Lady Margaret & Sweet William- Smith (VT) c.1882 Flanders H
[Fragment from Flanders' Ancient ballads, 1966; version H.
R. Matteson 2014]
Lady Margaret & Sweet William- Smith (VT) c.1882 Flanders H
H. Lady Margaret and Sweet William- A fragment of Child 74 was sent in a letter by Mrs. Florence Hartwell. Her husband, F. E. Hartwell, heard his uncle, Franklin Smith, play and, sing this some 75 years ago. The Hartwells live in Bolton, Vermont. H. H. F., Collector; April 8, 1957. [partial music above] Structure: A1 81 A2 B2 (2,2,9,2)-for the first stanza only; Rhythm D; Contour: undulating; Scale: hexatonic; t.c. F. For mel. rel. see DV, 572, No. 19(K) (distant); "Geordie" from Indiana, L.C. record 1743 A 3.
Lady Margaret and Sweet William
Sweet William arose one very merry morn
And dressed himself in blue,
Saying, "Can you tell me of that long-loving love
That's between Lady Margaret and me?"
[. . . a number of stanzas . . and finally wound up with a tragic ending where they were buried in the old church yard, and. . .]
Out of her grave grew a sweet climbing rose
And out of his grew a briar.
They grew and they grew to the church
Till they could not grow any higher,
And there they entwined in a true lover's know,
The rosy and the briar.