The English and Scottish Popular Ballads Edited by Francis James Child. |
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The English and Scottish Popular Ballads | ||
Fine Flowers in the Valley
THE CRUEL MOTHER—L
1
A lady lookd out at a castle wa,Fine flowers in the valley
She saw twa bonnie babes playing at the ba.
And the green leaves they grow rarely
2
‘O my bonnie babes, an ye were mine,I would cleed ye i the scarlet sae fine.
3
‘I'd lay ye saft in beds o down,And watch ye morning, night and noon.’
4
‘O mither dear, when we were thine,Ye didna cleed us i the scarlet sae fine.
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‘But ye took out yere little pen-knife,And parted us frae our sweet life.
6
‘Ye howkit a hole aneath the moon,And there ye laid our bodies down.
7
‘Ye happit the hole wi mossy stanes,And there ye left our wee bit banes.
8
‘But ye ken weel, O mither dear,Ye never cam that gate for fear.’
9
‘Seven lang years ye'll ring the bell,And see sic sights as ye darna tell.’
The English and Scottish Popular Ballads | ||