class="inset">The ugliest witch i’ the north country,

Has trysted me ae day up till her bow’r,

An’ monny fair speech she made to me.

2.

She stroaked my head, an’ she kembed my hair,

An’ she set me down saftly on her knee;

Says, ‘Gin ye will be my lemman so true,

Sae monny braw things as I woud you gi’.’

3.

She show’d me a mantle o’ red scarlet,

Wi’ gouden flow’rs an’ fringes fine;

Says, ‘Gin ye will be my lemman sae true,

This goodly gift it sal be thine.’

4.

‘Awa’, awa’, ye ugly witch,

Haud far awa’, an’ lat me be;

I never will be your lemman sae true,

An’ I wish I were out o’ your company.’

5.

5.¹ ‘sark,’ shirt.

She neist brought a sark o’ the saftest silk,

Well wrought wi’ pearles about the ban’;

Says, ‘Gin ye will be my ain true love,

This goodly gift you sal comman’.’

6.

She show’d me a cup o’ the good red gold,

Well set wi’ jewls sae fair to see;

Says, ‘Gin you will be my lemman sae true,

This goodly gift I will you gi’.’

7.

‘Awa’, awa’, ye ugly witch,

Had far awa’, and lat me be!

For I woudna ance kiss your ugly mouth

For a’ the gifts that you coud gi’.’

8.

She’s turn’d her right and roun’ about,

An’ thrice she blaw on a grass-green horn;

An’ she sware by the meen and the stars abeen,

That she’d gar me rue the day I was born.

9.

Then out has she ta’en a silver wand,

An’ she’s turn’d her three times roun’ and roun’;

She’s mutter’d sich words till my strength it fail’d,

An’ I fell down senceless upon the groun’.

10.

She’s turn’d me into an ugly worm,

And gard me toddle about the tree;

An’ ay, on ilka Saturday’s night,

My sister Maisry came to me;

11.

Wi’ silver bason and silver kemb,

To kemb my heady upon her knee;

But or I had kiss’d her ugly mouth,

I’d rather ’a’ toddled about the tree.

12.

12.² ‘the seely court,’ i.e. the fairies’ court.

12.³ ‘gowany,’ daisied.

But as it fell out on last Hallow-even,

When the seely court was ridin’ by,

The queen lighted down on a gowany bank,

Nae far frae the tree where I wont to lye.

13.

She took me up in her milk-white han’,

An’ she’s stroak’d me three times o’er her knee;

She chang’d me again to my ain proper shape,

And I nae mair maun toddle about the tree.

THE LAILY WORM AND THE MACHREL OF THE SEA

The Text of this mutilated ballad is taken from the Skene MS., where it was written down from recitation in the North of Scotland about 1802.

The Story is of a double transformation of a sister and brother by a stepmother. Compare the story of The Marriage of Sir Gawaine (First Series, p. 108). Allison Gross should be compared closely with this ballad. The combing of hair seems to be a favourite method of expressing affection, not only in these ballads, but also in Scandinavian folklore. It is needless to take exception to the attribution either of hair to a worm, or of knees to a machrel: though we may note that in one version of Dives and Lazarus Dives ‘has a place prepared in hell to sit on a serpent’s knee.’ However, it is probable that a part of the ballad, now lost, stated that the machrel (whatever it may be) reassumed human shape ‘every Saturday at noon.’

THE LAILY WORM AND THE MACHREL OF THE SEA