Lady Margaret & Sweet William- Armstrong (VA) 1922 Davis O
[Title given by John Stone. From Traditional Ballads of Virginia; Kyle Davis Jr. editor; 1929. His notes follow.
R. Matteson 2012, 2014]
FAIR MARGARET AND SWEET WILLIAM
(Child, No. 74)
For a general introduction to Nos. 18, 19, and 20, see the head-note to No. 18. The twenty-nine items collected for this ballad indicate that it is fairly widespread in the state, though it is somewhat less popular than either of its immediate neighbors, which boast thirty-seven items each. The ballad is known not only as"Fair Margaret and Sweet William," but also as "Lady Marget," "Lydia Marget," "Sweet William," "Sweet William's Bride," and "Sweet William and Lady Margaret." As in the case of Eleanor in the preceding ballad, the name Margaret is variously spelled and pronounced. Eight melodies have been recovered.
The normal Virginia text shows no very exact similarity to any one of the Child versions, A, B, or C, though it has some likenesses to each. It is like A in that the dream is William's and in the "such dreams" stanza, which is common to both. It is like B verbally, in the conversation that takes place between William and Margaret's ghost, and in the direct rose-and-briar-ending, without aftermath. It is like C in that no hint is given that the bride is brown. This touch, characteristic of "Lord Thomas and Fair Annet," has slipped into Child A and B but does not appear in any Virginia text. All told, a general likeness to Child B is most apparent, but the Virginia text would surely have to be printed as a version separate from the Child versions.
The story of the Virginia text is this: Sweet William arises one morning end dresses himself in blue. He denies that there is anything of moment between Lady Margaret and himself, and says that on the following day Lady Margaret will see his bride. Lady Margaret stands at her window as he and his bride pass by; she throws down her ivory comb in her emotion, and is
never more seen there. That night Lady Margaret's ghost appears at the foot of Sweet William's bridal bed and inquires how he likes his bride. He replies that best of all he likes the lady that stands at his bed's feet. He wakes, hints to his wife of his ominous dream, and gets her permission to go and see Lady Margaret. Her brother lets him in and informs him that Lady Margaret is in her coffin. After taking farewell kisses of her, he dies of sorrow. The two lovers are buried nearby, and sympathetic plants grow from their graves and entwine to symbolize their love transcending death.
For American texts, see Belden, No. J (fragment); Brown, p. 9 (North Carolina); Bulletin, Nos. 2-6, 8-10; Campbell and Sharp, No. 17 (Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, Virginia); Child, v, 293 (Massachusetts); Cox, No. 11 and p. 522 (seven texts, two melodies); Hudson, No. 11 (Mississippi); Journal, XIX, 281 (Belden, Missouri); XXIII, 381 (Combs, Kentucky); III, 154 (Perrow, North Carolina); XXX, 303 (Kittredge, Missouri); XXXI, (Waugh, Ontario, text and melody); xxxv, 340 (Tolman and Eddy, Ohio, text and melody); McGill, p.71; Mackenzie, p. 124, Mackenzie,-Ballads; Pound, Ballads, No. 16; Shearin, p.3; Shearin and Combs, p.8; C. Smith.(Virginia, two melodies only); Wyman and Brockway, p.94. For additional references, see Cox, p.65; Journal, XXIX, 160; XXX, 302.
O. "Lady Margaret and Sweet William." Collected by Mr. John Stone. Sung by Mrs. Mary Jett Armstrong, of Falmouth, Va. Stafford County. September 11, 1922.
1 Lady Margaret was buried at a choir church,
Sweet William at Ohio[1]
There sprang a red rose out of Lady Marqaret's grave.
And out of Sweet William's a briar.
2 They grew and grew to the church steeple top,
Till they could grow no higher;
They twined and twined in a true lover's knot
For all true lovers to admire
1 An interesting intrusion of American geography into an old ballad. Ohio is substituted for the choir of other variants because choir has already been used in the line above and because burial "in the choir" is not familiar to the American folk.