University of Virginia Library

Search this document 
The English and Scottish Popular Ballads

Edited by Francis James Child.

expand sectionI. 
expand sectionII. 
expand sectionIII. 
expand sectionIV. 
collapse sectionV. 
expand section114. 
expand section115. 
expand section116. 
collapse section117. 
  
expand section118. 
expand section119. 
expand section120. 
expand section121. 
expand section122. 
expand section123. 
expand section124. 
expand section125. 
expand section126. 
expand section127. 
expand section128. 
expand section129. 
expand section130. 
expand section131. 
expand section132. 
expand section133. 
expand section134. 
expand section135. 
expand section136. 
expand section137. 
expand section138. 
expand section139. 
expand section140. 
expand section141. 
expand section142. 
expand section143. 
expand section144. 
expand section145. 
expand section146. 
expand section147. 
expand section148. 
expand section149. 
expand section150. 
expand section151. 
expand section152. 
expand section153. 
expand section154. 
expand section155. 
expand sectionVI. 
expand sectionVII. 
expand sectionVIII. 
expand sectionIX. 

THE CRUEL MOTHER—K

[_]

Motherwell's MS., p. 186.

1

Lady Margaret looked oer the castle wa,
Hey and a lo and a lilly O
And she saw twa bonnie babes playing at the ba.
Down by the green wood sidy O

2

‘O pretty babes, an ye were mine,
I would dress you in the silks so fine.’

225

3

‘O false mother, when we were thine,
Ye did not dress us in silks so fine.’

4

‘O bonnie babes, an ye were mine,
I would feed you on the bread and wine.’

5

‘O false mother, when we were thine,
Ye did not feed us on the bread and the wine.’
[OMITTED]

6

‘Seven years a fish in the sea,
And seven years a bird in the tree.

7

‘Seven years to ring a bell,
And seven years porter in hell.’