Thomas the Rhymer

thumb| Sir Thomas de Ercildoun, better remembered as Thomas the Rhymer (fl. c. 1220 – 1298), also known as Thomas Learmont or True Thomas, was a Scottish laird and reputed prophet from Earlston (then called "Erceldoune") in the Borders. Attributed 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. "The Ballad of Thomas the Rhymer", st. 1 Syne they came on to a garden green,   And she pu’d an apple frae a tree:‘Take this for thy wages, True Thomas,   It will give the tongue that can never lie.’ "The Ballad of Thomas the Rhymer", st. 17 Walter Scott, Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border (1802), vol. 2, pp. 251–56 Quotes about Thomas Thomas the RhymerWas probably a social climber:He should have known Fairy QueensWere beyond his means. W. H. Auden, Academic Graffiti (New York, 1972), no. 53 See also Border ballads External links Category:Poets from Scotland Category:1220s births Category:1298 deaths