From "Interlude"

Another extract from a work-in-progress. Earlier: a street scene. Send me examples of your favourite street / crowd / city / Mos Eisley Cantina type scenes? I definitely won't have read them, the only thing I've ever read is Jock of the Bushveld.

This bit's about a ballad.

*

On the wyrdweave web, Cavan shared the ballad she had stolen from the chapman.

I.
O hang-man hold your hand, he cride,
O hold it for a while,
Methinks I see my ain dear faither
Come riding by the stile.

「WTF is」
「shhhhhh. just listen. listen」

O faither haue you brought me gold
For tae set me free?
Or haue you come tae see me hangd
All on this dule aspen tree?

O no I haue not brought thee gold,
And I’ll not set thee free,
For I am come tae see my ain son hangd,
And hanged you shall be.

O the prickly bush, the prickly bush,
It prickd my heart full sair
Euer I get out of that prickly bush
I’ll neuer get in any mair.

「TRUE LOVE SETS YOU FREE,」wove Epeorenthe.
「no. If you listen to the lyrics I think it was a trick to teach him a lesson,」wove Cladha, a girl from the province of Ballywort.

II.
O hang-man, hold your hand, he cride,
O hold it for a while,
Methinks I see my ain dear mither
Come riding by the stile.

O mither, haue you brought me gold
For tae set me free?
Or haue you come tae see me hangd
All on this dule aspen tree?

O no, I haue not brought thee gold,
And I’ll not set thee free,
For I am come tae see my ain son hangd,
And hanged you shall be.

O the prickly bush, the prickly bush,
It prickd my heart full sair
Euer I get out of that prickly bush
I’ll never get in any mair.

「my mother would saue me then kill me,」wove Thandiwe.
「His mother and his father prick his heart till the v. last moment,」wove Cladha of Ballywort.「They prick it & they prick it, but only because they care for him. THEY WANT HIM NEVER IN THE SITUATION AGAIN」
「have you even actually HEARD the ballad? 」Epeorenthe wove back to Ballywort.「ummmm it’s his girlf who saves him, NOT his parents?」

III.
O hang-man, hold your hand, he cride,
O, hold it for a while,
Methinks I see my ain true love,
Come riding by the stile.

O true love haue you brought me gold
For tae set me free?
Or haue you come tae see me hangd
All on this dule aspen tree?

O yes I’ve brought you gold, she cride,
And I will set you free.
For I am come tae see you saud
And saued you shall be.

「no, his parents KNEW his sweetheart was coming, that’s my point. They’re making him afeared on purpose. maybe it was they gave his sweetheart the gold」
「you’re reading too much in,」wove Epeorenthe.

O the prickly bush, the prickly bush,
It prickd my heart full sair
Euer I get out of that prickly bush
I’ll never get in any mair.

「This thing goes deep,」wove Cladha of Ballywort.
「headfuck,」wove Tegwin. 「also: headdesk. so therefore: fuck desks.」
「Ok but wait, dule trees stand at crossroads,」wove Cladha of Ballywort.
「more like DESKS do,」wove Tegwin.
「Why wouldn’t mother and father ride out TOGETHER from the village?」wove Cladha of Ballywort.
「they did only he rode faster – the dad,」wove Epeorenthe.
「no hate each other hate hate hate,」wove Thandiwe.
「REALLY?」insisted Cladha of Ballywort.「his parents hate each other, yet neither willing to support the son, not even to annoy the other? ALSO, why would his true love ride out SO LATE? He would already be hanged, but for the mum and dad. It’s a set-up, yes, the ballad is a set-up」
「at the end it’s like he’s still in the bush?」wove Thandiwe.
「because no, anyone is an idiot if you think you can get killed by a thorn bush,」wove Epeorenthe.「no amount of thorn bushes can kill anyone」
Tegwin wove,「I think the point is more: who can you trust?」
Cladha of Ballywort wove,「To me it is that feeling when you’ve done amiss and you just want one more chance.」
「what crime did he even commit?」wove Thandiwe.

A moment’s pause.

Cladha of Ballywort wove,「Nothing bad. He got in debt and that’s why he needs gold to save him. not murder」
Cavan, who had not been involved, now wove,「No, Cladha of Ballywort. Even if it was murder, the hangman might still be bribed with gold. Cladha, a mere two pricks does not make a heart full sore. Does the man to be hanged have no family but two? If he has a brother or a sister, why aren’t they part of the trick? Methinks because he's slain them. Only his sweetheart could care not he has murdered his kin」
「You’re reading too much in,」wove Cladha of Ballywort.

A moment’s pause.

「what’s dule」
「omg sorrow」
「the style is pointless」
「they have to be in that style it’s a fucking ballad」
「your guys’ credibility on this ballad has taken some massive hits,」wove Cladha of Ballywort.