69
Beautiful Susan
Pretty evidently an English broadside or stall ballad, this appears
not to have been reported elsewhere as traditional song. The
Seaman of Plymouth,' a long story (50 stanzas!) reported from
tradition in Vermont (VFSB 141-7), deals with beautiful Susan of that town and her sailor lover, but is by no means the same song.
It ends happily in the marriage of the lovers despite the plotting
of the girl's parents. 'Nancy of Yarmouth' (see above), is a more
elaborate telling of much the same story.
'Beautiful Susan.' From the Henneman collection, which means that
it was taken down from the singing of Mrs. Elizabeth Simpkins. As is
frequently the case in the Henneman texts, the versification is a good
deal confused. In the manuscript there is no stanza division, but the
rhymes seem to indicate that it was originally stanzaic, and an attempt
is accordingly made so to divide it. Emendations in brackets arfe
editorial.
1 In Plymouth town there lived a fair virgin,
And beautiful Susan w^as her name.
Right straight off to court her
The ship carpenter steering [came].
2 Her beautiful charms did his heart inflame,
Saying, 'If ever I marry it shall be to Susan,
For she is my jewel, she is my dear.'
3 'No,' says Susan, 'you need not say so;
William's my dear, although he's not here ;
And if ever I marry it shall be to William ;
He's my jewel, he is my dear.'
4 Up steps her old father ; this he says to Susan :
'Susan, you are young and you must to obey.
Marry with this man that loves you so dear ;
For while William's gone there he meets for to stay.'^
5 'Oh no,' says Susan, 'you need not persuade me ;
William's my dear, although he's not here.'
Her old father found out that he could not persuade her.
He wrote her a letter concerning the death of her dear.
She, reading the letter, she sighed, mourned, and, weeping,
'I wished I'd 'a' died in the room of my dear.'
6 Her old father still impressed on her for to marry.
At length the damsel gave her consent.
Next day in the robes they went to the tender,
Down in Plymouth town, and there they were tied.
7 That very day
Sweet William arose [arove?] with great riches and stores.
Susan sat gazing out at the dormant window ;
She saw the postboy come riding to the door.
^ This line should apparently read : "For where William's gone, there
he means for to stay."
OLDER BALLADS MOSTLY BRITISH 253
8 He cried aloud for the beautiful Susan,
'Here's a letter from William her dear.'
'I know that I'm married, although I'll die a virgin;
Death is in the dirk, my life I'll destroy.'
9 Up steps her groomsman, this said he to Susan :
'Susan, you are bound, you are forced to obey.'
'I know that I'm married, although I'll die a virgin ;
Death is in the dirk; my life I'll destroy.'
10 That very night William, lying in his cabin,
Lonely sleeping, he heard a most low
And a pitiful voice : 'Rise up, sweet William,
'Tis the voice of your Susan, 'tis the voice of your Susan,
Unto thy fair one who loves you so dearly,'
1 1 He opened his arms all to embrace her ;
All of the moment he discerned her no more.
He cried aloud and with great wonders,
Saying, 'Has cruel death deprived me of my dear?'
12 He jumps in his long boat, he sailed down to Plymouth ;
This news hid come to him what her cruel parents had
done.
'How can you, hard-hearted parents,
To wrong your tender daughter so on account of gold?'
He going
13 Into Susan's right side, turning down the sheet,
'Once more I'll kiss you, you're so cold and sweet.'
14 He bent his sword unto the floor, the point unto his breast;
Long side of beautiful Susan now William do rest.
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