THE DAY BEFORE THE WEDDING
(Old Folk-Song)
The bride sings to her lover:
“Thick were the leaves on the lofty tree—
Why came you not last night to me?
“I wonder! But, of course,
Maybe you had no horse,
Maybe you lost your way;
Your mother made you stay?”
Her lover replies:
“I had the horse and the way I knew,
And my mother kept me not from you.
“But my youngest sister loves you not....
She hid my saddle—long I sought—
“My oldest sister, seeking, found,
Swift on my horse’s back ’twas bound.
“She whispered, ‘Try and get there soon,
Riding along by the light o’ the moon.
“‘In body brave keep a good head,
Brother o’ mine!’ she laughing said.
“‘In Sweetheart Land there’s much to learn,
The road has many a curve and turn.
“‘Don’t loose your horse, don’t go astray;
Ride! Ere yet dawns your wedding day.’”