Laurel · Arthur Quiller-Couch · The Oxford Book of Ballads

Babylon

Arthur Quiller-Couch (1863–1944) · before 1800

iambic tetrameter · octosyllabic couplets · 40 lines · from The Oxford Book of Ballads

There where three ladies live in a bower--Eh, wow, bonnie!And they went out to pull a flowerOn the bonnie banks o’ Fordie.

They hadna pu’ed a flower but ane,When up started to them a banisht man.

He’s ta’en the first sister by her hand,And he’s turn’d her round and made her stand.

‘It’s whether will ye be a rank robber’s wife,Or will ye die by my wee pen-knife?’

‘It’s I’ll not be a rank robber’s wife,But I’ll rather die by your wee pen-knife.’

He’s killed this may, and he’s laid her by,For to bear the red rose company.

He’s ta’en the second ane by the hand,And he’s turn’d her round and made her stand.

‘It’s whether will ye be a rank robber’s wife,Or will ye die by my wee pen-knife?’

‘It’s I’ll not be a rank robber’s wife,But I’ll rather die by your wee pen-knife.’

He’s killed this may, and he’s laid her by,For to bear the red rose company.

He’s taken the youngest ane by the hand,And he’s turn’d her round and made her stand.

Says, ‘Will ye be a rank robber’s wife,Or will ye die by my wee pen-knife?’

‘It’s I’ll not be a rank robber’s wife,Nor will I die by your wee pen-knife.

‘For in this wood a brother I hae;And gin ye kill me, it’s he’ll kill thee.’

‘What’s thy brother’s name? come tell to me.’‘My brother’s name is Baby Lon.’

‘O sister, sister, what have I done!O have I done this ill to thee!

‘O since I’ve done this evil deed,Good sall never be my meed.’

He’s taken out his wee pen-knife,Eh, wow, bonnie!And he’s twyn’d himsel’ o’ his ain sweet lifeOn the bonnie banks o’ Fordie.

Words in this poem

went n.: Course; way; path; journey; direction.
sall n.: An East Indian timber tree (Shorea robusta), much used for building purposes. It is of a light brown color, close-grained, and durable. [Hind. s\'bel, Skr. ç\'bela.]
meed v. t.: To reward; to repay. Waytt.

Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.

About this text

Babylon is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Oxford Book of Ballads, Project Gutenberg ebook #44593; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.

Cite as: Arthur Quiller-Couch, Babylon, in The Oxford Book of Ballads (before 1800), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #44593, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/oxford-ballads/babylon.html, id L08406.

Form and metre

Babylon is 40 lines in 18 verse paragraphs. It is in rhyming couplets, 55% of the lines: octosyllabic couplets. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 76%). 96% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 8.8 syllables. 5 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 5% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.

See other poems in octosyllabic couplets, other poems in iambic tetrameter.

Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.

Rhyme words, stanza by stanza

The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.

1 A-A- bower^A · bonnie · flower^A · fordie
2 AA ane^A · man^A
3 AA hand^A · stand^A
4 AA wife^A · knife^A
5 AA wife^A · knife^A
7 AA hand^A · stand^A
8 AA wife^A · knife^A
9 AA wife^A · knife^A
11 AA hand^A · stand^A
12 AA wife^A · knife^A
13 AA wife^A · knife^A
17 AA deed^A · meed^A
18 A-A- knife^A · bonnie · life^A · fordie

Scansion, line by line

Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic tetrameter. How this is done.

Line	Syl.	Stress
There where three ladies live in a bower--	9	···/˘···/
Eh, wow, bonnie!	4	··/˘
And they went out to pull a flower	9	·······/˘
On the bonnie banks o’ Fordie.	8	··/˘····
They hadna pu’ed a flower but ane,	8	·····/··
When up started to them a banisht man.	10	··/˘······
He’s ta’en the first sister by her hand,	9	····/˘···
And he’s turn’d her round and made her stand.	9	·········
‘It’s whether will ye be a rank robber’s wife,	11	········/˘·
Or will ye die by my wee pen-knife?’	9	·········
‘It’s I’ll not be a rank robber’s wife,	9	······/˘·
But I’ll rather die by your wee pen-knife.’	10	··/˘······
He’s killed this may, and he’s laid her by,	9	·········
For to bear the red rose company.	9	······/˘˘
He’s ta’en the second ane by the hand,	9	···/˘····
And he’s turn’d her round and made her stand.	9	·········
‘It’s whether will ye be a rank robber’s wife,	11	········/˘·
Or will ye die by my wee pen-knife?’	9	·········
‘It’s I’ll not be a rank robber’s wife,	9	······/˘·
But I’ll rather die by your wee pen-knife.’	10	··/˘······
He’s killed this may, and he’s laid her by,	9	·········
For to bear the red rose company.	9	······/˘˘
He’s taken the youngest ane by the hand,	10	·/˘·/˘····
And he’s turn’d her round and made her stand.	9	·········
Says, ‘Will ye be a rank robber’s wife,	9	······/˘·
Or will ye die by my wee pen-knife?’	9	·········
‘It’s I’ll not be a rank robber’s wife,	9	······/˘·
Nor will I die by your wee pen-knife.	9	·········
‘For in this wood a brother I hae;	9	·····/˘··
And gin ye kill me, it’s he’ll kill thee.’	9	·········
‘What’s thy brother’s name? come tell to me.’	9	··/˘·····
‘My brother’s name is Baby Lon.’	8	·/˘··/˘·
‘O sister, sister, what have I done!	9	·/˘/˘····
O have I done this ill to thee!	8	········
‘O since I’ve done this evil deed,	8	·····/˘·
Good sall never be my meed.’	7	··/˘···
He’s taken out his wee pen-knife,	8	·/˘·····
Eh, wow, bonnie!	4	··/˘
And he’s twyn’d himsel’ o’ his ain sweet life	10	··········
On the bonnie banks o’ Fordie.	8	··/˘····

Notes from the edition 1

Arthur Quiller-Couch's notes to The Oxford Book of Ballads (1910; Project Gutenberg #44593).

Stanza 18, line 3 twyned = taken away, bereaved.

The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.

More by Arthur Quiller-Couch

The Oxford Book of Ballads