Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE MAYPOLE [DANCE], by ANONYMOUS


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE MAYPOLE [DANCE], by                    
First Line: "come, lasses and lads, take leave of your dads"
Last Line: "and each a two pence, two pence, two pence gave him; and went away"
Variant Title(s): The Rural Dance About The Maypole
Subject(s): Dancing & Dancers;youth


COME, Lasses and Lads!
Take leave of your dads;
And away to the Maypole, hey!
For every he
Has got him a she;
With a minstrel standing by.
For Willy has gotten his Jill, and Johnny has got his Joan
To jig it, jig it, jig it, jig it, jig it up and down!

"Strike up!" says Wat.
"Agreed!" says Kate;
"And I prithee fiddler play!"
"Content!" says Hodge;
And so says Madge,
"For this is a holiday!"
Then every man did put his hat off to his Lass;
And every Girl did curchy, curchy, curchy on the grass.

"Begin!" says Hal.
"Aye! Aye!" says Mall,
"We'll lead up Packington's Pound!"
"No! No!" says Noll,
And so says Doll,
"We'll first have Sellenger's Round!"
Then ev'ry man began to foot it round about;
And ev'ry Girl did jet it, jet it, jet it in and out.

"Y'are out!" says Dick.
"'Tis a lie!" says Nick,
"The fiddler played it false!"
"'Tis true!" says Hugh,
And so says Sue
And so says nimble Alice.
The fiddler then began to play the tune again,
And ev'ry Girl did trip it, trip it, trip it to the men.

"Let's kiss!" says Jane.
"Content!" says Nan;
And so says every she.
"How many?" says Batt.
"Why three!" says Matt.
"For that's a Maiden's fee!"
But they, instead of three, did give them half a score;
And they, in kindness, gave them, gave them, gave them as many more.

Then after an hour
They went to a bower,
And played for Ale and Cakes;
And kisses too!
Until they were due,
The Lasses kept the stakes.
The Girls did then begin to quarrel with the men,
And bid them take their kisses back; and give them their own again.

Yet there they sate
Until it was late,
And tired the fiddler quite,
With singing and playing
Without any paying,
From morning until night.
They told the fiddler then, they'd pay him for his play;
And each a two pence, two pence, two pence gave him; and went away.





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