A Bundle of Ballads Part 26

"Awake!" she cried, "thy true love calls, Come from her midnight grave; Now let thy pity hear the maid Thy love refused to save.

"This is the dumb and dreary hour When injured ghosts complain; When yawning graves give up their dead To haunt the faithless swain.

"Bethink thee, William, of thy fault, Thy pledge and broken oath: And give me back my maiden vow, And give me back my troth.

"Why did you promise love to me, And not that promise keep?

Why did you swear my eyes were bright, Yet leave those eyes to weep?

"How could you say my face was fair, And yet that face forsake?

How could you win my virgin heart, Yet leave that heart to break?

"Why did you say my lip was sweet, And made the scarlet pale?

And why did I, young witless maid!

Believe the flattering tale?

"That face, alas! no more is fair; Those lips no longer red: Dark are my eyes, now closed in death, And every charm is fled.

"The hungry worm my sister is; This winding sheet I wear: And cold and weary lasts our night, Till that last morn appear.

"But hark! the c.o.c.k has warned me hence; A long and late adieu!

Come, see, false man, how low she lies, Who died for love of you."

The lark sung loud; the morning smiled, With beams of rosy red: Pale William quaked in every limb, And raving left his bed.

He hied him to the fatal place Where Margaret's body lay: And stretched him on the gra.s.s-green turf That wrapped her breathless clay.

And thrice he called on Margaret's name, And thrice he wept full sore: Then laid his cheek to her cold grave, And word spoke never more.

ELFINLAND WOOD.

Erl William has munt.i.t his gude grai stede, (Merrie lemis munelicht on the sea,) And graithit him in ane c.u.mli weid, (Swa bonilie blumis the hawthorn tree.)

Erl William rade, Erl William ran,-- (Fast they ryde quha luve trewlie,) Quhyll the Elfinland wud that gude Erl wan-- (Blink ower the burn, sweit may, to mee.)

Elfinland wud is dern and dreir, (Merrie is the grai gowkis sang,) But ilk ane leaf is quhyt as silver cleir, (Licht makis schoirt the road swa lang.)

It is undirnith ane braid aik tree, (Hey and a lo, as the leavis grow grein,) Thair is kythit ane bricht ladie, (Manie flouris blume quhilk ar nocht seen.)

Around hir slepis the quhyte muneschyne, (Meik is mayden undir kell,) Her lips bin lyke the blude reid wyne; (The rois of flouris hes sweitest smell.)

It was al bricht quhare that ladie stude, (Far my luve fure ower the sea.) Bot dern is the lave of Elfinland wud, (The knicht pruvit false that ance luvit me.)

The ladie's handis were quhyte als milk, (Ringis my luve wore mair nor ane.) Her skin was safter nor the silk; (Lilly bricht schinis my luvis halse bane.)

Save you, save you, fayr ladie, (Gentil hert schawis gentil deed.) Standand alane undir this auld tree; (Deir till knicht is n.o.bil steid.)

Burdalane, if ye dwall here, (My hert is layed upon this land.) I wuld like to live your fere; (The schippis c.u.m sailin to the strand.)

Nevir ane word that ladie sayd; (Schortest rede hes least to mend.) Bot on hir harp she evir playd; (Thare nevir was mirth that had nocht end.)

Gang ye eist, or fare ye wast, (Ilka stern blinkis blythe for thee,) Or tak ye the road that ye like best, (Al trew feeris ryde in c.u.mpanie.)

Erl William lout.i.t doun full lowe.

(Luvis first seid bin courtesie.) And swung hir owir his saddil bow, (Ryde quha listis, ye'll link with mee.)

Scho flang her harp on that auld tree, (The wynd pruvis aye ane harpir gude.) And it gave out its music free; (Birdis sing blythe in gay green wud.)

The harp playde on its leeful lane, (Lang is my luvis yellow hair.) Quhill it has charmit stock and stane, (Furth by firth, deir lady fare.)

Quhan scho was munt.i.t him behynd, (Blyth be hertis quhilkis luve ilk uthir,) Awa thai flew like flaucht of wind; (Kin kens kin, and bairnis thair mither.)

Nevir ane word that ladie spak; (Mim be maydens men besyde.) But that stout steid did nicher and schaik; (Small thingis humbil hertis of pryde.)

About his breist scho plet her handis; (Luvand be maydens quhan thai lyke.) Bot they were cauld as yron bandis.

(The winter bauld bindis sheuch and syke.)

Your handis ar cauld, fayr ladie, sayd hee, (The caulder hand the trewer hairt.) I trembil als the leif on the tree; (Licht caussis muve ald friendis to pairt.)

Lap your mantil owir your heid, (My luve was clad in the red scarlett,) And spredd your kirtil owir my stede; (Thair nevir was joie that had nae lett.)

The ladie scho wald nocht dispute; (Nocht woman is scho that laikis ane tung.) But caulder her fingeris about him cruik.

(Some sangis ar writt, bot nevir sung.)

This Elfinland wud will neir haif end; (Hunt quha listis, daylicht for mee.) I wuld I culd ane strang bow bend, (Al undirneth the grene wood tree.)

Thai rade up, and they rade doun (Wearilie wearis wan nicht away.) Erl William's heart mair cauld is grown; (Hey, luve mine, quhan dawis the day?)

Your hand lies cauld on my breist-bane, (Smal hand hes my ladie fair,) My horss he can nocht stand his lane, (For cauldness of this midnicht air.)

Erl William turnit his heid about; (The braid mune schinis in lift richt cleir.) Twa Elfin een are glentin owt, (My luvis een like twa sternis appere.)

Twa brennand eyne, sua bricht and full, (Bonnilie blinkis my ladeis ee,) Flang fire flaughtis fra ane peelit skull; (Sum sichts ar ugsomlyk to see.)

Twa rawis of quhyt teeth then did say, (Cauld the boysteous windis sal blaw,) Oh, lang and weary is our way, (And donkir yet the dew maun fa'.)

Far owir mure, and far owir fell, (Hark the sounding huntsmen thrang;) Thorow dingle, and thorow dell, (Luve, come, list the merlis sang.)

Thorow fire, and thorow flude, (Mudy mindis rage lyk a sea;) Thorow slauchtir, thorow blude, (A seamless shrowd weird schaipis for me!)

And to rede aricht my spell, Eerilie sal night wyndis moan, Quhill fleand Hevin and raikand h.e.l.l, Ghaist with ghaist maun wandir on.

CASABIANCA.