Gil Morrice. A Scottish Ballad Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: ABCBDB EFGHIBJ KLM IJN JOJ GJJJ PQJODLR JJJJJJJJ OST DUDO GDJVJUJ WJJJ PQJO DLR JIJI O I XIR XII OIJIYI DOJOJQZ JDDJQJQ OQTQODA2D JB2RB2C2B2D2B2 RD2JD2RJO JB2JDJB2OB2 E2JB2J VOJO JB2F2 RORO G2QJOOE2L DOR OJO JQJOJD2LD2 RJR JJD2J JJOJQJB2J JD2JD2 ROJ

Gil Morrice was an erles sonA
His name it waxed wideB
It was nae for his great richesC
Nor zet was mickle prideB
Bot it was for a lady gayD
That livd on Carron sideB
-
'Quhair sall I get a bonny boyE
That will win hose and shoenF
That will gae to Lord Barnard's ha'G
And bid his lady cumH
And ze maun rin my errand WillieI
And ze may rin wi' prideB
Quhen other boys gae on their footJ
On horse back ze sall ride '-
-
'O no O no my master dearK
I dare nae for my lifeL
I'll no gae to the bauld baronsM
For to triest furth his wife '-
'My bird Willie my boy WillieI
My dear Willie ' he saydJ
'How can ze strive against the streamN
For I shall be obeyd '-
-
'Bot O my master dear ' he cry'dJ
'In grene wod ze're zour lainO
Gi owre sic thochts I walde ze redeJ
For fear ze should be tain '-
'Haste haste I say gae to the ha'G
Bid hir cum here wi speidJ
If ze refuse my heigh commandJ
Ill gar zour body bleidJ
-
'Gae bid hir take this gay mantelP
'Tis a gowd bot the hemQ
Bid hir cum to the gude grene wodeJ
And bring nane bot hir lainO
And there it is a silken sarkeD
Hir ain hand sewd the sleiveL
And bid hir cum to Gill MoriceR
Speir nae bauld barons leave '-
-
'Yes I will gae zour blacke errandJ
Though it be to zour costJ
Sen ze by me well nae be warn'dJ
In it ze sall find frostJ
The baron he is a man of mightJ
He neir could bide to tauntJ
As ze will see before it's nichtJ
How sma' ze hae to vauntJ
-
'And sen I maun zour errand rinO
Sae sair against my willS
I'se make a vow and keip it trowT
It sall be done for ill '-
And quhen he came to broken brigueD
He bent his bow and swamU
And quhen he came to grass growingD
Set down his feet and ranO
-
And quhen he came to Barnards ha'G
Would neither chap nor ca'D
Bot set his bent bow to his breistJ
And lichtly lap the wa'V
He wauld nae tell the man his errandJ
Bot straiht into the ha' he camU
Quhair they were set at meitJ
-
'Hail hail my gentle sire and dameW
My message winna waiteJ
Dame ze maun to the gude grene wodJ
Before that it be lateJ
-
'Ze're bidden tak this gay mantelP
Tis a' gowd bot the hemQ
Zou maun gae to the gude grene wodeJ
Ev'n by your sel alaneO
-
'And there it is a silken sarkeD
Your ain hand sewd the sleiveL
Ze maun gae speik to Gill MoriceR
Speir nae bauld barons leave '-
The lady stamped wi' hir footJ
And winked wi' her eeI
Bot a' that she coud say or doJ
Forbidden he wad nae beeI
-
'Its surely to my bow'r womanO
It neir could be to me '-
'I brocht it to Lord Barnards ladyI
I trow that ze be she '-
Then up and spack the wylie nurseX
The bairn upon hir kneeI
'If it be cum frae Gill MoriceR
It' deir welcum to mee '-
-
'Ze leid ze leid ze filthy nurseX
Sae loud I heird ze leeI
I brocht it to Lord Barnards ladyI
I trow ze be nae shee '-
-
Then up and spack the bauld baronO
An angry man was heeI
He's tain the table wi' his footJ
Sae has he wi' his kneeI
Till siller cup and 'mazer' dishY
In flinders he gard fleeI
-
'Gae bring a robe of zour clidingD
That hings upon the pinO
And I'll gae to the gude grene wodeJ
And speik wi' zour lemmanO
'O bide at hame now Lord BarnardJ
I warde ze bide at hameQ
Neir wyte a man for violenceZ
That neir wate ze wi' nane '-
-
Gil Morice sate in gude grene wodeJ
He whistled and he sangD
'O what mean a' the folk comingD
His hair was like the threeds of goldJ
Drawne frae Minerva's loomeQ
His lipps like roses drapping dewJ
His breath was a' perfumeQ
-
His browe was like the mountains snaeO
Gilt by the morning beamQ
His cheeks like living roses glowT
His een like azure streamQ
The boy was clad in robes of greneO
Sweete as the infant springD
And like the mavis on the bushA2
He gart the vallies ringD
-
The baron came to the grene wodeJ
Wi' mickle dule and careB2
And there he first spied Gill MoriceR
Kameing his zellow hairB2
That sweetly wavd around his faceC2
That face beyond compareB2
He sang sae sweet it might dispelD2
A' rage but fell despairB2
-
'Nae wonder nae wonder Gill MoriceR
My lady loed thee weelD2
The fairest part of my bodieJ
Is blacker than thy heelD2
Zet neir the less now Gill MoriceR
For al' thy great beautieJ
Ze's rew the day ze eir was bornO
That head sall gae wi' me '-
-
Now he was drawn his trusty brandJ
And slaited on the straeB2
And thro' Gill Morice' fair bodyJ
He's gar cauld iron gaeD
And he has tain Gill Morice' headJ
And set it on a speirB2
The meanest man in a' his trainO
Has gotten that head to bearB2
-
And he has tain Gill Morice upE2
Laid him across his steidJ
And brocht him to his painted bowrB2
And laid him on a bedJ
-
The lady sat on castil wa'V
Beheld baith dale and dounO
And there she saw Gill Morice' headJ
Cum trailing to the tounO
-
'Far better I loe that bluidy headJ
Both and that zellow hairB2
Than Lord Barnard and a' his landsF2
As they lig here and thair '-
And she has tain her Gill MoriceR
And kissd baith mouth and chinO
'I was once as fow of Gill MoriceR
As the hip is o' the steanO
-
'I got ze in my father's houseG2
Wi' mickle sin and shameQ
I brocht thee up in gude grene wodeJ
Under the heavy rainO
Oft have I by thy cradle sittenO
And fondly seen thee sleipE2
But now I gae about thy graveL
The saut tears for to weip '-
-
And syne she kissd his bluidy cheikD
And syne his bluidy chinO
'O better I loe my Gill MoriceR
Than a' my kith and kin '-
'Away away ze ill womanO
And an il deith mait ze deeJ
Gin I had kend he'd bin zour sonO
He'd neir bin slain for mee '-
-
'Obraid me not my Lord BarnardJ
Obraid me not for shameQ
Wi' that saim speir O pierce my heartJ
And put me out o' painO
Since nothing bot Gill Morice' headJ
Thy jealous rage could quellD2
Let that saim hand now tak hir lifeL
That neir to thee did illD2
-
'To me nae after days nor nichtsR
Will eir be saft or kindJ
I'll fill the air with heavy sighsR
And greet till I am blind '-
'Enouch of blood by me's bin spiltJ
Seek not zour death frae meJ
I rather lourd it had been my selD2
Than eather him or theeJ
-
'With waefo wae I hear zour plaintJ
Sair sair I rew the deidJ
That eir this cursed hand of mineO
Had gard his body bleidJ
Dry up zour tears my winsome dameQ
Ze neir can heal the woundJ
Ze see his head upon the speirB2
His heart's blude on the groundJ
-
'I curse the hand that did the deidJ
The heart that thocht the illD2
The feet that bore me wi' sik speidJ
The comely zouth to killD2
-
I'll ay lament for Gill MoriceR
As gin he were mine ainO
I'll neir forget the dreiry dayJ
On which the zouth was slain '-

Anonymous Olde English



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