The Romantic Scottish Ballads: Their Epoch and Authorship

Name: The Romantic Scottish Ballads: Their Epoch and Authorship
Author: Chambers, Robert

Chambers, Robert

Ballads, Scots -- Scotland -- History and criticism

He's ta'en out his trusty brand,
      And straikt it on the strae,
    And through and through Clerk Saunders' side
      He's gart it come and gae.[24]

_Sweet William's Ghost_, a fine superstitious ballad, first published
in Ramsay's _Tea-table Miscellany_, 1724, is important as the earliest
printed of all the Scottish ballads after the admittedly modern
_Hardyknute_:

    There came a ghost to Margaret's door,
      With many a grievous groan;
    And aye he tirled at the pin,
      But answer made she none.

          *      *      *

    'O sweet Margaret! O dear Margaret!
      I pray thee, speak to me;
    Give me my faith and troth, Margaret,
      As I gave it to thee.'

    'Thy faith and troth thou 's never get,
      Nor yet will I thee lend,
    Till that thou come within my bower,
      And kiss my cheek and chin.'[25]

    'If I should come within thy bower,
      I am no earthly man;
    And should I kiss thy rosy lips,
      Thy days will not be lang.

          *      *      *

    'My bones are buried in yon kirk-yard,
      Afar beyond the sea;
    And it is but my spirit, Margaret,
      That's now speaking to thee.'

    She stretched out her lily hand,
      And for to do her best,
    'Ha'e there's your faith and troth, Willie;
      God send your soul good rest.'

    Now she has kilted her robes of green
      A piece below her knee,
    And a' the live-lang winter night,
      The dead corp followed she.

    'Is there any room at your head, Willie,
      Or any room at your feet?
    Or any room at your side, Willie,
      Wherein that I may creep?'

    'There's no room at my head, Margaret;
      There's no room at my feet;
    There's no room at my side, Margaret;
      My coffin's made so meet.'[26]

    Then up and crew the red, red cock,
      And up then crew the gray,
    ''Tis time, 'tis time, my dear Margaret,
      That you were going away.'

          *      *      *

          [24]

                Now he has ta'en his trusty brand,
                  And slait it on the strae,
                And through Gil Morrice's fair bodie
                  He garred cauld iron gae.--_Gil Morrice._

          [25]

                And first he kissed her cherry cheek,
                  And syne he kissed her chin;
                And syne he kissed her rosy lips--
                There was nae breath within.--_Lass o' Lochryan._

          To kiss cheek and chin in succession is very peculiar; and it
          is by such peculiar ideas that identity of authorship is
          indicated.

          [26] That is, so exactly measured.

So far, the ballad appears as composed in the style of those already
noticed--a style at once simple and poetical--neither shewing the
rudeness of the common peasant's ballad, nor the formal refinement of
the modern English poet. But next follow two stanzas, which manifestly
have been patched on by some contemporary of Ramsay:

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

The Romantic Scottish Ballads: Their Epoch and Authorship

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