Oh Lady Margaret she sat in her
high chamber
She was sewing her silken seam
She lookit West and she lookit East
And she saw those woods grow green, grow
green,
She saw those woods grow green.
So taking up her petticoats
Beneath her Harlan gown,
And when she came to the merry green
woods
There she let them down, down…
For she had not pulled one nut, one nut,
One nut no scarcely three,
When the highest Lord in all the
countryside
Came riding through the trees, trees…
“How dare you pull those nuts, those
nuts,
How dare you bend my trees,
How dare you come to my merry green woods
Without the leave of me…”
“But sir, one times those woods were
mine,
Without the leave of yours,
And I can pull those nuts, those nuts,
And I can bend those trees…”
So he took her gently by the hand,
And he gently laid her down,
And when he had his will of her,
He rose her up again…
She said, “Now you’ve had your will of
me,
Come tell to me your name.
And if a baby I should have,
I will call it the same…”
He said, “I am a young son from Carlisle,
And I owned all those hills so green,
But I was taken when I was small
By an evil faerie Queen…
But tomorrow night is Hallowe’en,
And all these nobles you could see.
If you were to come to the five mile gate
There you could set me free…
Oh first there will come some dark, some
dark,
Then there will come some brown.
But when there comes a milk-white steed,
You may pull the rider down…
Oh first I’ll turn to a wicked snake,
And then to a lion so wild.
But hold me fast and fear me not,
I may be the father of your child…
And then I’ll turn to a naked man,
Oh an angry man I’ll be.
Just throw your mantle over me
And then you shall have me free.”…
So that night at the midnight hour
Lady Margaret made her way.
And when she came to the five mile gate,
She waited patiently…
First there came some dark, some dark,
Then there came some brown.
But when there came the milk-white steed,
She pulled the rider down…
First her turned to a wicked snake,
And then to a lion so wild.
She held it fast and feared it not;
He may be the father of her child…
Then he turned to a naked man,
And an angry man was he.
She threw her mantle over him,
And then she had him free…
Then cried the voice of the faerie Queen,
Oh an angry Queen was she,
“If I had of known yesterday
What I have known today,
I would have took out your very heart’s
blood
And put in a heart of clay…
So Lady Margaret on the milk-white steed,
Lord William on his dappled grey,
With a bugle and a horn hanging down by
his side,
It’s merrily they rode away |
Lady Margaret, Lady Margaret, sewing of her seam
And she's all dressed in black
When a thought come to her head, she'd run into the
woods
And pick flowers to flower her hat, her hat, pick
flowers…
So she lifted up her petticoat a bit above her knee
And so nimbly she's run o'er the plain,
And when she came to the merry green wood,
She pulled them branches down, down...
And suddenly she spied a fine young man
Who stood underneath a tree
Saying, "How dare you pull those branches down
Without the leave of me, lady..."
She said, "This little wood, it is me very own;
Me father give it me,
And I can pull these branches down
Without the leave of you, young man..."
He's ta'en her by the lily white hand
And by the grass-green sleeve
And he's lain her down at the foot of a bush,
And he never once asked her leave, oh no...
And when it was done, she's turned herself around
To ask her true love's name;
But she nothing saw and nothing heard
And all the woods grew dim, they did...
Four and twenty maidens all in the court
Grew red as any rose
Excepting the young Margaret;
And as green as glass she goes, she goes...
Then up and spoke the first serving girl,
She lifted her head and smiled,
Saying, "I think me lady's loved too long
And now she grows with child, me dears..."
Then up and spoke the second serving girl,
"Ever and alas!" said she.
"I think I know a herb in the merry green wood
That will twine your babe from thee, Lady..."
So Margaret's taken up the silver comb,
Made haste to comb her hair
And she's away to the merry green wood
As fast as she can tear, can tear...
But she hadn't pulled a herb in that merry green
wood,
A herb but barely one,
When by her came young Tamlin
Saying, "Margaret, leave it alone, me dear...
"Oh why do you pick that bitter little herb,
That herb that grows so gray,
To take away your sweet babe's life
That we got in our play, Lady..."
"Oh tell me the truth, young Tamlin," she said,
"If an earthly man you be."
"I'll tell you the truth, Lady Margaret," he said;
"I was christened the same as thee, Lady..."
|
"But as I rode out one cold and bitter day,
From off my horse I fell,
And the queen of Elfland, she took me
In yonder green hill to dwell, Lady..."
"But tonight it is the Hallowe'en
When the Elfin court must ride,
And if you would your true love win,
By the old mill bridge you must bide, my dear..."
"First will come the black horse, & then come by
brown,
And then come by the white;
You must hold me fast and fear me not
And I will not you a-fright, my love..."
So Margaret's taken up the silver comb,
Made haste to comb her hair
And she's away to the old mill bridge
As fast as she can tear, can tear...
And at the dead hour of the night,
She heard the harness ring,
And, oh, that sound, it chilled her very heart
More than any mortal thing, it did...
First came by the black horse & then came by the
brown
And then came by the white;
And she held it fast and feared it not
And it did not her a-fright, oh no...
Then the thunder rolled across the sky
And the stars, they blazed like day,
And the queen of Elflin gave a chilling cry:
"Oh young Tamlin's away, away..."
Then they have changed him all in her arms
To a lion that roared so wild,
But she held it fast and feared it not--
It was the father of her child, she knew...
Then they have changed him all in her arms
Into a loathsome snake,
But she held it fast and feared it not--
It was one of Gods own make, she knew...
Then they have changed him all in her arms
To a red hot bar of iron,
But she held it fast and feared it not--
And it did to her no harm, no harm...
And then they have changed him all in her arms
Into a naked man,
And she flung her mantle over him
Crying, "Oh my love, I've won, I've won..."
Then up and spoke the queen of Elfinland,
From the bush wherein she stood,
Saying, "I should have tore out your eyes, Tamlin,
And put into eyes of wood, of wood..." |