English Poetry I: From Chaucer to Gray.
The Harvard Classics. 1909–14.
Traditional Ballads
20. Get Up and Bar the Door
And a gay time it was then,
When our good wife got puddings to make,
And she’s boild them in the pan.
And blew into the floor;
Quoth our goodman to our goodwife,
“Gae out and bar the door.”
Goodman, as ye may see;
An it shoud nae be barrd this hundred year,
It’s no be barrd for me.”
They made it firm and sure,
That the first word whaeer shoud speak,
Shoud rise and bar the door.
At twelve o’clock at night,
And they could neither see house nor hall,
Nor coal nor candle-light.
Or whether is it a poor?”
But neer a word wad ane o them speak,
For barring of the door.
And then they ate the black;
Tho muckle thought the goodwife to hersel,
Yet neer a word she spake.
“Here, man, tak ye my knife;
Do ye tak aff the auld man’s beard,
And I’ll kiss the goodwife.”
And what shall we do than?”
“What ails thee at the pudding-broo,
That boils into the pan?”
An angry man was he:
“Will ye kiss my wife before my een,
And scad me wi pudding-bree?”
Gied three skips on the floor:
“Goodman, you’ve spoken the foremost word,
Get up and bar the door.”