Oh rowan tree, oh rowan tree, thoul't aye be dear to me,
Entwin'd thou art wi' mony ties, o' hame and infancy.
Thy leaves were aye the first o' spring, thy flowr's the simmer's pride
There was nae sic a bonnie tree, in all the country side.
Oh rowan tree.

How fair wert thou in simmer time, wi' all thy clusters white.
Now rich and gay thy autumn dress, wi' berries red and bright
On thy fair stem were mony names which now nae mair I see.
But there engraven on my heart, forgot they ne'er can be.
Oh rowan tree.

We sat aneath thy spreading shade, the bairnies round thee ran
They pu'd thy bonnie berries red and necklaces they strang.
My mither, oh, I see her still, she smil'd our sports to see,
Wi' little Jeannie on her lap, wi' Jamie at her knee.
Oh rowan tree.

Oh, there arose my father's pray'r in holy evening's calm,
How sweet was then my mither's voice in the martyr's psalm
Now a' are gane! we met nae mair aneathe the rowan tree,
But hallowed thoughts around thee twine o' hame and infancy,
Oh rowan tree.

Come Witches to the Dance

Come Witches, to the Dance, to the merry dance
Our Lady loves our Lord, O!
With pipe and drum in moon and sun
For fair Dian and merry Pan
The old ways are made young, O
The old ways are made young!

When midnight fills the sky, my true love and I
Will cast a circle round, O
With voices strong in chant and song
We'll work our will and drink our fill
And dance the darkness down, O
And dance the darkness down, O!

To the Lady's Dance of Life
Her sweet Piper calls
But if you should stumble
If you should fall
Rise up to the Rhythm
That embraces it all
Come, Witches, to the Dance!

All hail the Beltane fire: may it well inspire
Burn triumphant to the Lady!
She is crowned this day the Queen of May
O'er woods and fields Her green sceptre She wields
The Mother now holds sway, O
The Mother now holds sway

Farewell, Our Lady Green! It is Hallowe'en!
Now the crone wields Her winter sceptre
Though old and wise, young are Her eyes
Though Death She brings, "Rebirth!" She sings
To all that fades and dies, O
To all that fades and dies.

Once in the Full Moon's gleam as I lay in a dream
Came a Lady to my chamber
In earthly form like woman born
All Time, all Space lay in her face
I rose to Her embrace, O
I rose to Her embrace

So queenly was She I fell to my knee
And bent my brow to her, O
"O no!" said She, "Kneel not to me
But stand! Arise! Open your eyes!
It is yourself you see, O
Yourself you see in me!"

Come, Witches, as before, to the Shining Door
Fear not to fling it open!
Fear not to see the Mystery:
That we are Pan and fair Dian
And evermore shall be, O
And evermore shall be!

The Earl of Mar's Daughter

It was intill a pleasant time,
Upon a summer's day.
The noble Earl of Mar's daughter
Went north to sport and play.

As thus she did amuse herself,
Below a green oak tree,
There she saw a sprightly bird
Set on a tower so high

"O Cow-me-doo, my love so true,
If ye'll come down to me,
I'll give ye a cage of gold,
Instead of a simple tree.

"I'll put gold hinges 'round your cage,
And a silver shackle band;
I'll swear ye shine as fair a bird
As any in all the land."

But she hadn't these words long spoke
Nor let these words well said,
Till Cow-me-doe flew from the tower
And lighted on her head.

Then she has brought this pretty bird
Home to her bowers and land,
And made him shine as fair a bird
As any in all the land.

When day was gone, and night was come,
About the evening tide,
This lady spied a sprightly youth
Stand straight up by her side.

"From whence came ye, young man ?" she said;
"That does surprise me sir;
My door was bolted right secure,
What way have ye come here?"

"O hold your tongue, oh lady fair,
Let all your questions be;
Mind ye not on your turtle-dove
Last day ye brought wi' thee?"

"O tell me more, young man," she said,
"This does surprise me now;
What country have ye come frome?
What pedigree are you ?"

"My mother lives on foreign isles,
She has nae more but me;
She is a queen o' wealth and state,
And birth and high degree.

"Likewise well skill'd in magic spells,
As ye may plainly see,
And she transformed me to yon shape.
To charm such maids as thee.

"I am a dove the live-long day,
A sprightly youth at night;
This spell gives me appearance fair
In a fair maiden's sight.

"And it was but this very day?
That I came o'er the sea,
Your lovely face did me enchant;
I'll live and die wi' thee."

"O Cow-me-doo, my love so true,
No more from me ye'll go."
"That's never my intent, my love,
As ye said, it shall be so."

"O Cow-me-doo, my love so true,
It's time to go to bed."
"Wi' all my heart, my dearling one,
It's be as ye have said."

Then he has stayed in bower wi' her
For six long years and one,
Till six young sons to him she bore,
And the seventh he's brought home.

For aye as every child was born
He carried them away,
And brought them to his mother's care,
As fast as he could fly.

When he had stayed in bower wi' her
For twenty years and three;
There came a lord o' high renown
To court this fair lady.

But still his offer she refused,
And all his presents too;
Says, "I'm content to live alone
With my bird, Cow-me-doo."

Her father swore a solemn oath
Among the nobles all,
"This morn, before I eat or drink,
This bird shall I kill."

The bird was sitting in his cage.
And heard what they did say:
And when he found they were dismissed,
Says. "Woe for me for this day !

"Against that I cannot stay,
And thus to be forlorn,
I'll fly unto my mother's bower,
Where I was bred and born."

Then Cow-me-doo took flight and flew
Beyond the raging sea,
And lighted near his mother's castle.
On a tower of gold so high.

As his mother was walking out,
To see what she coud see,
And there she saw her little son,
Set on the tower so high.

"Get dancers here to dance." she said,
"And minstrells for to play;
For here's my young son, Florentine,
Come here wi' me to stay."

"Get no dancers to dance, mother,
Nor minstrells for to play,
For the mother o my seven sons,
This morn's her wedding-day",

"O tell me, tell me, Florentine,
Tell me, and tell me true,
Tell me this day without a flaw,
What I will do for you.

"Instead of dancers to dance, mother,
Or minstrells for to play,
Turn four-and-twenty men-at-arms
Like storks in leathers gray;

"My seven sons into seven swans,
About their heads to fly;
And I myself a sparling hawk,
A bird o' high degree."

Then said the queen to herself,
"That thing's too high for me."
But she applied to an old woman,
Who had more skill than she.

Instead o dancers to dance a dance,
Or minstrells for to` play,
Four-and-twenty men-at-arms
Turned birds o' leathers gray;

His seven sons in seven swans,
About their heads to fly;
And he himself a sparling hawk,
A bird of high degree.

This flock o birds took flight and flew
Beyond the raging sea,
And landed near the Earl Mar's castle,
Took shelter in every tree

They were a flock o pretty birds,
Right comely to be seen:
The people viewed them with surprise
As they dancd on the green

These birds ascended from the tree
And lighted from the air,
And at the last wi' force did run
Among the nobles there.

The storks there seized some o the men,
They could neither fight nor flee;
The swans they bound the bride's best man
Below a green oak tree.

They lighted next on the maidens lair,
Then on the bride's own head,
And in the twinkling of an eye,
The bride and them were fled.

There were ancient men at the wedding,
Some sixty years or more,
But such a curious wedding-day
They never saw before.

For nohing could the company do,
Nor nothing could they say
But they saw a flock o pretty birds fly
and take their bride away.

When Earl Mar came to know
Where his daughter did stay,
He signed a bond o' unity,
And visits now they pay.

The King of the Faeries

Up the airy mountain, through the rushy glen
We daren't go a-hunting for fear of little men.
Wee folk, good folk, trooping all together
Green jacket, red cap and white owl's feather.

By the craggy hillside, through the mosses bare
They've planted thorn trees for pleasure here and there.
Is any man so daring as to dig them up in spite
He'll find the sharpest thorns in his bed at night.

High up on the hill top the old king sits
He's now so old and grey he's nearly lost his wits
He's rising with the music on the cold starry night
To sup with the queen of the gay north light.

The Lord of the Dance

When She danced on the water and the wind was Her horn
The Lady danced and a universe was born
And when She lit the sun and the light gave Him birth
The Lord of the Dance first appeared on the Earth

Dance, dance, wherever you may be
I am the Lord of the Dance, said He
I'll live in you if you'll live in Me
And I'll lead you all in the dance, said He

I dance in the circle and the flames leap on high
I dance in the fire and I never, never die
I dance on the waves of the bright summer sea
For I am the Lord of the waves' mystery

I sleep in the kernel and I laugh at the rain
I dance in the wind and through the waving grain
When you cut me down, I care nothing for the pain
In the spring, I'm the Lord of the Dance once again

I dance at the Sabbat when you dance at the spell
I dance and sing that everyone be well
When the dancing's over, do not think that I am gone
To live is to dance so I dance on and on

The Lord and the Lady cast a song across the plain
The birds took the notes and sang them back again
'Til the sound of Her music was the song of the sky
And to that song, there is one reply

They danced in the darkness and They danced in the night
They danced on the Earth and everything was light
They danced in the darkness and They danced in the dawn
And the day of the dancing still goes on

I gaze on the Heavens and I gaze on the Earth
And I feel the pain of dying and rebirth
And I lift my head in gladness and in praise of the day
For the Dance of the Lord and the Lady gay

I see the maidens laughing as they dance in the sun
And we count the fruits of the harvest one by one
We know the storm is coming, but the grain is all stored
So we sing to the praise of the Lady and the Lord

We dance even slower as the leaves fall and spin
And the sound of Her horn is the wailing of the wind
The call of the Hunter as He rides across the plain
While the Lady sleeps 'til the spring comes again

The Sun is in the southlands and the winds they will chill
And the sound of Her horn is fading on the hill
The herd stands in the stillness as we move in a trance
But we hold on fast to our faith in the Dance

The Sun's in the southlands and the days lengthen fast
And soon we will sing of the winter that is past
But now light the candles and rejoice as they burn
For we dance the Dance of the Sun's return

The snow is slowly melting and the clouds bring the rain
The Lady wakes, for the spring has come again
We dance in the meadows and we dance in the groves
And rejoice in the Lord's and the Lady's love

Tamlyn

I forbid you maidens all
And a warning take by me
Don't go down to the Chasers Wood
If a maid you want to return, return
If a maid you want to return

Lady Margaret, Lady Margaret she's sitting in her bower
She's as red as any rose
And she's longed to go to the Chasers Wood
To pull them flowers that grow, that grow
To pull them flowers that grow

Now she's taken out her silver comb
Made haste to comb her hair
And she's gone down to the Chasers Wood
As fast as she could tear, could tear
As fast as she could tear

But she hadn't pulled the one red rose
The rose that grows there in the green
When a voice said "Lady, how you dare touch a rose
Without no leave of me, of me
Without no leave of me"

"This rose it is my very own
My father he gave it to me
And I'll bend and I'll pull and I'll break the branch
And I won't ask leave of thee, of thee
No, I won't ask leave of thee"

He's taken her by the middle so small
Down to where the grass it grows so green
And what he done, well I just couldn't say
But he never once asked her leave, her leave
He never once asked her leave

Four and twenty maidens all sitting in the hall
All playing at the chess
All except for young Margaret
She's as green as any grass, any grass
She's as green as any grass

Yes, there's four and twenty maidens all sitting in the hall
All as red as the rose
All except for young Margaret
Pale and wan she goes, she goes
Pale and wan she goes

Well, up then spoke one of them girls
And on her face was a smile
"I think my lady's loved a little long
And now she goes with child, with child
Yes now she goes with child"

Up then spoke another of them girls
And a pretty little girl was she
"I know a herb growing in the Chasers Wood
That will twine the babe from thee, from thee
That will twine the babe from thee"

Lady Margaret, she's taken out her silver comb
Made haste to comb her hair
And she's gone down to the Chasers Wood
As fast as she could tear, could tear
As fast as she could tear

But she hadn't pulled the one bitter herb
The herb that grows there in the long
When up then spoke young Tamlyn,
Saying "Margret leave it alone, oh sweetheart
Margret leave it alone"

"Why do you want that bitter, bitter herb
That herb that grows there in the grey
Except for to twine away the pretty little babe
That we got in our play, our play
That we got in our play"

"Well, tell me this, Tamlyn," she says
"If a mortal man you be"
"Well, I'll tell the truth without a word of a lie
I got Christened as good as thee, as thee
I got Christened as good as thee"

"But as I rode out on a bitter, bitter day
'Twas from the horse I fell
And the Queen of the Elvens did take me
In yonder green wood to dwell, to dwell
In yonder green wood to dwell"

"And it's every seventh seventh year
We pay our toll to Hell
And the last one here is the first to go
And I fear the toll it's meself, its meself
Yes, I fear the toll it's meself"

"For tonight it is the Hallowe'en
When the Elven coach shall ride
And if you would your true lover save
By the old mill bridge you must hide, you must hide
By the old mill bridge you must hide"

"First there'll come the black horse and then there'll come the brown
They'll both race by the white
You must throw your arms up about my neck
I must not hear a fright, a fright
I must not hear a fright"

"And they'll change me then and its all in your arms
To many's the beast wild
You must hold me tight, you must fear me not
I'm the father of your child, you know that
I'm the father of your child"

Well, the woods grew dark and the woods grew dim
Tamlyn, he was gone
And she's picked up her little white feet
And to the old mill bridge she has run, she has run
To the old mill bridge she has run

But she looked high and she looked low
She compassed all around
But she nothing saw, and she nothing heard
She heard no mortal sound, no sound
She heard no mortal sound

Until the darkest hour of that night
She heard the bridles ring
It chilled her heart, gave her a start
More than any mortal thing, any thing
More than any mortal thing

First there came the black horse and then there came the brown
They both raced by the white
She threw her arms up around his neck
And he did not hear a fright, a fright
He did not hear a fright

Then thunder roared across the sky
And the stars burnt as bright as day
And the Queen of the Elvens gave a thrilling cry
"Tamlyn he's away! He's away!
Tamlyn he's away!"

Well, they changed him then, it was all in her arms
To a lion roaring wild
But she held him tight, she feared him not
He was the father of her child, she knew that
He was the father of her child

Then they changed him again, it was all in her arms
To a big black dog to bite
But she held him tight, she feared him not
He did not hear a fright, a fright
He did not hear a fright

Then they changed him again, it was all in her arms
To a big black hissing snake
But she held him tight, she feared him not
He was one of God's own make, she knew that
He was one of God's own make

Then they changed him again, it was all in her arms
To a white-hot bar of iron
But she held him tight, she feared him not
He'd done to her no harm, no harm
He had done to her no harm

Then they changed him again, it was all in her arms
To a mother naked man
She threw a cloak around his shoulders
Saying Tamlyn, we've won, love, we've won
Saying Tamlyn, we've won

Now the Queen of the Elvens, how she cursed young Tamlyn
Oh how she cursed him good
"I should have tore out your eyes, Tamlyn," she said
"I should have put in two eyes of wood, of wood
I should have put in two eyes of wood"

"Yes, curses on you Tamlyn," she says
"You once was my very own
And when you were mine I should have tore out your heart
And put in a heart of stone, cold stone
Yes, put in a heart of stone"

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