The Bonny Lass of Anglesey

There he sits and there he stands,
Alone and oh what a frightened king is he.
Fifteen lords have all come down
To dance and gain the victory.

Our king he keeps a good treasure
And he keeps it locked with a silver key,
But fifteen lords have all come down
To dance his gold and his lands away.

There he stands at the castle high
And oh so loud, so loud I heard him cry:
“Go saddle your horse and bring to me
The bonny lass of Anglesey!”

Some rode North and some rode South,
There was some to the East they rode straightway.
Spied her there on the mountain high,
The bonny lass of Anglesey.

Up she starts as white as the milk
Between the king and all of his company,
Cries, “What is the price I have to ask
If I do gain the victory?”

“Fifteen ploughs, a house and a mill
I will give to thee till the day thou dies,
The fairest knight in all my court
To take your husband for to be.”

“Fifteen ploughs, a house and a mill,
Come now that's no prize for the victory.
And there's no knight in all your court
That shall have me as a wife to be.”

Up she starts as white as the milk;
She danced light as a leaf on the broken sea
Till fifteen lords all cried aloud
For the bonny lass of Anglesey.

She's taken fifteen one by one,
Saying, “Sweet kind sir, will you dance with me?”
But e'er it's ten o'clock o' the night
They gave it o'er right shamefully.

But up and rose the fifteenth knight
And oh what an angry man was he;
He laid aside his buckler and sword
Before he strode so manfully.

And he's danced high and he's danced low,
And he has danced the livelong day.
He said, “My feet shall be my death
E'er she gains the victory.”

“Oh my feet shall be my death
E'er this lass do gain the victory.”
But e'er it's ten o'clock o' the morn
He gave it o'er right shamefully.

She's taken the king all by the hand,
Saying, “Sweet kind sir, will you walk with me.”
But e'er the king has gone one step
She's danced his gold and his land away.

Saying, “Fifteen ploughs, a house and a mill,
Come now that's no price for the victory.”
And away she's gone with his treasure,
The bonny lass of Anglesey.

She's taken all their bucklers swords,
She's taken all their gold and their bright money
And back to the mountain she's away,
The bonny lass of Anglesey.

There's fifteen lords come a-swaggering down
For to dance and gain the victory,
But fifteen lords and one high king
Go all ragged and bare today.

*Scottish Wisdom Tale/Ballad

A Book

A Book 

“Now” - said a good book unto me -
“Open my pages and you shall see
Jewels of wisdom and treasures fine,
Gold and silver in every line,
And you may claim them if you but will
Open my pages and take your fill.

“Open my pages and run them o’er,
Take what you choose of my golden store.
Be you greedy, I shall not care -
All that you seize I shall gladly spare;
There is never a lock on my treasure doors,
Come - here are my jewels, make them yours!

“I am just a book on your mantel shelf,
But I can be part of your living self;
If only you’ll travel my pages through,
Then I will travel the world with you.
As two wines blended make better wine,
Blend your mind with these truths of mine.

“I’ll make you fitter to talk with men,
I’ll touch with silver the lines you pen,
I’ll lead you nearer the truth you seek,
I’ll strengthen you when your faith grows weak -
This place on your shelf is a prison cell,
Let me come into your mind to dwell!”


by Edgar Guest