celles qui vont au bois c'est la mère et la fille
la mère va chantant et sa fille soupire
«qu'av' vous à soupirer, ma blanche marguerite ?

– j'ai bien trop d'ire en moi et n'ose vous le dire
je suis fille le jour et la nuit blanche biche
la chasse est après moi, des barons et des princes

et mon frère renaud, qui est encore le pire
allez ma mère, allez bien promptement lui dire
qu'il arrête ses chiens jusqu'à demain midi

– où sont tes chiens, renaud, et la chasse gentille ?
– ils sont dedans le bois, à courre blanche biche
– arrête-les, renaud, arrête, je t'en prie !»

trois fois les a cornés de son cornet de cuivre
à la troisième fois la blanche biche est prise
«mandons le dépouilleur, qu'il dépouille la biche»

celui qui la dépouille dit «je ne sais que dire…
elle a le cheveu blond et le sein d'une fille»
a tiré son couteau, en quartiers il l'a mise

on en fait un dîner aux barons et aux princes
«nous voici tous sied, hors ma sœur marguerite…
– vous n'avez qu'à manger, suis la première assise

ma tête est dans le plat et mon cœur aux chevilles
mon sang est répandu par toute la cuisine
et sur vos noirs charbons mes pauvres os s'y grillent.»

celles qui vont au bois c'est la mère et la fille
la mère va chantant et sa fille soupire
«qu'av' vous à soupirer, ma blanche marguerite ?
– j'ai bien trop d'ire en moi et n'ose vous le dire.»

they who go to the woods are mother and daughter
the mother goes singing while her daughter sighs
"what cause have you to sigh, my fair marguerite?"

"i am far too full of pain and dare not tell you why–
by day i am a girl and by night a white doe
the hunt is after me, the barons and princes

so too my brother renaud, far and away the worst
go, mother, go swiftly to tell him
he must call off his dogs until tomorrow noon"

"where are your hounds, renaud, and the noble hunt?"
"they are in the forest, running down the white doe"
"stop them, renaud, stop them, i beg you!"

he sounded thrice upon his brass horn
at the third blast, the white doe is seized
"summon the skinner to skin the doe!"

he who skinned the doe said, "i don't know what to say…
it has blond hair, and a girl's breast"
he took out his knife and cut her in quarters

they made of her a dinner for barons and princes
"behold us all seated, except my sister marguerite…"
"you have only to eat, i am the first course

my head upon a platter, my heart on the butcher's hook
my blood spread all throughout the kitchen
and upon your black coals my poor bones are roasting."

they who go to the woods are mother and daughter
the mother goes singing while her daughter sighs
"what cause have you to sigh, my fair marguerite?"
"i am far too full of pain and dare not tell you why…"

lady margaret and her mother dear
to the greenwood they did go
and though her mother sang for joy
margaret sighed for woe
"what causes thee to sigh, daughter,
what makes thee in such pain?"
"o mother dear i cannot tell
the foul curse on me that's lain–

by day i go all as a girl
by night a snow-white hind
the noble hunt does me pursue
with hawks and hounds unkind
the noble hunt does me pursue
my brother them among
o mother an ye not call him off
i fear he'll do me wrong."

her mother's to her brother gone
his courtiers all around
"ronald, my son, where is the hunt,
where are thy noble hounds?"
"the hunt is to the greenwood gone
to dang the white hind down."
"oh, ronald, call them off, i pray!"
and she's fallen to the ground.

he sounded on his horn of brass
and sounded full again
and the third time that the horn did sound
the white hind, she was ta'en
the skinner cried "a fairer hind
this world did never know–
its hair is like the beaten gold,
its breast as white as snow."

he's taken out his cruel knife
and cut the hind in three
the hunt returned to make a feast
with cheer and revelry
the hunt returned all to the hall
and sat the table round
"o where's my sister margaret,
and where can she be found?"

"you have not far to look, ronald,
i lie before your eyes;
my head is set upon a plate,
my heart and tongue likewise,
my blood is spread the kitchen 'round,
my skin upon the rack,
and low upon the kitchen fires
my bones are burning black."

lady margaret and her mother dear
to the greenwood they did go
and though her mother sang for joy
margaret sighed for woe
"what causes thee to sigh, daughter,
what makes thee in such pain?"
"o mother dear i cannot tell
the foul curse on me that's lain…"