Classic Poem

Queen Jane sat at her window one day
A-sewing a silken seam;
She looked out at the merry green woods
And saw the green nut tree,
And saw the green nut tree.

She dropped her thimble at her heel
And her needle at her toe,
And away she ran to the merry green woods
To gather nuts and so,
To gather nuts and so.

She scarce had reached the merry green woods,
Scarce had pulled nuts two or three,
When a proud forester came striding by,
Saying, "Fair maid, let those be."
Saying, "Fair maid, let those be.

"Why do you pull the nuts," he said,
"And why do you break the tree?
And why do you come to this merry green woods
Without the leave of me,
Without the leave of me?"

"Oh, I will pull the nuts," she said,
"And I will break the tree,
And I will come to this merry green woods;
I'll ask no leave of thee,
I'll ask no leave of thee."

He took her by the middle so small
And he gently laid her down,
And when he took what he longed for,
He raised her from the ground,
He raised her from the ground.

"Oh, woe to you, proud forester,
And an ill death may yours be.
Since I'm the King's youngest daughter," she cried,
"You will pay for wronging me,
You will pay for wronging me."

"If you're the King's youngest daughter," he said,
"Then I'm his eldest son;
And woe unto this unhappy hour
And the wrong that I have done,
And the wrong that I have done.

"The very first time I came from sea,
O Jane, you were unborn;
And I wish my gallant ship had sunk
And I'd been left forlorn,
And I'd been left forlorn.

"The very next time I came from sea
You were on your nurse's knee;
And the very next time I came from sea
You were in this woods with me,
You were in this woods with me.

"I wish I ne'er had seen your face,
Or that you had ne'er seen mine;
That we ne'er had met in this merry green woods
And this wrong could be undone,
And this wrong could be undone."

"I wish to God my babe was born
And on its nurse's knee,
And, as for me, I was dead and gone
And the green grass growing over me,
And the green grass growing over me."