Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE CRUEL MOTHER (3) by ANONYMOUS

First Line: SHE SAT DOWN BELOW A THORN
Last Line: AND THE GREEN LEAVES THEY GROW RARELY
Subject(s): MOTHERS;MURDER;
She sat down below a thorn,
Fine flowers in the valley,
And there she has her sweet babe born
And the green leaves they grow rarely.
"Smile na sae sweet, my bonny babe,"
Fine flowers in the valley,
"And ye smile sea sweet, ye'll smile me dead."
And the green leaves they grow rarely.
She's taen out her little pen-knife,
Fine flowers in the valley,
And twinned the sweet babe o' its life,
And the green leaves they grow rarely.
She's howket a grave by the light of the moon,
Fine flowers in the valley,
And there she's buried her sweet babe in
And the green leaves they grow rarely.
As she was going to the church,
Fine flowers in the valley,
She saw a sweet babe in the porch
And the green leaves they grow rarely.
"O sweet babe, and thou were mine,"
Fine flowers in the valley,
"I wad cleed thee in the silk so fine."
And the green leaves they grow rarely.
"O mother dear, when I was thine,"
Fine flowers in the valley,
"You did na prove to me sae kind."
And the green leaves they grow rarely.




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