Mythology & Folklore
Bessy Bell and Mary Gray (Child 201)
From The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, ed. F. J. Child (1882–98)
O Bessie Bell and Mary Gray,
They war twa bonnie lasses;
They bigget a bower on yon burn-brae,
And theekit it oer wi rashes.
They theekit it oer wi rashes green,
They theekit it oer wi heather;
But the pest cam frae the burrows-town,
And slew them baith thegither.
They thought to lye in Methven kirk-yard,
Amang their noble kin;
But they maun lye in Stronach haugh,
To biek forenent the sin.
And Bessy Bell and Mary Gray,
They war twa bonnie lasses;
They biggit a bower on yon burn-brae,
And theekit it oer wi rashes.
Cite this poem
MLA
Traditional Ballads (Child collection). “Bessy Bell and Mary Gray (Child 201).” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/child-ballads/636/.
Chicago
Traditional Ballads (Child collection). “Bessy Bell and Mary Gray (Child 201).” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/child-ballads/636/.
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