Fair Margaret and Sweet William
Encyclopedia
"Fair Margaret and Sweet William" or Lady Margaret or Lady Margaret and Sweet William is a folk song, collected by Francis James Child
as Child ballad number 74. It appeared in The Percy Folio as well, and Thomas Percy reported that it was quoted in the Knight of the Burning Pestle (1611).
comes into his bridal chamber and ask him if he loves his new bride, William replies telling Margaret that he loves her much more than his bride. William wakes in the morning saying he had a bad dream and in which he saw Lady Margaret's ghost and goes off looking for her. All he finds is her body in a coffin. Soon after Sweet William kills himself too. They are buried beside each other and a rose grows from her grave and a green briar from his. These two things grew together forming a lovers knot.
and the USA.
Child identified three different versions of this song, while Cecil Sharp
collected numerous other variants, and considered "Sweet William's Ghost
" to be a slight variation on the basic plot of this ballad. In one version Sharp collected from the Appalachians, the last two verses closely resembled those of "Barbara Allen".
Similarly to this one, in Lord Thomas and Fair Annet
, the hero rejects the heroine to marry for money; Lord Lovel
, containing some similar themes, has the heroine die for lack of hope.
Other ballads dealing with similar themes include Lord Thomas and Fair Annet
and Lady Alice
.
Francis James Child
Francis James Child was an American scholar, educator, and folklorist, best known today for his collection of folk songs known as the Child Ballads. Child was Boylston professor of rhetoric and oratory at Harvard University, where he produced influential editions of English poetry...
as Child ballad number 74. It appeared in The Percy Folio as well, and Thomas Percy reported that it was quoted in the Knight of the Burning Pestle (1611).
Synopsis
Sweet William tells Fair Margaret (the maid that he's in love with) that he is marrying another. She sees the bride and William together after the wedding and runs off to kill herself, because of how badly her heart has been broken. Her ghostGhost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
comes into his bridal chamber and ask him if he loves his new bride, William replies telling Margaret that he loves her much more than his bride. William wakes in the morning saying he had a bad dream and in which he saw Lady Margaret's ghost and goes off looking for her. All he finds is her body in a coffin. Soon after Sweet William kills himself too. They are buried beside each other and a rose grows from her grave and a green briar from his. These two things grew together forming a lovers knot.
Variants
Numerous variations on this basic structure can be found in folk songs throughout the British IslesBritish Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
and the USA.
Child identified three different versions of this song, while Cecil Sharp
Cecil Sharp
Cecil James Sharp was the founding father of the folklore revival in England in the early 20th century, and many of England's traditional dances and music owe their continuing existence to his work in recording and publishing them.-Early life:Sharp was born in Camberwell, London, the eldest son of...
collected numerous other variants, and considered "Sweet William's Ghost
Sweet William's Ghost
Sweet William's Ghost is a folk song, collected by Francis James Child in 1868 as Child ballad number 77. It exists in many forms but all versions recount a similar story. It was printed in Allan Ramsay's The Tea-Table Miscellany in 1740, and again in Thomas Percy's Reliques of Ancient English...
" to be a slight variation on the basic plot of this ballad. In one version Sharp collected from the Appalachians, the last two verses closely resembled those of "Barbara Allen".
Similarly to this one, in Lord Thomas and Fair Annet
Lord Thomas and Fair Annet
Lord Thomas and Fair Annet is an English folk ballad.-Synopsis:Lord Thomas is in love with Fair Annet, or Annie, or Elinor, but she has little property. He asks for advice. His father, mother, and brother advise that he should marry the nut-brown maid with a rich dowry...
, the hero rejects the heroine to marry for money; Lord Lovel
Lord Lovel
-Synopsis:A lord tells the lady he loves that he is going in a journey that will take several years. After a time, he longs to see her. He returns whereupon he hears of her death, and dies of grief....
, containing some similar themes, has the heroine die for lack of hope.
Other ballads dealing with similar themes include Lord Thomas and Fair Annet
Lord Thomas and Fair Annet
Lord Thomas and Fair Annet is an English folk ballad.-Synopsis:Lord Thomas is in love with Fair Annet, or Annie, or Elinor, but she has little property. He asks for advice. His father, mother, and brother advise that he should marry the nut-brown maid with a rich dowry...
and Lady Alice
Lady Alice
Lady Alice is Child ballad 85. It may be a fragment of a longer ballad that has not been preserved.-Commentary:The entwined flowers appear also in Barbara Allen, Lord Thomas and Fair Annet, and Fair Margaret and Sweet William.-External links:...
.