And he was riding burd alane,
On a horse as black as jet,

But tho' she followed him fast and fell,
No nearer could she get.

"O stop! O stop! young man," she said;
"For I in dule am dight;

O stop, and win a fair lady's luve,
If you be a leal true knight."

But nothing did the tall knight say,
And nothing did he blin;

Still slowly ride he on before
And fast she rade behind.

She whipped her steed, she spurred her steed,
Till his breast was all a foam;

But nearer unto that tall young knight,
By Our Ladye she could not come.

"O if you be a gay young knight,
As well I trow you be,

Pull tight your bridle reins, and stay
Till I come up to thee."

But nothing did that tall knight say,
And no whit did he blin,

Until he reached a broad river's side
And there he drew his rein.

"O is this water deep?" he said,
"As it is wondrous dun?

Or is it sic as a saikless maid,
And a leal true knight may swim?"

"The water it is deep," she said,
"As it is wondrous dun;

But it is sic as a saikless maid,
And a leal true knight may swim."

The knight spurred on his tall black steed;
The lady spurred on her brown;

And fast they rade unto the flood,
And fast they baith swam down.

"The water weets my tae," she said;
"The water weets my knee,

And hold up my bridle reins, sir knight,
For the sake of Our Ladye."

"If I would help thee now," he said,
"It were a deadly sin,

For I've sworn neir to trust a fair may's word,
Till the water weets her chin."

"Oh, the water weets my waist," she said,
"Sae does it weet my skin,

And my aching heart rins round about,
The burn maks sic a din.

"The water is waxing deeper still,
Sae does it wax mair wide;

And aye the farther that we ride on,
Farther off is the other side.

"O help me now, thou false, false knight,
Have pity on my youth,

For now the water jawes owre my head,
And it gurgles in my mouth."

The knight turned right and round about,
All in the middle stream;

And he stretched out his head to that lady,
But loudly she did scream.

"O this is hallow-morn," he said,
"And it is your bridal-day,

But sad would be that gay wedding,
If bridegroom and bride were away.

"And ride on, ride on, proud Margaret!
Till the water comes o'er your bree,

For the bride maun ride deep, and deeper yet,
Wha rides this ford wi' me.

"Turn round, turn round, proud Margaret!
Turn ye round, and look on me,

Thou hast killed a true knight under trust,
And his ghost now links on with thee."

Ballad: Rose The Red And White Lily
(Child, Part IV.)

O Rose the Red and White Lilly,
Their mother dear was dead,

And their father married an ill woman,
Wishd them twa little guede.

Yet she had twa as fu fair sons
As eer brake manis bread,

And the tane of them loed her White Lilly,
And the tither lood Rose the Red.

O, biggit ha they a bigly bowr,
And strawn it oer wi san,

And there was mair mirth i the ladies' bowr
Than in a' their father's lan.

But out it spake their step-mother,
Wha stood a little foreby:

"I hope to live and play the prank
Sal gar your loud sang ly."

She's calld upon her eldest son:
"Come here, my son, to me;

It fears me sair, my eldest son,
That ye maun sail the sea."

"Gin it fear you sair, my mither dear,
Your bidding I maun dee;

But be never war to Rose the Red
Than ye ha been to me."

"O had your tongue, my eldest son,
For sma sal be her part;

You'll nae get a kiss o her comely mouth
Gin your very fair heart should break."

She's calld upon her youngest son:
"Come here, my son, to me;

It fears me sair, my youngest son,
That ye maun sail the sea."

"Gin it fear you sair, my mither dear,
Your bidding I maun dee;

But be never war to White Lilly
Than ye ha been to me."

"O haud your tongue, my youngest son,
For sma sall be her part;

You'll neer get a kiss o her comely mouth
Tho your very fair heart should break."

When Rose the Red and White Lilly
Saw their twa loves were gane,

Then stopped ha they their loud, loud sang,
And tane up the still moarnin;

And their step-mother stood listnin by,
To hear the ladies' mean.

Then out it spake her, White Lily;
"My sister, we'll be gane;

Why shou'd we stay in Barnsdale,
To waste our youth in pain?"

Then cutted ha they their green cloathing,
A little below their knee;

And sae ha they their yallow hair,
A little aboon there bree;

And they've doen them to haely chapel
Was christened by Our Ladye.

There ha they changed their ain twa names,
Sae far frae ony town;

And the tane o them hight Sweet Willy,
And the tither o them Roge the Roun.

Between this twa a vow was made,
An they sware it to fulfil;

That at three blasts o a buglehorn,
She'd come her sister till.

Now Sweet Willy's gane to the kingis court,
Her true-love for to see,

And Roge the Roun to good green wood,
Brown Robin's man to be.

As it fell out upon a day,
They a did put the stane;

Full seven foot ayont them a
She gard the puttin-stane gang.

She leand her back against an oak,
And gae a loud Ohone!

Then out it spake him Brown Robin,
"But that's a woman's moan!"

"Oh, ken ye by my red rose lip?
Or by my yallow hair;

Or ken ye by my milk-white breast?
For ye never saw it bare?"

"I ken no by your red rose lip,
Nor by your yallow hair;

Nor ken I by your milk-white breast,
For I never saw it bare;

But, come to your bowr whaever sae likes,
Will find a ladye there."

"Oh, gin ye come to my bowr within,
Thro fraud, deceit, or guile,

Wi this same bran that's in my han
I swear I will thee kill."

"But I will come thy bowr within,
An spear nae leave," quoth he;

"An this same bran that's i my ban,
I sall ware back on the."

About the tenth hour of the night,
The ladie's bowr door was broken,

An eer the first hour of the day
The bonny knave bairn was gotten.

When days were gane and months were run,
The ladye took travailing,

And sair she cry'd for a bow'r-woman,
For to wait her upon.

Then out it spake him, Brown Robin:
"Now what needs a' this din?

For what coud any woman do
But I coud do the same?"

"Twas never my mither's fashion," she says,
"Nor sall it ever be mine,

That belted knights shoud eer remain
Where ladies dreed their pine.

"But ye take up that bugle-horn,
An blaw a blast for me;

I ha a brother i the kingis court
Will come me quickly ti."

"O gin ye ha a brither on earth
That ye love better nor me,

Ye blaw the horn yoursel," he says,
"For ae blast I winna gie."

She's set the horn till her mouth,
And she's blawn three blasts sae shrill;

Sweet Willy heard i the kingis court,
And came her quickly till.

Then up it started Brown Robin,
An an angry man was he:

"There comes nae man this bowr within
But first must fight wi me."

O they hae fought that bowr within

• deadly [´dedli] a.致命的 ad.死一般地 (初中英语单词)
• knight [nait] n.骑士；爵士 (高中英语单词)
• bridle [´braidl] n.(马)笼头；束缚 (高中英语单词)
• eldest [´eldist] a.最年长的 (高中英语单词)
• wondrous [´wʌndrəs] a.极好的 ad.惊人地 (英语四级单词)
• bridegroom [´braidgru:m] n.新郎 (英语四级单词)
• comely [´kʌmli] a.秀丽的；文雅的 (英语四级单词)
• deceit [di´si:t] n.欺骗 (英语四级单词)