Lady Margret & Sweet William- Maxie (VA) 1914 Davis C
[From Traditional Ballads of Virginia; Kyle Davis Jr. editor; 1929. His notes follow.
R. Matteson 2012, 2014]
FAIR MARGARET AND SWEET WILLIAM
(Child, No. 74)
For a general introduction to Nos. 18, 19, and 20, see the head-note to No. 18. The twenty-nine items collected for this ballad indicate that it is fairly widespread in the state, though it is somewhat less popular than either of its immediate neighbors, which boast thirty-seven items each. The ballad is known not only as "Fair Margaret and Sweet William," but also as "Lady Marget," "Lydia Marget," "Sweet William," "Sweet William's Bride," and "Sweet William and Lady Margaret." As in the case of Eleanor in the preceding ballad, the name Margaret is variously spelled and pronounced. Eight melodies have been recovered.
The normal Virginia text shows no very exact similarity to any one of the Child versions, A, B, or C, though it has some likenesses to each. It is like A in that the dream is William's and in the "such dreams" stanza, which is common to both. It is like B verbally, in the conversation that takes place between William and Margaret's ghost, and in the direct rose-and-briar-ending, without aftermath. It is like C in that no hint is given that the bride is brown. This touch, characteristic of "Lord Thomas and Fair Annet," has slipped into Child A and B but does not appear in any Virginia text. All told, a general likeness to Child B is most apparent, but the Virginia text would surely have to be printed as a version separate from the Child versions.
The story of the Virginia text is this: Sweet William arises one morning end dresses himself in blue. He denies that there is anything of moment between Lady Margaret and himself, and says that on the following day Lady Margaret will see his bride. Lady Margaret stands at her window as he and his bride pass by; she throws down her ivory comb in her emotion, and is
never more seen there. That night Lady Margaret's ghost appears at the foot of Sweet William's bridal bed and inquires how he likes his bride. He replies that best of all he likes the lady that stands at his bed's feet. He wakes, hints to his wife of his ominous dream, and gets her permission to go and see Lady Margaret. Her brother lets him in and informs him that Lady Margaret is in her coffin. After taking farewell kisses of her, he dies of sorrow. The two lovers are buried nearby, and sympathetic plants grow from their graves and entwine to symbolize their love transcending death.
For American texts, see Belden, No. J (fragment); Brown, p. 9 (North Carolina); Bulletin, Nos. 2-6, 8-10; Campbell and Sharp, No. 17 (Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, Virginia); Child, v, 293 (Massachusetts); Cox, No. 11 and p. 522 (seven texts, two melodies); Hudson, No. 11 (Mississippi); Journal, XIX, 281 (Belden, Missouri); XXIII, 381 (Combs, Kentucky); III, 154 (Perrow, North Carolina); XXX, 303 (Kittredge, Missouri); XXXI, (Waugh, Ontario, text and melody); xxxv, 340 (Tolman and Eddy, Ohio, text and melody); McGill, p.71; Mackenzie, p. 124, Mackenzie,-Ballads; Pound, Ballads, No. 16; Shearin, p.3; Shearin and Combs, p.8; C. Smith.(Virginia, two melodies only); Wyman and Brockway, p.94. For additional references, see Cox, p.65; Journal, XXIX, 160; XXX, 302.
C. "Lady Margret and Sweet William." Collected by Miss Julie Fauntleroy. Sung by Mr. Dan Maxie, of Altavista, Va. Franklin County. March 3, 1914.
1 Sweet William he arose on a merry May morn,
He dressed himself in blue.
He sang the long, long love that lies
Betwixt Lady Margret and you.
2 "I know no harm of Lady Lady Margret,
And I hope she has none of me;
But tomorrow morning at eight o'clock,
My bride Lady Margret shall see."
3 She was sitting at her bower window,
Combing back her hair,
When she saw Sweet William in his bridegroom suit,
She knew him as he drew near.
4 She dashed down her ivory comb,
And with silk tied up her hair;
That fair maid went out of that room,
And was never no more seen there.
5 The day being gone, and the night had come,
And they were all asleep.
Lady Margret appeared unto Sweet William,
Standing at his bed feet.
6 "Oh, how do you like your bed?" she said,
"Or how do you like your sheet?
How do you like the gay lady,
That lies in your arms and sleeps?"
7 "Very well do I like my bed," he said,
"Much better do I like my sheet;
But the best of them all is the gay lady
That stands (or A-standing) at my bed feet."
8 The night being gone, the day being come
When they were all awake,
Sweet William laid down his merry men all,
By one, (by) two, (and) by three.
9 He goes unto her uncle's house,
And knocked on the ring;
There was none so ready as her eldest brother
To arise and let him in.
10 "Oh, is she in her kitchen?" he says,
"Or is she in her hall,
Or is she in her sitting room,
Among her merry men (merry maids?) all?"
11 "She is neither in her kitchen," he said,
"Nor neither in her hall,
But she is in her parlor room,
Laid out against the wall."
12 "Take the sheets off of Lady Margret,
Made out of the silk so fine,
And let me kiss her clay-cold lips
That oft-times kissed mine."
13 And first he kissed her clay-cold lips,
And then her ruby chin,
And then he kissed her clay-cold lips;
That pierced to his heart within.
14 "Take the sheets off Lady Margret's corpse,
Made out of the silk so fine.
Today they laid over Lady Margret's corpse,
Tomorrow they'll lay over mine."
15 Lady Margret died like unto today,
Sweet William like tomorrow,
Lady Margret died for pure true-love,
Sweet William died for sorrow.
16 Lady Margret was buried under a high church tree(or chest tree),
Sweet William under a pear;
From Lady Margret's breast grew a red rose,
From Sweet William's grew a green brier.
17 The brier and the rose) they grew so high,
They grew to the chest tree top;
There they linked and joined together,
And tied in a true lover's knot.