‘Brave sailing here, my dear,
And better sailing there,
And brave sailing in my love’s arms,
O if I were there!’
The Story is so slight that the song can scarcely be counted as a narrative. But it is one of the lyrical dialogues covered by the word ‘ballad,’ and was not ruled out by Professor Child. There seems to be a loss of half a verse in 7, which should doubtless be two stanzas.
THE GARDENER
1.
The gardener stands in his bower-door,
With a primrose in his hand,
And by there came a leal maiden,