{"collection":"Northern European Mythology","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/neu/eng/child/ch070.htm","path":"neu/eng/child/ch070.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/neu/eng/child/ch070.htm","text":"Sacred Texts\u00a0\n Legends & Sagas\u00a0\n England\u00a0\n Index\u00a0\n Previous\u00a0\n Next\u00a0\n \n \n \n 70A: Willie and Lady Maisry\n \n \n 70A.1\tWILLIE was a widow\u2019s son,\n And he wore a milk-white weed, O\n And weel could Willie read and write,\n Far better ride on steed. O\n 70A.2\tLady Margerie was the first lady\n That drank to him the wine,\n And aye as the healths gade round and round,\n \u2018Laddy, your love is mine.\u2019\n 70A.3\tLady Margerie was the first ladye\n That drank to him the beer,\n And aye as the healths gade round and round,\n \u2018Laddy, you\u2019re welcome here.\u2019\n 70A.4\t\u2018You must come into my bower\n When the evening bells do ring,\n And you must come into my bower\n When the evening mass doth sing.\u2019\n 70A.5\tHe\u2019s taen four and twenty braid arrows,\n And laced them in a whang,\n And he\u2019s awa to Lady Margerie\u2019s bower,\n As fast as he can gang.\n 70A.6\tHe set ae foot on the wall,\n And the other on a stane,\n And he\u2019s killed a\u2019 the king\u2019s life-guards,\n And he\u2019s killed them every man.\n 70A.7\t\u2018Oh open, open, Lady Margerie,\n Open and let me in;\n The weet weets a\u2019 my yellow hair,\n And the dew draps on my chin.\u2019\n 70A.8\tWith her feet as white as sleet\n She strode her bower within,\n And with her fingers long and small\n She\u2019s looten Sweet Willie in.\n 70A.9\tShe\u2019s louten down unto her foot\n To loose Sweet Willie\u2019s shoon;\n The buckles were sa stiff they wudna lowse,\n The blood had frozen in.\n 70A.10\t\u2018O Willie, Willie, I fear that thou\n Has bred me dule and sorrow;\n The deed that thou has dune this nicht\n Will kythe upon the morrow.\u2019\n 70A.11\tIn then came her father dear,\n And a broad sword by his gare,\n And he\u2019s gien Willie, the widow\u2019s son,\n A deep wound and a sair.\n 70A.12\t\u2018Lye yont, lye yont, Willie,\u2019 she says,\n \u2018Your sweat weets a\u2019 my side;\n Lye yont, lie yont, Willie,\u2019 she says,\n \u2018For your sweat I downa bide.\u2019\n 70A.13\tShe turned her back unto the wa,\n Her face unto the room,\n And there she saw her auld father,\n Walking up and down.\n 70A.14\t\u2018Woe be to you, father,\u2019 she said,\n \u2018And an ill deed may you die!\n For ye\u2019ve killd Willie, the widow\u2019s son\n And he would have married me.\u2019\n 70A.15\tShe turned her back unto the room,\n Her face unto the wa,\n And with a deep and heavy sich\n Her heart it brak in twa.\n \n \n \n 70B: Willie and Lady Maisry\n \n \n 70B.1\tSWEET WILLIE was a widow\u2019s son,\n And milk-white was his weed;\n It sets him weel to bridle a horse,\n And better to saddle a steed, my dear,\n And better to saddle a steed.\n 70B.2\tBut he is on to Maisry\u2019s bower-door,\n And tirled at the pin:\n \u2018Ye sleep ye, wake ye, Lady Maisry,\n Ye\u2019ll open, let me come in.\u2019\n 70B.3\t\u2018O who is this at my bower-door,\n Sae well that knows my name?\u2019\n \u2018It is your ain true-love, Willie,\n If ye love me, lat me in.\u2019\n 70B.4\tThen huly, huly raise she up,\n For fear o making din,\n Then in her arms lang and bent,\n She caught sweet Willie in.\n 70B.5\tShe leand her low down to her toe,\n To loose her true-love\u2019s sheen,\n But cauld, cauld were the draps o bleed\n Fell fae his trusty brand.\n 70B.6\t\u2018What frightfu sight is that, my love?\n A frightfu sight to see!\n What bluid is this on your sharp brand?\n O may ye not tell me?\u2019\n 70B.7\t\u2018As I came thro the woods this night,\n The wolf maist worried me;\n O shoud I slain the wolf, Maisry?\n Or shoud the wolf slain me?\u2019\n 70B.8\tThey hadna kissd, nor love clapped,\n As lovers when they meet,\n Till up it starts her auld father,\n Out o his drowsy sleep.\n 70B.9\t\u2018O what\u2019s become o my house-cock,\n Sae crouse at ane did craw?\n I wonder as much at my bold watch,\n That\u2019s nae shooting ower the wa.\n 70B.10\t\u2018My gude house-cock, my only son,\n Heir ower my land sae free,\n If ony ruffian hae him slain,\n High hanged shall he be.\u2019\n 70B.11\tThen he\u2019s on to Maisry\u2019s bower-door,\n And tirled at the pin:\n \u2018Ye sleep ye, wake ye, daughter Maisry,\n Ye\u2019ll open, lat me come in.\u2019\n 70B.12\tBetween the curtains and the wa\n She rowd her true-love then,\n And huly went she to the door,\n And let her father in.\n 70B.13\t\u2018What\u2019s become o your maries, Maisry,\n Your bower it looks sae teem?\n What\u2019s become o your green claithing,\n Your beds they are sae thin?\u2019\n 70B.14\t\u2018Gude forgie you, father,\u2019 she said,\n \u2018I wish ye be\u2019t for sin;\n Sae aft as ye hae dreaded me,\n But never found me wrang.\u2019\n 70B.15\tHe turnd him right and round about,\n As he\u2019d been gaun awa;\n But sae nimbly as he slippet in\n Behind a screen sae sma.\n 70B.16\tMaisry, thinking a\u2019 dangers past,\n She to her love did say,\n \u2018Come, love, and take your silent rest;\n My auld father\u2019s away.\u2019\n 70B.17\tThen baith lockd in each other\u2019s arms,\n They fell full fast asleep,\n When up it starts her auld father,\n And stood at their bed-feet.\n 70B.18\t\u2018I think I hae the villain now\n That my dear son did slay;\n But I shall be revengd on him\n Before I see the day.\u2019\n 70B.19\tThen he\u2019s drawn out a trusty brand,\n And stroakd it oer a stray,\n And thro and thro Sweet Willie\u2019s middle\n He\u2019s gart cauld iron gae.\n 70B.20\tThen up it wakend Lady Maisry,\n Out o her drowsy sleep,\n And when she saw her true-love slain,\n She straight began to weep.\n 70B.21\t\u2018O gude forgie you now, father,\u2019 she said,\n \u2018I wish ye be\u2019t for sin;\n For I never lovd a love but ane,\n In my arms ye\u2019ve him slain.\u2019\n 70B.22\t\u2018This night he\u2019s slain my gude bold watch,\n Thirty stout men and twa;\n Likewise he\u2019s slain your ae brother,\n To me was worth them a\u2019.\n 70B.23\t\u2018If he has slain my ae brither,\n Himsell had a\u2019 the blame,\n For mony a day he plots contriv\u2019d,\n To hae Sweet Willie slain.\n 70B.24\t\u2018And tho he\u2019s slain your gude bold watch,\n He might hae been forgien;\n They came on him in armour bright,\n When he was but alane.\u2019\n 70B.25\tNae meen was made for this young knight,\n In bower where he lay slain,\n But a\u2019 was for sweet Maisry bright,\n In fields where she ran brain.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n Next: 71. The Bent Sae Brown","title":"The Child Ballads: 70. Willie and Lady Maisry","type":"page"}