那是五月里一个阳光明媚的早晨，我在河岸边遇到了一位漂亮的姑娘。我说，我迷人的美人，来告诉我，我祈祷，你为什么独自走在河岸上。她说:“仁慈的先生，可怜可怜我吧，因为我为我那名叫詹姆斯·门罗的年轻水手感到非常难过;他在海上漂泊了很长时间，从今天算起已经七年了，我有时会来这里为他哭泣，那是遥远的，遥远的。可爱的人儿，别哭了，答应嫁给我吧，我要把我的房子和我所有的土地都给你，我们将毫不迟延地结婚，幸福而满足地生活在泰河岸边。相信我，我亲爱的小姐，我同情那个水手的妻子，因为我想她一定过着非常不幸的生活;尤其是在暴风雨的夜晚，我肯定她睡不着，在海底深处想着她的丈夫。哦,先生!你对我说的话是对的，但我必须对自己的选择感到满意;对门罗来说，他年轻英俊，我不会否认，如果我找不到他做丈夫，相信我，我会死的。 Because, when last we parted, we swore to be true, And I will keep my troth, which lovers ought to do; And I will pray for his safe return by night and by day, That God may send him safe home to the banks o' the Tay. Forgive me, noble heart, for asking to marry you, I was only trying your love, if it was really true; But I've found your love is pure towards your sailor lad, And the thought thereof, believe me, makes my heart feel glad. As homeward we retraced our steps her heart seemed glad, In hopes of seeing again her brave sailor lad, He had promised to marry her when he would return, So I bade her keep up her spirits and no longer mourn. Dear creature, the lass that's true to her sweetheart deserves great praise, And I hope young Munro and you will spend many happy days, For unto him I know you will ever prove true, And perchance when he comes home he will marry you. What you have said, kind sir, I hope will come true, And if it does, I'll make it known to you; And you must come to the marriage, which you musn't gainsay, And dance and rejoice with us on the marriage-day. When we arrived in Dundee she bade me good-bye, Then I told her where I lived, while she said with a sigh, Kind sir, I will long remember that morning in May, When I met you by chance on the banks o' the Tay. When three months were past her sailor lad came home, And she called to see me herself alone, And she invited me to her marriage without delay, Which was celebrated with great pomp the next day. So I went to the marriage with my heart full of joy, And I wished her prosperity with her sailor boy; And I danced and sang till daylight, and then came away, Leaving them happy and contented on the banks o' the Tay. So all ye pretty fair maids, of high or low degree, Be faithful to your sweethearts when they have gone to sea, And never be in doubts of them when they are far away, Because they might return and marry you some unexpected day.