Love's Impossibility- Songs for the Million (MA) 1844
[From Traditional Ballads in New England II by Phillips Barry; The Journal of American Folklore, Vol. 18, No. 70 (Jul.- Sep., 1905), pp. 191-214; Version D
R. Matteson 2014]
XIII. THE ELFIN KNIGHT
D. "Love's Impossibility.' From "Songs for the Million," printed in this country about 1844. Contributed by J. E. W., Boston, Mass.
1. Canst thou make me a cambric shirt,
Savory, sage, rosemary, and thyme,
Without e'er a needle, or one stitch of work,
And I will be a true lovier[1] of thine,
And I will be a true lovier of thine.
2. Canst thou wash it at yonder well,
Whose water ne'er sprung, nor rain ever fell?
3. Canst thou dry it at yonder thorn,
Where blossoms ne'er blew, since Adam was born?
4. Canst thou buy me an acre of land,
Betwixt the salt water and the sea sand?
5. Canst thou plough [2] it with a cow's horn,
And sow it all over with one peppercorn?
6. Canst thou reap it with straps of leather,
And tie it all up in a peacock's feather?
1. lover
2. plow