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44: The Two Magicians

 
 44.1	THE lady stands in her bower door,
 	As straight as willow wand;
 	The blacksmith stood a little forebye,
 	Wi hammer in his hand.
 44.2	‘Weel may ye dress ye, lady fair,
 	Into your robes o red;
 	Before the morn at this same time,
 	I’ll gain your maidenhead.’
 44.3	‘Awa, awa, ye coal-black smith,
 	Woud ye do me the wrang
 	To think to gain my maidenhead,
 	That I hae kept sae lang!’
 44.4	Then she has hadden up her hand,
 	And she sware by the mold,
 	‘I wudna be a blacksmith’s wife
 	For the full o a chest o gold.
 44.5	‘I’d rather I were dead and gone,
 	And my body laid in grave,
 	Ere a rusty stock o coal-black smith
 	My maidenhead shoud have.’
 44.6	But he has hadden up his hand,
 	And he sware by the mass,
 	‘I’ll cause ye be my light leman
 	For the hauf o that and less.’
 44.6b	O bide, lady, bide,
 	And aye he bade her bide;
 	The rusty smith your leman shall be,
 	For a’ your muckle pride.
 44.7	Then she became a turtle dow,
 	To fly up in the air,
 	And he became another dow,
 	And they flew pair and pair.
 44.7b	O bide, lady, bide, ’C..
 44.8	She turnd hersell into an eel,
 	To swim into yon burn,
 	And he became a speckled trout,
 	To gie the eel a turn.
 44.8b	O bide, lady, bide, ’C..
 44.9	Then she became a duck, a duck,
 	To puddle in a peel,
 	And he became a rose-kaimd drake,
 	To gie the duck a dreel.
 44.9b	O bide, lady, bide, ’C..
 44.10	She turnd hersell into a hare,
 	To rin upon yon hill,
 	And he became a gude grey-hound,
 	And boldly he did fill.
 44.10b	O bide, lady, bide, ’C..
 44.11	Then she became a gay grey mare,
 	And stood in yonder slack,
 	And he became a gilt saddle,
 	And sat upon her back.
 44.11b	Was she wae, he held her sae,
 	And still he bade her bide;
 	The rusty smith her leman was,
 	For a’ her muckle pride.
 44.12	Then she became a het girdle,
 	And he became a cake,
 	And a’ the ways she turnd hersell,
 	The blacksmith was her make.
 44.12b	Was she wae, etc.
 44.13	She turnd hersell into a ship,
 	To sail out ower the flood;
 	He ca’ed a nail intill her tail,
 	And syne the ship she stood.
 44.13b	Was she wae, etc.
 44.14	Then she became a silken plaid,
 	And stretchd upon a bed,
 	And he became a green covering,
 	And gaind her maidenhead.
 44.14b	Was she wae, etc.
 
 
 
 


Next: 45. King John and the Bishop