Page:Folk-ballads of southern Europe.djvu/281

Rh

Where a mountain valley lies

Beautiful as Paradise,

To a pasture green and deep,

Came three shepherds with their sheep.

One was out of Hungary,

Moldave was the second herd,

Vrancian mountaineer the third.

Now the herd of Hungary,

And the Vrancian, jealously,

Vow to kill the young Moldave

When the sun a-setting lies;

He is hateful in their eyes,

For he is so rich and brave;

Many well-horned sheep he leads,

Trusty dogs and goodly steeds;

But a white lamb, curly-fleeced,

Of the Moldave's flock the least,

Through three days no grass will eat,

Only sadly bleat and bleat.

"Whitest little lamb of mine,

Tell to me that pain of thine;

For three days, so mournfully

Crying, thou hast followed me;

Here the grass is green and sweet,

Art thou sick and wilt not eat,