Death & Dying
The Unquiet Grave (Child 78D)
From The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, ed. F. J. Child (1882–98)
'Proud Boreas makes a hideous noise,
Loud roars the fatal fleed;
I loved never a love but one,
In church-yard she lies dead.
'But I will do for my love's sake
What other young men may;
I'll sit and mourn upon her grave,
A twelvemonth and a day.'
A twelvemonth and a day being past,
The ghost began to speak:
'Why sit ye here upon my grave,
And will not let me sleep?'
'One kiss of your lily-white lips
Is all that I do crave;
And one kiss of your lily-white lips
Is all that I would have.'
'Your breath is as the roses sweet,
Mine as the sulphur strong;
If you get one kiss of my lips,
Your days would not be long.
'Mind not ye the day, Willie,
Sin you and I did walk?
The firstand flower that we did pu
Was witherd on the stalk.'
'Flowers will fade and die, my dear,
Aye as the tears will turn;
And since I've lost my own sweet-heart,
I'll never cease but mourn.'
'Lament nae mair for me, my love,
The powers we must obey;
But hoist up one sail to the wind,
Your ship must sail away.'
Cite this poem
MLA
Traditional Ballads (Child collection). “The Unquiet Grave (Child 78D).” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/child-ballads/309/.
Chicago
Traditional Ballads (Child collection). “The Unquiet Grave (Child 78D).” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/child-ballads/309/.
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