44: The Two Magicians

44.1	THE lady stands in her bower door,
	As straight as willow wand;
	The blacksmith stood a little forebye,
	Wi hammer in his hand.
44.2	‘Weel may ye dress ye, lady fair,
	Into your robes o red;
	Before the morn at this same time,
	I’ll gain your maidenhead.’
44.3	‘Awa, awa, ye coal-black smith,
	Woud ye do me the wrang
	To think to gain my maidenhead,
	That I hae kept sae lang!’
44.4	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.
44.5	‘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.’
44.6	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.’
44.6b	O bide, lady, bide,
	And aye he bade her bide;
	The rusty smith your leman shall be,
	For a’ your muckle pride.
44.7	Then she became a turtle dow,
	To fly up in the air,
	And he became another dow,
	And they flew pair and pair.
44.7b	O bide, lady, bide, ’C..
44.8	She turnd hersell into an eel,
	To swim into yon burn,
	And he became a speckled trout,
	To gie the eel a turn.
44.8b	O bide, lady, bide, ’C..
44.9	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.
44.9b	O bide, lady, bide, ’C..
44.10	She turnd hersell into a hare,
	To rin upon yon hill,
	And he became a gude grey-hound,
	And boldly he did fill.
44.10b	O bide, lady, bide, ’C..
44.11	Then she became a gay grey mare,
	And stood in yonder slack,
	And he became a gilt saddle,
	And sat upon her back.
44.11b	Was she wae, he held her sae,
	And still he bade her bide;
	The rusty smith her leman was,
	For a’ her muckle pride.
44.12	Then she became a het girdle,
	And he became a cake,
	And a’ the ways she turnd hersell,
	The blacksmith was her make.
44.12b	Was she wae, etc.
44.13	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.
44.13b	Was she wae, etc.
44.14	Then she became a silken plaid,
	And stretchd upon a bed,
	And he became a green covering,
	And gaind her maidenhead.
44.14b	Was she wae, etc.