The sun's cousin

By forest and marsh on a lonely plain
Lived a harsh old miller who hated grain
He hated grain, his wife the same
Still to the mill the farmers came

On the shortest day when the sun was born
The miller's wife she gave birth, too
A daughter beautiful as she
Was kinder than a summer's day

She grew to work all in the dust
And sang the spring song of the thrush
Then on a cold gray winter morn
A marshwife came tae grind her corn

Said the miller, "Half your corn I'll take
So you can bake your yuletide cake"
But the woman said tae him wi' scorn
"That price I never can afford"

The daughter up to her, she ran
As through the marsh she had began
"If you return tomorrow morn
My parents to the town are gone"

So the daughter, she did turn the corn
When the old marshwife came back next morn
Saying, "For your work, reward you've won
I am the mother of the sun

The princess of the lands around
When riding out with hawk and hound
Out in the fields she lost her key
If you can find it, rich you'll be"

It's the daughter, she stepped out to find
The key the mother said did lie
But as she took it from the hay
The princess' men their whips did flay

"Such a fee forsaken, ill-bred girl
You'll not have these riches for yourself
The key of gold we'll have from thee
Or you'll not leave the woods this day"

It's then a noble knight drew near
Up to his saddle he's lifted her
His heart was taken by her sight
And to the princess they did ride

"Since you'll not have the miller's girl
Then I shall take her for myself"
The keys the knight tossed in her lap
And on the princess turned his back

But three days westward they did ride
'Til his hillside fortress they did sight
But what the knight, he had not said
The princess with him should be wed

So for a month and on a day
The lovers they lived happily
When came in sight the princess bold
With all her bitter men she rode

Up to the fortress soon they came
The arrow flew and spear, it flashed
The knight, he saw the day would lose
His ten against a hundred swords

The daughter, she looked up and saw
The mighty sun across the sky
"Oh sun, my kinsmen, will you help?
'Twas I who turned your mother's grain"

The army dark with weapons high
Did stop and turn towards the sky
The sun, he struck down on the men
Their armor melting as they ran

And in their paces, they did stop
Like candles set before the fire
The angry princess too was lost
Her body burned and turned to dust

The sun, his rage did die away
As dusk on any summer's day
He came to earth and gave away
His cousin born midwinter day
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