Classic Poem

I

There was a king in Israel,
He had a golden queen,
Often within her garden
The lovers could be seen.
Sleep, my birdie, close to your mother.
I have lost my love; I will have no other.

There was a tree in the garden,
The tree was noble and wide;
It held a nest in its branches
In which a blackbird cried:
Sleep my birdie, close to your mother.
I have lost my love; I will have no other.

The well-loved king has perished;
Dead is the queen he cherished;
The great, green tree is rotten;
The blackbird is forgotten.
Sleep, my birdie, close to your mother.
I have lost my love; I will have no other.

II

Once when I went out walking,
Tra-la-la-la-la.
Once when I went out walking,
I met a dark young man.
He smiled and started talking;
And so it all began.
Alas!

With lover's words he fed me.
Tra-la-la-la-la.
With lover's words he fed me;
And when I cried with shame,
He swore that he would wed me
Before the summer came.
Alas!

My fears were quickly banished;
Tra-la-la-la-la.
My fears were quickly banished;
His eyes were warm and true ...
Summer's last leaf has vanished,
And he has vanished, too.