Welland River

Fair Ellayne she walk’d by Welland river,

Across the lily lee:

O, gentle Sir Robert, ye are not kind

To stay so long at sea.

Over the marshland none can see

Your scarlet pennon fair;

O, leave the Easterlings alone,

Because of my golden hair.

The day when over Stamford bridge

That dear pennon I see

Go up toward the goodly street,

’Twill be a fair day for me.

O, let the bonny pennon bide

At Stamford, the good town,

And let the Easterlings go free,

And their ships go up and down.

For every day that passes by

I wax both pale and green,

From gold to gold of my girdle

There is an inch between.

I sew’d it up with scarlet silk

Last night upon my knee,

And my heart grew sad and sore to think

Thy face I’d never see.

I sew’d it up with scarlet silk,

As I lay upon my bed:

Sorrow! the man I’ll never see

That had my maidenhead.

But as Ellayne sat on her window-seat

And comb’d her yellow hair,

She saw come over Stamford bridge

The scarlet pennon fair.

As Ellayne lay and sicken’d sore,

The gold shoes on her feet,

She saw Sir Robert and his men

Ride up the Stamford street.

He had a coat of fine red gold,

And a bascinet of steel;

Take note his goodly Collayne sword

Smote the spur upon his heel.

And by his side, on a grey jennet,

There rode a fair lady,

For every ruby Ellayne wore,

I count she carried three.

Say, was not Ellayne’s go............