Death & Dying

The Unquiet Grave (Child 78D)

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)

Death & Dying

'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.'

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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