Fair Margaret and Sweet William

"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. [Francis James Child, "English and Scottish Popular Ballads", [http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/eng/child/ch074.htm "Fair Margaret and Sweet William"] ] It appeared in The Percy Folio as well, and Thomas Percy reported that it was quoted in the "Knight of the Burning Pestle" (1611). [Lesley Nelson-Burns, [http://www.contemplator.com/child/fairmarg.html "Fair Margaret and Sweet William: Version 2"] ]

ynopsis

Sweet William tells Fair Margaret that he is marrying another. She sees the bride and runs off. Her ghost comes into his bridal chamber. He tells his wife he had an evil dream and rides off to see Margaret's corpse. He dies soon after. A rose grew from her grave, and a brier from his, until they grew together.

Variants

Numerous variations on this basic structure can be found in folk songs throughout the British Isles 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. [Francis James Child, "The English and Scottish Popular Ballads", v 2, p 204, Dover Publications, New York 1965]

Other ballads dealing with similar themes include "Lord Thomas and Fair Annet" and "Lady Alice".

References