Sweet William's Farewell to Black-ey'd Susan: A Ballad

John Gay 1685 – 1732



1       All in the Downs the fleet was moor'd,
2         The streamers waving in the wind,
3     When black-ey'd Susan came aboard.
4         Oh! where shall I my true love find!
5     Tell me, ye jovial sailors, tell me true,
6     If my sweet William sails among the crew.

7       William, who high upon the yard,
8         Rock'd with the billow to and fro,
9     Soon as her well-known voice he heard,
10       He sigh'd, and cast his eyes below:
11   The cord slides swiftly through his glowing hands,
12   And, (quick as lightning) on the deck he stands.

13     So the sweet lark, high pois'd in air,
14       Shuts close his pinions to his breast,
15   (If, chance, his mate's shrill call he hear)
16       And drops at once into her nest.
17   The noblest captain in the British fleet,
18   Might envy William's lip those kisses sweet.

19     'O Susan, Susan, lovely dear,
20       My vows shall ever true remain;
21   Let me kiss off that falling tear,
22       We only part to meet again.
23   Change, as ye list, ye winds; my heart shall be
24   The faithful compass that still points to thee.

25     'Believe not what the landmen say,
26       Who tempt with doubts thy constant mind:
27   They'll tell thee, sailors, when away,
28       In ev'ry port a mistress find.
29   Yes, yes, believe them when they tell thee so,
30   For thou art present wheresoe'er I go.

31     'If to far India's coast we sail,
32       Thy eyes are seen in di'monds bright,
33   Thy breath is Afric's spicy gale,
34       Thy skin is ivory, so white.
35   Thus ev'ry beauteous object that I view,
36   Wakes in my soul some charm of lovely Sue.

37     'Though battle call me from thy arms
38       Let not my pretty Susan mourn;
39   Though cannons roar, yet safe from harms,
40       William shall to his dear return.
41   Love turns aside the balls that round me fly,
42   Lest precious tears should drop from Susan's eye'.

43     The boatswain gave the dreadful word,
44       The sails their swelling bosom spread,
45   No longer must she stay aboard:
46       They kiss'd, she sigh'd, he hung his head.
47   Her less'ning boat, unwilling rows to land:
48   'Adieu', she cries! and wav'd her lily hand.

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 16, 2023

2:02 min read
133

Quick analysis:

Scheme XABACC XDEDFF GHXHII XXGXJJ KAKADD LMLMCC NXNXOO EPBPQQ
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 2,158
Words 390
Stanzas 8
Stanza Lengths 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6

John Gay

John Gay, a cousin of the poet John Gay, was an English philosopher, biblical scholar and Church of England clergyman. more…

All John Gay poems | John Gay Books

0 fans

Discuss the poem Sweet William's Farewell to Black-ey'd Susan: A Ballad with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Sweet William's Farewell to Black-ey'd Susan: A Ballad" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/22779/sweet-william's-farewell-to-black-ey'd-susan:-a-ballad>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    March 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    3
    days
    9
    hours
    20
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Which author is considered to be Scotland’s national poet?
    A Robert Burns
    B Edwin Morgan
    C Danny Boyle
    D Robert Louis Stevenson