The Death of Queen Jane
17th Century
Child Ballad 170
Queen Jane was in labour
For six days or more,
Till her women got tired
And wished it were o'er.
Good women, good women,
Good women if you be,
Will you send for King Henry,
For King Henry I must see.
King Henry was asent for,
King Henry did come,
For to meet with Queen Jane:
My love, your eyes do look so dim.
King Henry, King Henry,
King Henry if you be,
If you have my right side open'd
You will find my dear baby.
Queen Jane, my love,
Queen Jane, my love,
Such a thing was never known,
If you have your right side open'd
You will lose your dear baby.
Will you build your love a castle
And lie down so deep
For to bury my body
And christen my dear baby.
King Henry went mourning,
And so did his men
And so did his dear baby
For Queen Jane did dien.
How deep was the mourning,
How wide were the bands,
How yellow, yellow were the flamboys,
They carried in their hands.
There was fiddling, there was dancing,
On the day the babe was born,
While the royal Queen Jane
Beloved lay cold as stone.
DayPoems Poem No. 2555
<a href="http://www.daypoems.net/poems/2555.html">The Death of Queen Jane by Anonymous</a>
The DayPoems Poetry Collection, www.daypoems.net
Timothy Bovee, editor
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