The Forsaken Bride



O waly waly up the bank,   
 And waly waly down the brae,   
And waly waly yon burn-side   
 Where I and my Love wont to gae!   
I leant my back unto an aik,
 I thought it was a trusty tree;   
But first it bow'd, and syne it brak,   
 Sae my true Love did lichtly me.   
  
O waly waly, but love be bonny   
 A little time while it is new;  
But when 'tis auld, it waxeth cauld   
 And fades awa' like morning dew.   
O wherefore should I busk my head?   
 Or wherefore should I kame my hair?   
For my true Love has me forsook,  
 And says he'll never lo'e me mair.   
  
Now Arthur-seat sall be my bed,   
 The sheets shall ne'er be prest by me,   
Saint Anton's well sall be my drink,   
 Since my true Love has forsaken me.
Marti'mas wind, when wilt thou blaw   
 And shake the green leaves aff the tree?   
O gentle Death, when wilt thou come?   
 For of my life I am wearïe.   
  
'Tis not the frost that freezes fell,
 Nor blawing snaw's inclemencie—   
'Tis not sic cauld that makes me cry,   
 But my Love's heart grown cauld to me.   
When we came in by Glasgow town   
 We were a comely sight to see;
My Love was clad in the black velvét,   
 And I mysell in cramasie.   
  
But had I wist, before I kist,   
 That love had been sae ill to win,   
I had lockt my heart in a case of gowd
 And pinn'd it with a siller pin.   
And oh, if my young babe were born,   
 And set upon the nurse's knee,   
And I mysell were dead and gane,   
 And the green grass growing over me!

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 03, 2023

1:27 min read
100

Quick analysis:

Scheme AXBCADAD DEBEFGXG FDXDHDXD HICDXDDI XJBJXDED
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,456
Words 281
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 8, 8, 8, 8, 8

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    "The Forsaken Bride" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/3489/the-forsaken-bride>.

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