The Scottish songs - National Library of Scotland

676
And now's the time to bathe my babe
In our Ladye's Blessed Well.
O thou wert born as fair a babe
As light e'er shone aboon,
And fairer than the gowan is,
Born in the April moon ;
First, like the lily pale ye grew,
Syne like the violet wan ;
As in the sunshine dies the dew,
So faded my fair Ann,
Was it a breath of evil wind
That harmed thee, lovely child ?
Or was't the fairy's charmed touch
That all thy bloom defiled ?
I've watched thee in the mirk midnicht,
And watched thee in the day,
And sung our Ladye's sacred song
To keep the elves away.
The moon is sitting on the hill.
The nicht is in its prime,
The owl doth chase the bearded bat,
The mark of witching time ;
And o'er the seven sister-stars
. A silver cloud is drawn,
And pure the blessed water is
To bathe thee, gentle Ann.
On a far sea thy father sails
Among the spicy isles ;
He thinks on thee and thinks on me,
And, as he thinks, he smiles ;
And sings, while he his white sail trims,
And severs swift the sea,