| 1 |
Leady Margat stands in her boor-door,
Clead in the robs of green;
She longed to go to Charters Woods,
To pull the flowers her lean. |
| 2 |
She had not puld a rose, a rose,
O not a rose but one,
Till up it starts True Thomas,
Said, Leady, let alone. |
| 3 |
'Why pull ye the rose, Marget?
Or why break ye the tree?
Or why come ye to Charters Woods
Without the leave of me?' |
| 4 |
'I will pull the rose,' she said,
'And I will break the tree,
For Charters Woods is all my own,
And I'l ask no leave of the.' |
| 5 |
He's tean her by the milk-white hand,
And by the grass-green sleeve,
And laid her lo at the foot of the tree,
At her he askt no leave. |
| 6 |
It fell once upon a day
They wer a pleaying at the ba,
And every one was reed and whyte,
Leady Marget's culler was all awa. |
| 7 |
Out it speaks an elder man,
As he stood in the gate,
'Our king's daughter she gos we bern,
And we will get the wait.' |
| 8 |
'If I be we bern,' she said,
'My own self beer the blame!
There is not a man in my father's court
Will get my bern's name.' |
| 9 |
'There grows a flower in Charters Woods,
It grows on gravel greay,
It ould destroy the boney young bern
That ye got in your pley.' |
| 10 |
She's tean her mantle her about,
Her green glove on her hand,
And she's awa to Charters Woods,
As fest as she could gang. |
| 11 |
She had no puld a pile, a pile,
O not a pile but one,
Up it startid True Thomas,
Said, Leady, lat alean. |
| 12 |
Why pull ye the pile, Marget,
That grows on gravel green,
For to destroy the boney young bern
That we got us between?' |
| 13 |
'If it were to an earthly man,
As [it is] to an elphan knight,
I ould walk for my true-love's sake
All the long winter's night.' |
| 14 |
'When I was a boy of eleven years old,
And much was made of me,
I went out to my father's garden,
Fell asleep at yon aple tree:
The queen of Elphan [she] came by,
And laid on her hands on me. |
| 15 |
'Elphan it's a boney place,
In it fain wid I dwall;
But ey at every seven years end
We pay the teene to hell:
I'm so full of flesh and blood
I'm sear feart for mysel. |
| 16 |
'The morn's Hallow Even's night,
When a' our courts do ride,
Through England and through Irland,
Through a' the world wide:
And she that would her true-love borrow
At Miles Corse she may bide. |
| 17 |
'The first an court that ye come till,
Ye let them a' pass by;
The next an court that ye come till,
Ye hile them reverendly. |
| 18 |
'The next an court the ye come till,
An therein rides the queen,
Me upon a milk-whyte steed,
And a gold star in my croun;
Because I am a erle's soon,
I get that for my renoun. |
| 19 |
'Ye take me in your armes,
Give me a right sear fa;
The queen of Elphan she'l cry out,
True Thomas is awa! |
| 20 |
'First I'l be in your armes
The fire burning so bold;
Ye hold me fast, let me no pass
Till I be like iron cold. |
| 21 |
'Next I'l be in your armes
The fire burning so wild;
Ye hold me fast, let me no pass,
I'm the father of your child.' |
| 22 |
The first court that came her till,
She let them a' pass by;
The nex an court that came her till,
She helt them reverendly. |
| 23 |
The nex an court that came her till,
And therein read the queen,
True Thomas on a milk-whyte steed,
A gold star in his croun;
Because he was a earl's soon,
He got that for his renoun. |
| 24 |
She's tean him in her arms,
Geen him a right sore fa;
The queen of Elphan she cried out,
True Thomas is awa! |
| 25 |
He was into her arms
The fire burning so bold;
She held him fast, let him no pass
Till he was like iron cold. |
| 26 |
He was into her arms
The fire burning so wild;
She held him fast, let him no pass,
He was the father of her child. |
| 27 |
The queen of Elphan she cried out,
An angry woman was she,
'Let Leady Marget an her true-love be,
She's bought him dearer than me.' |
