The Twa Magicians- Buchan (Scot) 1828 Child A
The Twa Magicians- Version A
Buchan's Ballads of the North of Scotland, I, 24; Motherwell's Manuscript, p. 570.
1 The lady stands in her bower door,
As straight as willow wand;
The blacksmith stood a little forebye,
Wi hammer in his hand.
2 'Weel may ye dress ye, lady fair,
Into your robes o red;
Before the morn at this same time,
I'll gain your maidenhead.'
3 'Awa, awa, ye coal-black smith,
Woud ye do me the wrang
To think to gain my maidenhead,
That I hae kept sae lang!'
4 Then she has hadden up her hand,
And she sware by the mold,
'I wudna be a blacksmith's wife
For the full o a chest o gold.
5 'I'd rather I were dead and gone,
And my body laid in grave,
Ere a rusty stock o coal-black smith
My maidenhead shoud have.'
6 But he has hadden up his hand,
And he sware by the mass,
'I'll cause ye be my light leman
For the hauf o that and less.'
6b O bide, lady, bide,
And aye he bade her bide;
The rusty smith your leman shall be,
For a' your muckle pride.
7 Then she became a turtle dow,
To fly up in the air,
And he became another dow,
And they flew pair and pair.
7b O bide, lady, bide, etc&.
8 She turnd hersell into an eel,
To swim into yon burn,
And he became a speckled trout,
To gie the eel a turn.
8b O bide, lady, bide, etc&.
9 Then she became a duck, a duck,
To puddle in a peel,
And he became a rose-kaimd drake,
To gie the duck a dreel.
9b O bide, lady, bide, etc&.
10 She turnd hersell into a hare,
To rin upon yon hill,
And he became a gude grey-hound,
And boldly he did fill.
10b O bide, lady, bide, 'C..
11 Then she became a gay grey mare,
And stood in yonder slack,
And he became a gilt saddle,
And sat upon her back.
11b Was she wae, he held her sae,
And still he bade her bide;
The rusty smith her leman was,
For a' her muckle pride.
12 Then she became a het girdle,
And he became a cake,
And a' the ways she turnd hersell,
The blacksmith was her make.
12b Was she wae, etc.
13 She turnd hersell into a ship,
To sail out ower the flood;
He ca'ed a nail intill her tail,
And syne the ship she stood.
13b Was she wae, etc.
14 Then she became a silken plaid,
And stretchd upon a bed,
And he became a green covering,
And gaind her maidenhead.
14b Was she wae, etc.
______________
THE TWA MAGICIANS. Page 24. There is a novelty in this legendary ballad very amusing, and it must be very old—I never saw any thing in print which had the smallest resemblance to it . The singular metamorphoses, and curious transformations of the hero and heroine of the ballad by the art of magic, are truly novel. Magic can accomplish great things, either by natural or supernatural means.
Magic is divided into Natural, Artificial, and Diabolical. Natural magic produces extraordinary and marvellous effects, by the mere force of natural means. Artificial magic produces also extraordinary and marvellous effects, by human industry and wit: as, the glass sphere of Archimedes; the wooden pigeon of Architas; the golden birds of the Emperor of Leo, which sung ; Boetius's brazen ones,' which did both sing and fly, and serpents of the same metal, which did hiss; and Albert le Grand's speaking head, &c Diabolical magic, or the black art, hath surprising effects, surpassing those of art or nature, by the help of Demons: as Pharaoh's magicians, who did imitate the true miracles of God. And in the last age there was a magician, who made the dead corps of a famous harper at Bologne walk and play, as if he had been alive, by a charm which he put under one of its arm-pits. Gasparus Peucerus, the physician, who mentions this, says, that another magician, who discovered the cause of this, did take out the charm with great dexterity; so that the corps fell to the ground, and remained immoveable. Isidore, bishop of Seville, says, that the magicians did move the elements; kill men by their very charms, without poison; and raise the devil, from whom they learnt how to annoy their enemies. Natural and artificial magic have no harm in them, if people take care not to awaken a spirit of curiosity, and press too far into futurities and superrtitious enquiries: but as for the black art, 'tis always unlawful, as employing a correspondence with evil spirits. There are some people, who either disbelieve, or pretend to do so, that there is any such
thing as witches; but this is a truth, to say nothing more, whick no man, who believes any thing in revealed religion, can call in question; for the Holy Scriptures, in several places, forbids us to have recourse to magicians; and mentions those made use of by Pharaoh and Manasses; of the witch of Endor, consulted by Saul; of Simon and Bar-Jesu, magicians; and of a woman who had a familiar spirit dispossessed by Saint Paul; all mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles. The councils likewise excommunicate magicians, and the Holy Fathers mention them upon occasion: neither is the civil law wanting in penal provisions against them: there is likewise a statute in the beginning of the reign of King James I. which makes witchcraft felony.—Thier's Treatise of Superstitions.
The lady stands in her bower door,
As straight as willow wand;
The blacksmith stood a little forebye,
Wi' hammer in his hand.
Weel may ye dress ye, lady fair,
Into your robes o' red,
Before the morn at this same time,
I'll gain your maidenhead.
Awa', awa', ye coal-black-smith,
Wou'd ye do me the wrang,
To think to gain my maidenhead,
That I hae kept sae lang.
Then she has hadden up her hand,
And she sware by the mold,
I wu'dna be a blacksmith's wife,
For the full o' a chest o' gold.
I'd rather I were dead and gone,
And my body laid in grave,
Ere a ruty stock o' coal-black-smith,
My maidenhead shou'd have.
But he has hadden up his hand,
And he sware by the mass,
I'll cause ye be my light leman,
For the hauf o' that and less.
Chorus.—O bide, lady, bide,
And aye he bade her bide;
The rusty smith your leman shall be,
For a' your muckle pride.
Then she became a turtle dow,
To fly up in the air;
And he became another dow,
And they flew pair and pair.
O bide, lady, bide, &c.
She turn'd hersell into an eel,
To swim into yon burn;
And he became a speckled trout,
To gie the eel a turn.
O bide, lady, bide, &c.
Then she became a duck, a duck,
To puddle in a peel;
And he became a rose-kaim'd drake,
To gie the duck a dreel.
O bide, lady, bide, &c.
She turn'd hersell into a hare,
To rin upon yon hill;
And he became a gude grey hound,
And boldly he did fill.
O bide, lady, bide, &c.
Then she became a gay grey mare,
And stood in yonder slack;
And he became a gilt saddle,
And sat upon her back.
Chorus.—Was she wae, he held her sae,
And still he bade her bide;
The rusty-smith her leman was,
For a' her muckle pride.
Then she became a het girdle,
And he became a cake;
And a' the ways she turn'd hersell,
The blacksmith was her make.
Was she wae, &c.
She turn'd hersell into a ship,
To sail out ower the flood;
He ca'ed a nail intill her tail,
And syne the ship she stood.
Was she wae, &c.
Then she became a silken plaid,
And stretch upon a bed;
And he became a green covering,
And gain'd her maiden-head.
Chorus. Was she wae, he held her sae,
And still he bade her bide;
The rusty smith her leman was,
For a' her muckle pride