What is the refrain in Sir Patrick Spens, the Wife of Ushers Well, and the Bonny Earl of Murray?

The "Bonny Earl of Murray" has a chorus or refrain. Check this site.

http://www.contemplator.com/scotland/moray.html

I can find no indication that there is one in The Wife of Ushers Well.

http://www.moonwise.com/wife.html

I find no refrain in "The Ballad of Sir Patrick Spens."

http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/poetry/poems/the_ballad_of_sir_patrick_spens.html

To find the refrain in the poems or ballads "Sir Patrick Spens," "The Wife of Ushers Well," and "The Bonny Earl of Murray," you can analyze the structure and repetition within each text.

1. "Sir Patrick Spens": In this ballad, the refrain occurs at the end of each stanza, usually in the last two lines. The famous refrain is as follows:

"They hae taen a plaidie, frae his head,
They hae put a crown upon his hair."

These lines are repeated throughout the poem, emphasizing the tragic fate of Sir Patrick Spens.

2. "The Wife of Ushers Well": This ballad features a distinct refrain that appears at the beginning and end of each stanza. The refrain varies slightly with each repetition, but the main lines are as follows:

"I wish, I wish my baby was born,
And set upon the nurse's knee,
And I mysell were dead and gone,
And the green grass growing over me."

These lines reflect the yearning and grief of the main character and serve as a haunting and memorable refrain.

3. "The Bonny Earl of Murray": The refrain in this ballad is composed of the repeated lines which give a warning to the listeners:

"But the bonny Earl of Murray,
Oh, he was the queen's love."

This refrain is repeated throughout the poem and serves to emphasize the central character, the Earl of Murray, who was the object of the queen's affection.

By understanding the structure and repetition within these ballads, you can identify the refrains that appear in each of them.