected draft
Scribe: DGR and Swinburne

The full Rossetti Archive record for this transcribed document is available.

Transcription Gap: cover and front matter (to be added later)
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Note: The manuscript transcription commences in DGR's hand.
The Laird of Waristoun
  • Down by yon garden green
  • Sae merrily as she gaes
  • She has twa weel made feet
  • And she trips upon her taes.
  • She has twa weel made feet
  • Far better is her hand,
  • She is as jimp in the middle
  • As any birken wand.
  • As a little birken wand
  • 10For a boy's body to w bear,
  • All the gowd she has upon
  • It's made of Yellow hair.
  • As a little birken wand wand of birk
  • That gars a young boy greet
  • And the gowd her hair upon
  • It reaches to her feet.
  • As a little birken wand rod of birk
  • That gars a young boy bleed
  • The gold cloth her body on
  • 20It was a goodly weed.
  • O there was nae kin' ill
  • Her fair body within
  • But the heart in her body
  • And that was full of sin.
  • And a' her fair body
  • It I wot it was made right right well
  • But the heart in her body
  • And that was made in hell.
  • And a' her fair body
  • 30It was made full sweet,
  • But the heart in her body
  • It was made of hell's heat.
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  • Gin you will do my bidding
  • At my bidding for to be
  • It's I will make you lady
  • Of a' my good lands and me.
  • He's made to her a bonny fair bed
  • He's streekit it adown
    Added TextA bed to streek down,
  • It was a' for the lairid sake
  • 40The laird of Waristoun.
  • A' the cups the gold wine was in
  • They were of the red gold fine
  • There was good mirth between thae twa
  • In the drinking of the wine.
  • All the cups the wine was in
  • They were of the fine gold red
  • And there between thae twa
  • There was an ill word said.
  • Andthere between thae twa
  • 50An ill word there fell in
  • The lord smote her on the mouth
  • He garred the red blood rin.
  • And there between thae twa
  • An ill word there fell out
  • The lord smote her on her mouth
  • He garred the blood spin out
  • She wasna frae her chamber
  • A step but barely one
  • When up there started a lodly fiend
  • 60A man's body her had on.
  • She wasna frae her chamber
  • A step but barely three
  • When there stood a fiend at her right hand
  • The Like a lodly man to see body
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Note: After line 80 the text breaks into two columns and the transcription is in Swinburne's hand.
  • Gin you will do my bidding
  • At my bidding for to be,
  • I'll learn you a wile
  • To be wroken of his body.
  • And aye she poured the wine out over
  • 70She made the wine gae run—
  • It was aye for the laird is of Waristoun sake
  • The Laird of Waristoun.
  • The nurice she knet the knot,
  • And O she knet it sicker;
  • The ladie did gie it a twig,
  • Till it began to wicker.
  • But word has gane to Leith to Leith
  • And up to Embro town,
  • That the lady she has slain the laird
  • 80The laird of Waristoun.
  • Word's gone to her father the great Dunipace
  • And a bitter father was he
  • Says—fie gar mak a barrel of pikes
  • To row in her fause body.
  • Take off the black for me, maidens,
  • Do on the red, the red;
  • For I'm bidden up to Edinburgh
  • I think it maun be de my dead
  • Take off the robes of black, maidens,
  • 90Do on the green, the green,
  • For I'm bidden up to Edinburgh
  • I think it maun be my teen.
  • Take off the black for him, maidens,
  • Do on the gowd for me
  • I maun put on my gowd cleiding
  • For this feast I'm bidden tee.
  • And first she came to Leith, to Leith,
  • And weel she war within
  • And neist she cam to Edinburgh
  • 100To the first to burn her in.
  • Says—Wae be to you, Waristoun, Waristoun
  • I wish ye may sink in for sin;
  • And a' for yr bonny bower-chamber
  • My fair body was in.
  • And wae be to you. Waristoun, Waristoun,
  • I wish ye may sink for sorrow;
  • And a' for the dead man that is yon within
  • On earth I wot he had nae morrow.
  • Pull off my hood, maidens,
  • 110But let my gown be:
  • Pull off my gown, maidens,
  • But leave my smock on me.
  • Ye'll bind my hair up frae my face
  • And ye'll bind it over my een;
  • And ye'll tak word to my auld father,
  • I bid God give him a bitter teen.
  • God's mercy I wish Lord Waristoun,
  • God's mercy to his share,
  • For he gave me but a very little ill
  • 120For my body to bear.
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  • The peace of God I give Lord Waristoun,
  • The peace of God to have
  • For the goodly gowd & the goodly land
  • The goodly gifts that he gave.
  • Thr curse of hell I give my father
  • For this gift he's given me;
  • The fire of hell I give wish my father
  • For the burning of my body.
Transcription Gap: remainder of bound volume (to be added later)
Electronic Archive Edition: 1
Source File: 4-1861.troxms.rad.xml
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