Love

The Lass of Roch Royal (Child 76H)

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)

Love

'Oh who'll comb my yellow locks,
With the brown berry comb?
And who'll be the child's father,
Until Gregory comes home?'

'Oh ...
And God will be the child's father,
Until Gregory comes home.'

'The dew wets my yellow locks,
The rain wets my skin,
The babe's cold in my arms,
Oh Gregory, let me in!'

'Oh if you be the lass of Aughrim,
As I suppose you not to be,
Come tell me the last token
Between you and me.'
The dew wets, etc.

'Oh Gregory, don't you remember
One night on the hill,
When we swapped rings off each other's hands,
Sorely against my will?'
Mine was of the beaten gold,
Yours was but black tin.'
The dew wets, etc.

'Oh if you be the lass of Aughrim,
As I suppose you not to be,
Come tell me the last token
Between you and me.'
The dew wets, etc.

'Oh Gregory don't you remember
One night on the hill,
When we swapped smocks off each other's backs,
Sorely against my will?
Mine was of the holland fine,
Yours was but Scotch cloth.'
The dew wets, etc.

'Oh if you be the lass of Aughrim,
As I suppose you not to be,
Come tell me the last token
Between you and me.'
The dew wets, etc.

'Oh Gregory, don't you remember,
In my father's hall,
When you had your will of me?
And that was worse than all.'
The dew wets, etc.

MLA

Traditional Ballads (Child collection). “The Lass of Roch Royal (Child 76H).” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/child-ballads/301/.

Chicago

Traditional Ballads (Child collection). “The Lass of Roch Royal (Child 76H).” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/child-ballads/301/.

Read this poem with the Codex →

More by Traditional Ballads (Child collection)