Mythology & Folklore

The Wee Wee Man (Child 38C)

by Traditional Ballads (Child collection) traditional; texts recorded c. 13th–19th century

From The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, ed. F. J. Child (1882–98)

Mythology & Folklore

'Twas down by Carterhaugh, father,
I walked beside the wa,
And there I saw a wee wee man,
The least that eer I saw.

His legs were skant a shathmont lang,
Yet umber was his thie;
Between his brows there was ae span,
And between his shoulders three.

He's taen and flung a meikle stane,
As far as I could see;
I could na, had I been Wallace wight,
Hae lifted it to my knee.

'O wee wee man, but ye be strang!
Where may thy dwelling be?'
'It 's down beside yon bonny bower;
Fair lady, come and see.'

On we lap, and away we rade,
Down to a bonny green;
We lighted down to bait our steed,
And we saw the fairy queen.

With four and twenty at her back,
Of ladies clad in green;
Tho the King of Scotland had been there,
The worst might hae been his queen.

On we lap, and away we rade,
Down to a bonny ha;
The roof was o the beaten goud,
The floor was of chrystal a'.

And there were dancing on the floor,
Fair ladies jimp and sma;
But in the twinkling o an eye,
They sainted clean awa.

MLA

Traditional Ballads (Child collection). “The Wee Wee Man (Child 38C).” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/child-ballads/130/.

Chicago

Traditional Ballads (Child collection). “The Wee Wee Man (Child 38C).” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/child-ballads/130/.

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