Binnori

Once upon a time, in a castle near the wondrous mill dams of Binnorie, there lived two royal daughters. Sir William wooed the elder of the two, won her heart, and sealed his vows with a ring and a glove. But then he saw the younger sister, golden-haired, with a face as delicate as a blooming cherry, and he gave his heart to her, forsaking the elder. The elder sister grew to hate the younger for stealing Sir William's love, and her hatred festered day by day, as she plotted how to destroy her sister.

One quiet, bright morning, the elder sister said to the younger:
"Let us go and see how our father's boats enter the wondrous waters of Binnorie!"
They took each other's hands and set off. When they reached the shore, the younger sister climbed onto a large stone, wanting to see how the boats would be pulled ashore. The elder sister followed close behind, and suddenly she wrapped her arms around her sister's waist and pushed her into the raging waters of Binnorie.
"Oh, sister, sister, lend me your hand!" cried the younger princess as the water carried her away. "I will give you half of all I have and all I will ever have!"
"Oh no, sister, I will not lend you my hand! You shall die, and your lands will be mine! Shame would be mine if I touched the one who stole my beloved!"
"Oh sister, sister, then lend me your glove, and I will return William to you!" cried the princess as the current carried her further and further away.
"Drown!" replied the cruel princess. "I will not touch you, neither with my hand nor my glove! You shall sink into the wondrous waters of Binnorie, and my dear William will be mine again!"
And she returned to the royal castle.

The younger princess was carried further and further by the current, now rising to the surface, now sinking beneath the water, until at last the river brought her to the mill. At that moment, the miller's daughter was preparing dinner and needed water. She went down to the river, saw something floating toward the dam, and cried out:
"Father! Father! Lower the gates quickly! Something white—a swan or a mermaid—is floating down the river."
The miller hurried to the dam and stopped the heavy, fearsome mill wheels. Then the father and daughter pulled the princess from the water and laid her on the shore.

Bright and beautiful, she lay on the ground. Pearls and jewels adorned her golden curls, a golden belt cinched her slender waist, and golden fringe on the hem of her white dress covered her delicate feet.
But she did not breathe, she did not breathe...

As the beautiful princess lay on the shore, a wanderer passed by the dams of Binnorie—a famous harpist. He saw her lovely, pale face and could not forget it. He wandered the world for a long time, but that face always lingered before his eyes.

Many, many days later, he returned to the wondrous waters of Binnorie, but the princess had long since fallen into eternal sleep, and he found only her bones and golden curls. He made a harp from them and climbed the hill that overlooks the dam of Binnorie, approaching the castle where the king, her father, lived.

That evening, the king and queen, their son and daughter, Sir William, and the entire court gathered in the hall to hear the renowned harpist. The harpist began to play, plucking the strings of his harp, and all—now rejoicing and delighting, now weeping and mourning—were swayed by his will. Suddenly, the harp itself began to sing in a soft, clear voice; the harpist fell silent, and all held their breath.

This is what the harp sang:
Oh, there sits my father, the king,
Binnorie, oh Binnorie;
And beside him sits the queen, my mother,
Near the wondrous dam of Binnorie.
Here stands Hugh, my own brother,
Binnorie, oh Binnorie;
And faithful-unfaithful William, my love,
Near the wondrous dam of Binnorie.

All in the hall were amazed, and the old harpist told how he had once seen the dead princess on the shore, drowned near the wondrous dams of Binnorie, and how he had made this harp from her bones and curls.
Suddenly, the harp sang again in a loud, clear voice:
And here is the sister who drowned me,
Near the wondrous dam of Binnorie.
And then the strings snapped, and the harp fell silent forever, forever.

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Binnori

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