THE TWA MAGICIANS by ANONYMOUS

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,
Woud 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 wudna 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 rusty stock o coal-black smith
My maidenhead should 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.
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 turned 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-kaimd drake,
To gie the duck a dreel.
O bide, lady, bide, & c.
She turned 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.
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 turnd hersell,
The blacksmith was her make.
Was she wae, & c.
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.
Was she wae, & c.
Then she became a silken plaid,
And stretchd upon a bed,
And he became a green covering,
And gaind her maidenhead.
Was she wae, & c.

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