The Whummil Bore
The Text is from Motherwell’s MS. He included it in the Appendix to his Minstrelsy. No other collector or editor notices the ballad—‘if it ever were one,’ as Child remarks.
The only point to be noted is that the second stanza has crept into two versions of Hind Horn, apparently because of the resemblance of the previous stanzas, which present a mere ballad-commonplace.
The Whummil Bore
1.
1.2,4,5 The burden is of course repeated in each stanza.
Seven lang years I hae served the king,
Fa fa fa fa lilly
And I never got a sight of his daughter but ane.
With my glimpy, glimpy, glimpy eedle,
Lillum too tee a ta too a tee a ta a tally
2.
2.1 ‘whummil bore,’ a hole bored with a whimble or gimlet.
I saw her thro’ a whummil bore,
And I ne’er got a sight of her no more.
3.
Twa was putting on her gown,
And ten was putting pins therein.
4.
Twa was putting on her shoon,
And twa was buckling them again.
5.
Five was combing down her hair,
And I never got a sight of her nae mair.
6.
Her neck and breast was like the snow,
Then from the bore I was forced to go.