The English and Scottish Popular Ballads Edited by Francis James Child. |
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The English and Scottish Popular Ballads | ||
133
The Miller's Melody; or, The Drowned Lady
THE TWA SISTERS—L
[_]
a. From oral tradition, Notes and Queries, 1st S., v, 316. b. The Scouring of the White Horse, p. 161. From North Wales.
1
O was it eke a pheasant cock,Or eke a pheasant hen,
Or was it the bodye of a fair ladye,
Come swimming down the stream?
2
O it was not a pheasant cock,Nor eke a pheasant hen,
But it was the bodye of a fair ladye
Came swimming down the stream.
3
And what did he do with her fair bodye?Fal the lal the lal laral lody
He made it a case for his melodye.
Fal, etc.
4
And what did he do with her legs so strong?He made them a stand for his violon.
5
And what did he do with her hair so fine?He made of it strings for his violine.
6
And what did he do with her arms so long?He made them bows for his violon.
7
And what did he do with her nose so thin?He made it a bridge for his violin.
8
And what did he do with her eyes so bright?He made them spectacles to put to his sight.
9
And what did he do with her petty toes?He made them a nosegay to put to his nose.
The English and Scottish Popular Ballads | ||