The Twa Magicians/The Two Magicians lyrics

The lady stands in her bower door,

As straight as willow wand;

The blacksmith stood a little forebye,

Wi hammer in his hand.

'Weel may ye dress ye, lady fair,

Into your robes o' red;

Before the morn at this same time,

I'll gain your maidenhead.'

'Awa, awa, ye coal-black smith,

Woud ye do me the wrang

To think to gain my maidenhead,

That I hae kept sae lang!'

Then she has hadden up her hand,

And she swam by the mold,

I wudna be a blacksmith's wife

For the full o a chest o gold.

'I 'd rather I were dead and gone,

And my body laid in grave,

Ere a rusty stock o coal-black smith

My maidenhead shoud have.'

But he has hadden up his hand,

And he sware by the mass,

'I'll cause ye be my light leman

For the hauf o that and less.'

[Refrain]

O bide, lady, bide,

And aye he bade her bide;

The rusty smith your leman shall be,

For a' your muckle pride.

Then she became a turtle dow,

To fly up in the air,

And he became another dow,

And they flew pair and pair.

[Refrain]

She turnd hersell into an eel,

To swim into yon burn,

And he became a speckled trout,

To gie the eel a turn.

[Refrain]

Then she became a duck, a duck,

To puddle in a peel,

And he became a rose-kaimd drake,

To gie the duck a dreel.

[Refrain]

She turnd hersell into a hare,

To rin upon yon hill,

And he became a gude grey-hound,

And boldly he did fill.

[Refrain]

Then she became a gay grey mare,

And stood in yonder slack,

And he became a gilt saddle,

And sat upon her back.

[Second Refrain]

Was she wae, he held her sae,

And still he bade her bide;

The rusty smith her leman was,

For a' her muckle pride.

Then she became a het girdle,

And he became a cake,

And a' the ways she turnd hersell,

The blacksmith was her make.

[Second Refrain]

She turnd hersell into a ship,

To sail out ower the flood;

He ea'ed a nail intill her tail,

And syne the ship she stood.

[Second Refrain]

Then she became a silken plaid,

And stretchd upon a bed,

And he became a green covering,

And gaind her maidenhead.

[Second Refrain]

• Artist:Irish/Scottish/Celtic Folk