Willy's Lady- (Lon) 1801 arr Matthew Gregory Lewis
[From "Tales of Wonder" by Matthew Gregory Lewis, Sir Walter Scott, John Leyden, Robert Southey (1801). The same text was printed in Helen Flander's 1966 Ancient Ballads which she copied from an 1818 Dublin issue, "Charms of Melody." Flanders, however, did not mention the source as "Tales of Wonder." Child's notes follow.
R. Matteson 2018]
Child said this about the Lewis arrangement: "Lewis had access to William Tytler's copy, and, having regulated the rhymes, filled out a gap, dropped the passage about the girdle, and made other changes to his taste, printed the ballad in 1801 as No 56 of his Tales of Wonder."
WILLY'S LADY.
Willy's gone over the salt sea foam,
He has married a wife, and brought her home;
He wooed her for her yellow hair,
But his mither wrought her mickle care;
And mickle dolour suffers she,
For lighter[1] she can never be;
But in her bour she sits wi' pain,
And Willy mourns over her in vain.
Then to his mither he speaks his mind,
That vile rank witch of foulest kind;
He says— "my ladye has a cup,
With gold and silver all set up,
The handles are of the ivory bones,
"And all set round wi' sparkling stones;
"This gudely gift she'll give to thee,
"If of her young bairn she may lighter be."—
—"Of her young bairn shall she never be lighter,
"Nor in her bour to shine the brighter,
"But she shall die, and turn to clay,
"And you shall wed another may[2],
—"Another may I'll never wed,
"Another may I'll never bed!"—
Then sorely did that lady sigh,
—"I wish my hour of death were nigh!
"Yet speak ye again to your mither your mind,
"That foul rank witch of cruel kind,
"And say your lady has a steed,
"The like of him's not in the land of Leed:
"Of that horse's main at every tress,
"There's a silver bell and a golden jess,
"This gudely gift I'll give her with glee,
"If of my young bairn I may lighter be."—
—"Of her young bairn shall she never be lighten
"Nor in her bour to shine the brighter;
"But she shall die and turn to clay,
"And you shall wed another may."—
—"Another may I'll never wed,
"Another may I'll never bed !"—
Then evermore sigh'd that ladye bright,
—"I wish my day had reach'd its night." —
With that arose the Billy Blynde[3],
And in good tyme spake he his mind,
—"Yet gae ye to the market-place,
"And there buy ye a loaf of wace[4],
"Shape it bairnly-like, to view,
"Stick in't twa glassy een of blue,
"Then bid the witch the christening to,
"And notice well what she shall do."—
Then Willy has bought a loaf of wace,
And framed it to a bairn-like face,
And says to his mither, with seeming joy,
—-"My lady is lighter of a young boy;
And he'll in St. Mary's be christen'd to-night,
"And you to the christening I come to invite."-—
Syne has he, stopped a little to see,
"When this she heard, what say might she.
—" O who has the nine witch knots unty'd,
"That were among the locks of your bride;
"Or who has ta'en out the comb of care,
"Which fasten'd that ladye's yellow hair?
"And who has ta'en down the bush of woodbine,
"That hung between her bour and mine?
"And who has kill'd the master-kid,
"That ran below that ladye's bed?
"And who has her left shoe-string undone,
"And let that lady be light of her son?"—
Then Willy the nine witch knots unty'd,
That were among the locks of his bride;
And he has ta'en out the comb of care.
Which saften'd his ladye's yellow hair,
And he has ta'en down the woodbine flowers,
Which the witch had hung between the bowers
And he has slain the master-kid,
Which ran below that ladye's bed;
And he has the left shoe-string undone,
And letten his ladye be light of her son;
But when she heard that his ladye was light,
That foul rank witch, she burst for spite.
1. "lighter" is "i. e. Brought to bed" which means delivered of child;
2. "May" is slang for maiden";
3. "Billy Blynde (Billy Bind)" is "a familiar spirit, or good genius" some editions call him a "sprite";
4. "wace" is "wax."