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The English and Scottish Popular Ballads

Edited by Francis James Child.

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The Dæmon Lover

JAMES HARRIS (THE DÆMON LOVER)—G

[_]

Motherwell's Minstrelsy, p. 93.

1

I have seven ships upon the sea,
Laden with the finest gold,
And mariners to wait us upon;
All these you may behold.

2

‘And I have shoes for my love's feet,
Beaten of the purest gold,
And linëd wi the velvet soft,
To keep my love's feet from the cold.

3

‘O how do you love the ship?’ he said,
‘Or how do you love the sea?
And how do you love the bold mariners
That wait upon thee and me?’

4

‘O I do love the ship,’ she said,
‘And I do love the sea;
But woe be to the dim mariners,
That nowhere I can see!’

5

They had not sailed a mile awa,
Never a mile but one,
When she began to weep and mourn,
And to think on her little wee son.

6

‘O hold your tongue, my dear,’ he said,
‘And let all your weeping abee,
For I'll soon show to you how the lilies grow
On the banks of Italy.’

7

They had not sailed a mile awa,
Never a mile but two,
Until she espied his cloven foot,
From his gay robes sticking thro.

8

They had not sailed a mile awa,
Never a mile but three,
When dark, dark, grew his eerie looks,
And raging grew the sea.

9

They had not sailed a mile awa,
Never a mile but four,
When the little wee ship ran round about,
And never was seen more.