TRUE Thomas lay on Huntlie bank

TRUE Thomas lay on Huntlie bank,

A ferlie he spied wi his ee;

And there he saw a Lady bright

Come riding down by the Eildon Tree.

Her skirt was o the grass-green silk,

Her mantle¹ o the velvet² fyne,

At ilka tett of her horse’s mane

Hung fifty siller bells and nine.

True Thomas he pulld aff his cap,

And louted low down on his knee:

“Hail to thee, Mary, Queen of Heaven!

For thy peer on earth could never be.”

“O no, O no, Thomas,” she says,

“That name does not belong to me;

I’m but the Queen of fair Elfland,

That am hither come to visit thee.

“Harp and carp, Thomas,” she says,

“Harp and carp alang wi me.

And if ye dare to kiss my lips,

Sure of your bodie I will be.”

“Betide me weal, betide me woe³,

That weird⁴ shall never daunton me.”

Syne⁵ he has kissed her rosy⁶ lips,

All underneath⁷ the Eildon Tree.

Thomas the Rhymer

1 mantle   

n.斗篷，覆罩之物，罩子；v.罩住，覆盖，脸红

参考例句：

• The earth had donned her mantle of brightest green.大地披上了苍翠欲滴的绿色斗篷。
• The mountain was covered with a mantle of snow.山上覆盖着一层雪。

2 velvet   

n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的

参考例句：

• This material feels like velvet.这料子摸起来像丝绒。
• The new settlers wore the finest silk and velvet clothing.新来的移民穿着最华丽的丝绸和天鹅绒衣服。

3 woe   

n.悲哀，苦痛，不幸，困难；int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌

参考例句：

• Our two peoples are brothers sharing weal and woe.我们两国人民是患难与共的兄弟。
• A man is well or woe as he thinks himself so.自认祸是祸，自认福是福。

4 weird   

adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的

参考例句：

• From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来，他好像有点怪。
• His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。

5 syne   

adv.自彼时至此时，曾经

参考例句：

• The meeting ended up with the singing of Auld Lang Syne.大会以唱《友谊地久天长》结束。
• We will take a cup of kindness yet for auld lang syne.让我们为了过去的好时光干一杯友谊的酒。

6 rosy   

adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的

参考例句：

• She got a new job and her life looks rosy.她找到一份新工作，生活看上去很美好。
• She always takes a rosy view of life.她总是对生活持乐观态度。

7 underneath   

adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面

参考例句：

• Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
• She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣，里面套着一条连衣裙。