Fair Lady Anne sate in her bower,Down by the greenwood side,And the flowers did spring, and the birds did sing,'Twas the pleasant May-day tide.But fair Lady Anne on Sir William call'd,5With the tear grit in her ee,"O though thou be fause, may Heaven thee guard,In the wars ayont the sea!"—Out of the wood came three bonnie boys,Upon the simmer's morn,10And they did sing and play at the ba',As naked as they were born."O seven lang years wad I sit here,Amang the frost and snaw,A' to hae but ane o' these bonnie boys,15A playing at the ba'."—Then up and spake the eldest boy,"Now listen, thou fair ladie,And ponder well the rede that I tell,Then make ye a choice of the three.20"'Tis I am Peter, and this is Paul,And that ane, sae fair to see,But a twelve-month sinsyne to paradise came,To join with our companie."—"O I will hae the snaw-white boy,25The bonniest of the three."—"And if I were thine, and in thy propine,O what wad ye do to me?"—"'Tis I wad clead thee in silk and gowd,And nourice thee on my knee."—30"O mither! mither! when I was thine,Sic kindness I couldna see."Beneath the turf, where now I stand,The fause nurse buried me;The cruel penknife sticks still in my heart,35And I come not back to thee."—* * * * * * *
Fair Lady Anne sate in her bower,Down by the greenwood side,And the flowers did spring, and the birds did sing,'Twas the pleasant May-day tide.
But fair Lady Anne on Sir William call'd,5With the tear grit in her ee,"O though thou be fause, may Heaven thee guard,In the wars ayont the sea!"—
Out of the wood came three bonnie boys,Upon the simmer's morn,10And they did sing and play at the ba',As naked as they were born.
"O seven lang years wad I sit here,Amang the frost and snaw,A' to hae but ane o' these bonnie boys,15A playing at the ba'."—
Then up and spake the eldest boy,"Now listen, thou fair ladie,And ponder well the rede that I tell,Then make ye a choice of the three.20
"'Tis I am Peter, and this is Paul,And that ane, sae fair to see,But a twelve-month sinsyne to paradise came,To join with our companie."—
"O I will hae the snaw-white boy,25The bonniest of the three."—"And if I were thine, and in thy propine,O what wad ye do to me?"—
"'Tis I wad clead thee in silk and gowd,And nourice thee on my knee."—30"O mither! mither! when I was thine,Sic kindness I couldna see.
"Beneath the turf, where now I stand,The fause nurse buried me;The cruel penknife sticks still in my heart,35And I come not back to thee."—
* * * * * * *
From Johnson'sMusical Museum, p. 331.
The first line of the burden is found also inThe Cruel Brother, p. 258.
She sat down below a thorn,Fine flowers in the valley;And there she has her sweet babe born,And the green leaves they grow rarely."Smile na sae sweet, my bonnie babe,5Fine flowers in the valley,And ye smile sae sweet, ye'll smile me dead,"And the green leaves they grow rarely.She's taen out her little penknife,Fine flowers in the valley,10And twinn'd the sweet babe o' its life,And the green leaves they grow rarely.She's howket a grave by the light o' the moon,Fine flowers in the valley,And there she's buried her sweet babe in,15And the green leaves they grow rarely.As she was going to the church,Fine flowers in the valley,She saw a sweet babe in the porch,And the green leaves they grow rarely.20"O sweet babe, and thou were mine,Fine flowers in the valley,I wad cleed thee in the silk so fine,"And the green leaves they grow rarely."O mother dear, when I was thine,25Fine flowers in the valley,Ye did na prove to me sae kind,"And the green leaves they grow rarely.
She sat down below a thorn,Fine flowers in the valley;And there she has her sweet babe born,And the green leaves they grow rarely.
"Smile na sae sweet, my bonnie babe,5Fine flowers in the valley,And ye smile sae sweet, ye'll smile me dead,"And the green leaves they grow rarely.
She's taen out her little penknife,Fine flowers in the valley,10And twinn'd the sweet babe o' its life,And the green leaves they grow rarely.
She's howket a grave by the light o' the moon,Fine flowers in the valley,And there she's buried her sweet babe in,15And the green leaves they grow rarely.
As she was going to the church,Fine flowers in the valley,She saw a sweet babe in the porch,And the green leaves they grow rarely.20
"O sweet babe, and thou were mine,Fine flowers in the valley,I wad cleed thee in the silk so fine,"And the green leaves they grow rarely.
"O mother dear, when I was thine,25Fine flowers in the valley,Ye did na prove to me sae kind,"And the green leaves they grow rarely.
From Motherwell'sMinstrelsy, p. 161.
She leaned her back unto a thorn,Three, three, and three by three;And there she has her two babes born,Three, three, and thirty-three.She took frae 'bout her ribbon-belt,5And there she bound them hand and foot.She has ta'en out her wee penknife,And there she ended baith their life.She has howked a hole baith deep and wide,She has put them in baith side by side.10She has covered them o'er wi' a marble stane,Thinking she would gang maiden hame.As she was walking by her father's castle wa',She saw twa pretty babes playing at the ba'."O bonnie babes! gin ye were mine,15I would dress you up in satin fine!"O I would dress you in the silk,And wash you ay in morning milk!""O cruel mother! we were thine,And thou made us to wear the twine.20"O cursed mother! heaven's high,And that's where thou will ne'er win nigh."O cursed mother! hell is deep,And there thou'll enter step by step."
She leaned her back unto a thorn,Three, three, and three by three;And there she has her two babes born,Three, three, and thirty-three.
She took frae 'bout her ribbon-belt,5And there she bound them hand and foot.
She has ta'en out her wee penknife,And there she ended baith their life.
She has howked a hole baith deep and wide,She has put them in baith side by side.10
She has covered them o'er wi' a marble stane,Thinking she would gang maiden hame.
As she was walking by her father's castle wa',She saw twa pretty babes playing at the ba'.
"O bonnie babes! gin ye were mine,15I would dress you up in satin fine!
"O I would dress you in the silk,And wash you ay in morning milk!"
"O cruel mother! we were thine,And thou made us to wear the twine.20
"O cursed mother! heaven's high,And that's where thou will ne'er win nigh.
"O cursed mother! hell is deep,And there thou'll enter step by step."
From Kinloch'sAncient Scottish Ballads, p. 46.
Three stanzas of a Warwickshire version closely resembling Kinloch's are given inNotes and Queries, vol. viii. p. 358.
There lives a lady in London—All alone, and alonie;She's gane wi' bairn to the clerk's son—Doun by the greenwud sae bonnie.She has tane her mantel her about—5All alone, and alonie;She's gane aff to the gude greenwud—Doun by the greenwud sae bonnie.She has set her back until an aik—All alone, and alonie;10First it bowed, and syne it brake—Doun by the greenwud sae bonnie.She has set her back until a brier—All alone, and alonie;Bonnie were the twa boys she did bear—15Doun by the greenwud sae bonnie.But out she's tane a little penknife—All alone, and alonie;And she's parted them and their sweet life—Doun by the greenwud sae bonnie.20She's aff unto her father's ha'—All alone, and alonie;She seem'd the lealest maiden amang them a'—Doun by the greenwud sae bonnie.As she lookit our the castle wa'—25All alone, and alonie;She spied twa bonnie boys playing at the ba'—Doun by the greenwud sae bonnie."O an thae twa babes were mine"—All alone, and alonie;30"They should wear the silk and the sabelline"—Doun by the greenwud sae bonnie."O mother dear, when we were thine,"All alone, and alonie;"We neither wore the silks nor the sabelline"—35Doun by the greenwud sae bonnie."But out ye took a little penknife"—All alone, and alonie;"An ye parted us and our sweet life"—Doun by the greenwud sae bonnie.40"But now we're in the heavens hie"—All alone, and alonie;"And ye have the pains o' hell to dree"—Doun by the greenwud sae bonnie.
There lives a lady in London—All alone, and alonie;She's gane wi' bairn to the clerk's son—Doun by the greenwud sae bonnie.
She has tane her mantel her about—5All alone, and alonie;She's gane aff to the gude greenwud—Doun by the greenwud sae bonnie.
She has set her back until an aik—All alone, and alonie;10First it bowed, and syne it brake—Doun by the greenwud sae bonnie.
She has set her back until a brier—All alone, and alonie;Bonnie were the twa boys she did bear—15Doun by the greenwud sae bonnie.
But out she's tane a little penknife—All alone, and alonie;And she's parted them and their sweet life—Doun by the greenwud sae bonnie.20
She's aff unto her father's ha'—All alone, and alonie;She seem'd the lealest maiden amang them a'—Doun by the greenwud sae bonnie.
As she lookit our the castle wa'—25All alone, and alonie;She spied twa bonnie boys playing at the ba'—Doun by the greenwud sae bonnie.
"O an thae twa babes were mine"—All alone, and alonie;30"They should wear the silk and the sabelline"—Doun by the greenwud sae bonnie.
"O mother dear, when we were thine,"All alone, and alonie;"We neither wore the silks nor the sabelline"—35Doun by the greenwud sae bonnie.
"But out ye took a little penknife"—All alone, and alonie;"An ye parted us and our sweet life"—Doun by the greenwud sae bonnie.40
"But now we're in the heavens hie"—All alone, and alonie;"And ye have the pains o' hell to dree"—Doun by the greenwud sae bonnie.
In the very ancient though corrupted ballads ofLady Isabel and the Elf-Knight, andThe Water o' Wearie's Well(vol. i. p. 195, 198), an Elf or a Merman occupies the place here assigned to False Sir John. PerhapsMay Colvinis the result of the same modernizing process by whichHynde Etinhas been converted intoYoung Hastings the Groom(vol. i. p. 294, 189). The coincidence of the name withClerk Colvill, in vol. i. p. 192, may have some significance. This, however, would not be the opinion of Grundtvig, who regards the Norse and German ballads resemblingLady Isabel, &c., as compounded of two independent stories. If this be so, then we should rather say that a ballad similar toMay Colvinhas been made to furnish the conclusion to the pieces referred to.
The story of this ballad has apparently some connection withBluebeard, but it is hard to say what the connection is. (SeeFitchers Vogelin the Grimms'K. u. H.-Märchen, No. 46, and notes.) The versions of the ballad in other languages are all but innumerable: e. g.Röfvaren Rymer,Röfvaren Brun,Svenska F.-V., No. 82, 83;Den Falske Riddaren, Arwidsson, No. 44;Ulrich und Aennchen,Schön Ulrich u. Roth-Aennchen,Schön Ulrich und Rautendelein,Ulinger,Herr Halewyn, etc., inWunderhorn, i. 274; Uhland, 141-157 (four copies); Erk,Liederhort, 91, 93; Erlach, iii. 450; Zuccalmaglio,Deutsche Volkslieder, No. 15; Hoffmann,Schlesische Volkslieder, No. 12, 13, andNiederländische Volkslieder, No. 9, 10; etc. etc. A very brief Italian ballad will be found in the Appendix, p. 391, which seems to have the same theme. In some of the ballads the treacherous seducer is an enchanter, who prevails upon the maid to go with him by the power of a spell.
May Colvinwas first published in Herd's Collection, vol. i. 153. The copy here given is one obtained from recitation by Motherwell, (Minstrelsy, p. 67,) collated by him with that of Herd. It is defective at the end. The other versions in Sharpe'sBallad Book, p. 45, and Buchan'sBallads of the North of Scotland, ii. 45, though they are provided with some sort of conclusion, are not worth reprinting. A modernized version, styledThe Outlandish Knight, is inserted in the Notes toScottish Traditional Versions of Ancient Ballads, Percy Society, vol. xvii. 101.
Carlton Castle, on the coast of Carrick, is affirmed by the country people, according to Mr. Chambers, to have been the residence of the perfidious knight, anda precipice overhanging the sea, called "Fause Sir John's Loup," is pointed out as the place where he was wont to drown his wives. May Colvin is equally well ascertained to have been "a daughter of the family of Kennedy of Colzean, now represented by the Earl of Cassilis." Buchan's version assigns a different locality to the transaction—that of "Binyan's Bay," which, says the editor, is the old name of the mouth of the river Ugie.
False Sir John a wooing cameTo a maid of beauty fair;May Colvin was the lady's name,Her father's only heir.He's courted her butt, and he's courted her ben,5And he's courted her into the ha',Till once he got this lady's consentTo mount and ride awa'.She's gane to her father's coffers,Where all his money lay;10And she's taken the red, and she's left the white,And so lightly as she tripped away.She's gane down to her father's stable,Where all his steeds did stand;And she's taken the best, and she's left the warst,15That was in her father's land.He rode on, and she rode on,They rode a lang simmer's day,Until they came to a broad river,An arm of a lonesome sea.20"Loup off the steed," says false Sir John;"Your bridal bed you see;For it's seven king's daughters I have drowned here,And the eighth I'll out make with thee."Cast off, cast off your silks so fine,25And lay them on a stone,For they are o'er good and o'er costlyTo rot in the salt sea foam."Cast off, cast off your Holland smock,And lay it on this stone,30For it is too fine and o'er costlyTo rot in the salt sea foam.""O turn you about, thou false Sir John,And look to the leaf o' the tree;For it never became a gentleman35A naked woman to see."He's turn'd himself straight round about,To look to the leaf o' the tree;She's twined her arms about his waist,And thrown him into the sea.40"O hold a grip of me, May Colvin,For fear that I should drown;I'll take you hame to your father's gates,And safely I'll set you down.""O lie you there, thou false Sir John,45O lie you there," said she;"For you lie not in a caulder bedThan the ane you intended for me."So she went on her father's steed,As swift as she could flee,50And she came hame to her father's gatesAt the breaking of the day.Up then spake the pretty parrot:"May Colvin, where have you been?What has become of false Sir John,55That wooed you so late yestreen?"Up then spake the pretty parrot,In the bonnie cage where it lay:"O what hae ye done with the false Sir John,That he behind you does stay?60"He wooed you butt, he wooed you ben,He wooed you into the ha',Until he got your own consentFor to mount and gang awa'.""O hold your tongue, my pretty parrot,65Lay not the blame upon me;Your cage will be made of the beaten gold,And the spakes of ivorie."Up then spake the king himself,In the chamber where he lay:70"O what ails the pretty parrot,That prattles so long ere day?""It was a cat cam to my cage door;I thought 't would have worried me;And I was calling on fair May Colvin75To take the cat from me."
False Sir John a wooing cameTo a maid of beauty fair;May Colvin was the lady's name,Her father's only heir.
He's courted her butt, and he's courted her ben,5And he's courted her into the ha',Till once he got this lady's consentTo mount and ride awa'.
She's gane to her father's coffers,Where all his money lay;10And she's taken the red, and she's left the white,And so lightly as she tripped away.
She's gane down to her father's stable,Where all his steeds did stand;And she's taken the best, and she's left the warst,15That was in her father's land.
He rode on, and she rode on,They rode a lang simmer's day,Until they came to a broad river,An arm of a lonesome sea.20
"Loup off the steed," says false Sir John;"Your bridal bed you see;For it's seven king's daughters I have drowned here,And the eighth I'll out make with thee.
"Cast off, cast off your silks so fine,25And lay them on a stone,For they are o'er good and o'er costlyTo rot in the salt sea foam.
"Cast off, cast off your Holland smock,And lay it on this stone,30For it is too fine and o'er costlyTo rot in the salt sea foam."
"O turn you about, thou false Sir John,And look to the leaf o' the tree;For it never became a gentleman35A naked woman to see."
He's turn'd himself straight round about,To look to the leaf o' the tree;She's twined her arms about his waist,And thrown him into the sea.40
"O hold a grip of me, May Colvin,For fear that I should drown;I'll take you hame to your father's gates,And safely I'll set you down."
"O lie you there, thou false Sir John,45O lie you there," said she;"For you lie not in a caulder bedThan the ane you intended for me."
So she went on her father's steed,As swift as she could flee,50And she came hame to her father's gatesAt the breaking of the day.
Up then spake the pretty parrot:"May Colvin, where have you been?What has become of false Sir John,55That wooed you so late yestreen?"
Up then spake the pretty parrot,In the bonnie cage where it lay:"O what hae ye done with the false Sir John,That he behind you does stay?60
"He wooed you butt, he wooed you ben,He wooed you into the ha',Until he got your own consentFor to mount and gang awa'."
"O hold your tongue, my pretty parrot,65Lay not the blame upon me;Your cage will be made of the beaten gold,And the spakes of ivorie."
Up then spake the king himself,In the chamber where he lay:70"O what ails the pretty parrot,That prattles so long ere day?"
"It was a cat cam to my cage door;I thought 't would have worried me;And I was calling on fair May Colvin75To take the cat from me."
"This ballad is given from two copies obtained from recitation, which differ but little from each other. Indeed, the only variation is in the verse where the outlawed brother unweetingly slays his sister. One reading is,—
'He's taken out his wee penknife,Hey how bonnie;And he's twined her o' her ain sweet life,On the bonnie banks o' Fordie.'
'He's taken out his wee penknife,Hey how bonnie;And he's twined her o' her ain sweet life,On the bonnie banks o' Fordie.'
The other reading is that adopted in the text. This ballad is popular in the southern parishes of Perthshire: but where the scene is laid the editor has been unable to ascertain. Nor has any research of his enabled him to throw farther light on the history of its hero with the fantastic name, than what the ballad itself supplies." Motherwell'sMinstrelsy, p. 88.
Another version is subjoined, from Kinloch's collection.
This ballad is found in Danish;Herr Truels's Doettre,Danske Viser, No. 164. In a note the editor endeavors to show that the story is based on fact!
There were three ladies lived in a bower,Eh vow bonnie,And they went out to pull a flower,On the bonnie banks o' Fordie.They hadna pu'ed a flower but ane,5Eh vow bonnie,When up started to them a banisht man,On the bonnie banks o' Fordie.He's ta'en the first sister by her hand,Eh vow bonnie,10And he's turned her round and made her stand,On the bonnie banks o' Fordie."It's whether will ye be a rank robber's wife,Eh vow bonnie,Or will ye die by my wee penknife,"15On the bonnie banks o' Fordie?"It's I'll not be a rank robber's wife,Eh vow bonnie,But I'll rather die by your wee penknife,"On the bonnie banks o' Fordie.20He's killed this may and he's laid her by,Eh vow bonnie,For to bear the red rose company,On the bonnie banks o' Fordie.He's taken the second ane by the hand,25Eh vow bonnie,And he's turned her round and made her stand,On the bonnie banks o' Fordie."It's whether will ye be a rank robber's wife,Eh vow bonnie,30Or will ye die by my wee penknife,"On the bonnie banks o' Fordie?"I'll not be a rank robber's wife,Eh vow bonnie,But I'll rather die by your wee penknife,"35On the bonnie banks o' Fordie.He's killed this may and he's laid her by,Eh vow bonnie,For to bear the red rose company,On the bonnie banks o' Fordie.40He's taken the youngest ane by the hand,Eh vow bonnie,And he's turned her round and made her stand,On the bonnie banks o' Fordie.Says, "Will ye be a rank robber's wife,45Eh vow bonnie,Or will ye die by my wee penknife,"On the bonnie banks o' Fordie?"I'll not be a rank robber's wife,Eh vow bonnie,50Nor will I die by your wee penknife,On the bonnie banks o' Fordie."For I hae a brother in this wood,Eh vow bonnie,And gin ye kill me, it's he'll kill thee,"55On the bonnie banks o' Fordie."What's thy brother's name? come tell to me,"Eh vow bonnie;"My brother's name is Babylon,"On the bonnie banks o' Fordie.60"O sister, sister, what have I done,Eh vow bonnie?O have I done this ill to thee,On the bonnie banks o' Fordie?"O since I've done this evil deed,65Eh vow bonnie,Good sall never be seen o' me,"On the bonnie banks o' Fordie.He's taken out his wee penknife,Eh vow bonnie,70And he's twyned himsel o' his ain sweet life,On the bonnie banks o' Fordie.
There were three ladies lived in a bower,Eh vow bonnie,And they went out to pull a flower,On the bonnie banks o' Fordie.
They hadna pu'ed a flower but ane,5Eh vow bonnie,When up started to them a banisht man,On the bonnie banks o' Fordie.
He's ta'en the first sister by her hand,Eh vow bonnie,10And he's turned her round and made her stand,On the bonnie banks o' Fordie.
"It's whether will ye be a rank robber's wife,Eh vow bonnie,Or will ye die by my wee penknife,"15On the bonnie banks o' Fordie?
"It's I'll not be a rank robber's wife,Eh vow bonnie,But I'll rather die by your wee penknife,"On the bonnie banks o' Fordie.20
He's killed this may and he's laid her by,Eh vow bonnie,For to bear the red rose company,On the bonnie banks o' Fordie.
He's taken the second ane by the hand,25Eh vow bonnie,And he's turned her round and made her stand,On the bonnie banks o' Fordie.
"It's whether will ye be a rank robber's wife,Eh vow bonnie,30Or will ye die by my wee penknife,"On the bonnie banks o' Fordie?
"I'll not be a rank robber's wife,Eh vow bonnie,But I'll rather die by your wee penknife,"35On the bonnie banks o' Fordie.
He's killed this may and he's laid her by,Eh vow bonnie,For to bear the red rose company,On the bonnie banks o' Fordie.40
He's taken the youngest ane by the hand,Eh vow bonnie,And he's turned her round and made her stand,On the bonnie banks o' Fordie.
Says, "Will ye be a rank robber's wife,45Eh vow bonnie,Or will ye die by my wee penknife,"On the bonnie banks o' Fordie?
"I'll not be a rank robber's wife,Eh vow bonnie,50Nor will I die by your wee penknife,On the bonnie banks o' Fordie.
"For I hae a brother in this wood,Eh vow bonnie,And gin ye kill me, it's he'll kill thee,"55On the bonnie banks o' Fordie.
"What's thy brother's name? come tell to me,"Eh vow bonnie;"My brother's name is Babylon,"On the bonnie banks o' Fordie.60
"O sister, sister, what have I done,Eh vow bonnie?O have I done this ill to thee,On the bonnie banks o' Fordie?
"O since I've done this evil deed,65Eh vow bonnie,Good sall never be seen o' me,"On the bonnie banks o' Fordie.
He's taken out his wee penknife,Eh vow bonnie,70And he's twyned himsel o' his ain sweet life,On the bonnie banks o' Fordie.
From Kinloch'sAncient Scottish Ballads, p. 212.
The Duke o' Perth had three daughters,Elizabeth, Margaret, and fair Marie;And Elizabeth's to the greenwud gane,To pu' the rose and the fair lilie.But she hadna pu'd a rose, a rose,5A double rose, but barely three,Whan up and started a Loudon lord,Wi' Loudon hose, and Loudon sheen."Will ye be called a robber's wife?Or will ye be stickit wi' my bloody knife?10For pu'in the rose and the fair lilie,For pu'in them sae fair and free.""Before I'll be called a robber's wife,I'll rather be stickit wi' your bloody knife,For pu'in the rose and the fair lilie,15For pu'in them sae fair and free."Then out he's tane his little penknife,And he's parted her and her sweet life,And thrown her o'er a bank o' brume,There never more for to be found.20The Duke o' Perth had three daughters,Elizabeth, Margaret, and fair Marie;And Margaret's to the greenwud gane,To pu' the rose and the fair lilie.She hadna pu'd a rose, a rose,25A double rose, but barely three,When up and started a Loudon lord,Wi' Loudon hose, and Loudon sheen."Will ye be called a robber's wife?Or will ye be stickit wi' my bloody knife?30For pu'in the rose and the fair lilie,For pu'in them sae fair and free.""Before I'll be called a robber's wife,I'll rather be sticket wi' your bloody knife,For pu'in the rose and the fair lilie,35For pu'in them sae fair and free."Then out he's tane his little penknife,And he's parted her and her sweet life,For pu'in the rose and the fair lilie,For pu'in them sae fair and free.40The Duke o' Perth had three daughters,Elizabeth, Margaret, and fair Marie;And Mary's to the greenwud gane,To pu' the rose and the fair lilie.She hadna pu'd a rose, a rose,45A double rose, but barely three,When up and started a Loudon lord,Wi' Loudon hose, and Loudon sheen."O will ye be called a robber's wife?Or will ye be stickit wi' my bloody knife?50For pu'in the rose and the fair lilie,For pu'in them sae fair and free.""Before I'll be called a robber's wife,I'll rather be stickit wi' your bloody knife,For pu'in the rose and the fair lilie,55For pu'in them sae fair and free."But just as he took out his knife,To tak frae her her ain sweet life,Her brother John cam ryding bye,And this bloody robber he did espy.60But when he saw his sister fair,He kenn'd her by her yellow hair;He call'd upon his pages three,To find this robber speedilie."My sisters twa that are dead and gane,65For whom we made a heavy maene,It's you that's twinn'd them o' their life,And wi' your cruel bloody knife.Then for their life ye sair shall dree:Ye sall be hangit on a tree,70Or thrown into the poison'd lake,To feed the toads and rattle-snake."
The Duke o' Perth had three daughters,Elizabeth, Margaret, and fair Marie;And Elizabeth's to the greenwud gane,To pu' the rose and the fair lilie.
But she hadna pu'd a rose, a rose,5A double rose, but barely three,Whan up and started a Loudon lord,Wi' Loudon hose, and Loudon sheen.
"Will ye be called a robber's wife?Or will ye be stickit wi' my bloody knife?10For pu'in the rose and the fair lilie,For pu'in them sae fair and free."
"Before I'll be called a robber's wife,I'll rather be stickit wi' your bloody knife,For pu'in the rose and the fair lilie,15For pu'in them sae fair and free."
Then out he's tane his little penknife,And he's parted her and her sweet life,And thrown her o'er a bank o' brume,There never more for to be found.20
The Duke o' Perth had three daughters,Elizabeth, Margaret, and fair Marie;And Margaret's to the greenwud gane,To pu' the rose and the fair lilie.
She hadna pu'd a rose, a rose,25A double rose, but barely three,When up and started a Loudon lord,Wi' Loudon hose, and Loudon sheen.
"Will ye be called a robber's wife?Or will ye be stickit wi' my bloody knife?30For pu'in the rose and the fair lilie,For pu'in them sae fair and free."
"Before I'll be called a robber's wife,I'll rather be sticket wi' your bloody knife,For pu'in the rose and the fair lilie,35For pu'in them sae fair and free."
Then out he's tane his little penknife,And he's parted her and her sweet life,For pu'in the rose and the fair lilie,For pu'in them sae fair and free.40
The Duke o' Perth had three daughters,Elizabeth, Margaret, and fair Marie;And Mary's to the greenwud gane,To pu' the rose and the fair lilie.
She hadna pu'd a rose, a rose,45A double rose, but barely three,When up and started a Loudon lord,Wi' Loudon hose, and Loudon sheen.
"O will ye be called a robber's wife?Or will ye be stickit wi' my bloody knife?50For pu'in the rose and the fair lilie,For pu'in them sae fair and free."
"Before I'll be called a robber's wife,I'll rather be stickit wi' your bloody knife,For pu'in the rose and the fair lilie,55For pu'in them sae fair and free."
But just as he took out his knife,To tak frae her her ain sweet life,Her brother John cam ryding bye,And this bloody robber he did espy.60
But when he saw his sister fair,He kenn'd her by her yellow hair;He call'd upon his pages three,To find this robber speedilie.
"My sisters twa that are dead and gane,65For whom we made a heavy maene,It's you that's twinn'd them o' their life,And wi' your cruel bloody knife.
Then for their life ye sair shall dree:Ye sall be hangit on a tree,70Or thrown into the poison'd lake,To feed the toads and rattle-snake."
FromMinstrelsy of the Scottish Border, iii. 162.
"This ballad is published from tradition, with some conjectural emendations. It is corrected by a copy in Mrs. Brown's MS., from which it differs in the concluding stanzas. Some verses are apparently modernized.
"Jellonseems to be the same name withJyllian, orJulian. 'Jyl of Brentford's Testament' is mentioned in Warton'sHistory of Poetry, vol. ii. p. 40. The name repeatedly occurs in old ballads, sometimes as that of a man, at other times as that of a woman. Of the former is an instance in the ballad ofThe Knight and the Shepherd's Daughter. [See this collection, vol. iii. p. 253.]
'Some do call me Jack, sweetheart,And some do call meJille.'
'Some do call me Jack, sweetheart,And some do call meJille.'
"Witton Gilbert, a village four miles west of Durham, is, throughout the bishopric, pronounced Witton Jilbert. We have also the common name of Giles, always in Scotland pronounced Jill. For Gille, orJuliana, as a female name, we haveFair Gillianof Croyden, and a thousand authorities. Such being the case, the Editor must enter his protest against the conversion ofGilMorrice intoChildMaurice, an epithet of chivalry. All the circumstances in that ballad argue, that the unfortunate hero was an obscure and very young man, who had never received the honour of knighthood. At any rate there can be no reason, even were internal evidence totally wanting, for altering a well-known proper name, which, till of late years, has been the uniform title of the ballad."Scott.
May-a-Row, in Buchan's larger collection, ii. 231, is another, but an inferior, version of this ballad.
O Jellon Grame sat inSilverwood,He sharp'd his broadsword lang;And he has call'd his little foot-pageAn errand for to gang."Win up, my bonny boy," he says,5"As quickly as ye may;For ye maun gang for Lillie FlowerBefore the break of day."—The boy has buckled his belt about,And through the green-wood ran;10And he came to the ladye's bowerBefore the day did dawn."O sleep ye, wake ye, Lillie Flower?The red sun's on the rain:Ye're bidden come to Silverwood,15But I doubt ye'll never win hame."—She hadna ridden a mile, a mile,A mile but barely three,Ere she came to a new-made grave,Beneath a green aik tree.20O then up started Jellon Grame,Out of a bush thereby;"Light down, light down, now, Lillie Flower,For it's here that ye maun lye."—She lighted aff her milk-white steed,25And kneel'd upon her knee;"O mercy, mercy, Jellon Grame,For I'm no prepared to die!"Your bairn, that stirs between my sides,Maun shortly see the light:30But to see it weltering in my blood,Would be a piteous sight."—"O should I spare your life," he says,"Until that bairn were born,Full weel I ken your auld father35Would hang me on the morn."—"O spare my life, now, Jellon Grame!My father ye needna dread:I'll keep my babe in gude green-wood,Or wi' it I'll beg my bread."—40He took no pity on Lillie Flower,Though she for life did pray;But pierced her through the fair bodyAs at his feet she lay.He felt nae pity for Lillie Flower,45Where she was lying dead;But he felt some for the bonny bairn,That lay weltering in her bluid.Up has he ta'en that bonny boy,Given him to nurses nine;50Three to sleep, and three to wake,And three to go between.And he bred up that bonny boy,Call'd him his sister's son;And he thought no eye could ever see55The deed that he had done.O so it fell upon a day,When hunting they might be,They rested them in Silverwood,Beneath that green aik tree.60And many were the green-wood flowersUpon the grave that grew,And marvell'd much that bonny boyTo see their lovely hue."What's paler than the prymrose wan?65What's redder than the rose?What's fairer than the lilye flowerOn this wee know that grows?"—O out and answer'd Jellon Grame,And he spak hastilie—70"Your mother was a fairer flower,And lies beneath this tree."More pale she was, when she sought my grace,Than prymrose pale and wan;And redder than rose her ruddy heart's blood,75That down my broadsword ran."—Wi' that the boy has bent his bow,It was baith stout and lang;An thro' and thro' him, Jellon Grame,He gar'd an arrow gang.80Says,—"Lie ye there, now, Jellon Grame!My malisoun gang you wi'!The place that my mother lies buried inIs far too good for thee."
O Jellon Grame sat inSilverwood,He sharp'd his broadsword lang;And he has call'd his little foot-pageAn errand for to gang.
"Win up, my bonny boy," he says,5"As quickly as ye may;For ye maun gang for Lillie FlowerBefore the break of day."—
The boy has buckled his belt about,And through the green-wood ran;10And he came to the ladye's bowerBefore the day did dawn.
"O sleep ye, wake ye, Lillie Flower?The red sun's on the rain:Ye're bidden come to Silverwood,15But I doubt ye'll never win hame."—
She hadna ridden a mile, a mile,A mile but barely three,Ere she came to a new-made grave,Beneath a green aik tree.20
O then up started Jellon Grame,Out of a bush thereby;"Light down, light down, now, Lillie Flower,For it's here that ye maun lye."—
She lighted aff her milk-white steed,25And kneel'd upon her knee;"O mercy, mercy, Jellon Grame,For I'm no prepared to die!
"Your bairn, that stirs between my sides,Maun shortly see the light:30But to see it weltering in my blood,Would be a piteous sight."—
"O should I spare your life," he says,"Until that bairn were born,Full weel I ken your auld father35Would hang me on the morn."—
"O spare my life, now, Jellon Grame!My father ye needna dread:I'll keep my babe in gude green-wood,Or wi' it I'll beg my bread."—40
He took no pity on Lillie Flower,Though she for life did pray;But pierced her through the fair bodyAs at his feet she lay.
He felt nae pity for Lillie Flower,45Where she was lying dead;But he felt some for the bonny bairn,That lay weltering in her bluid.
Up has he ta'en that bonny boy,Given him to nurses nine;50Three to sleep, and three to wake,And three to go between.
And he bred up that bonny boy,Call'd him his sister's son;And he thought no eye could ever see55The deed that he had done.
O so it fell upon a day,When hunting they might be,They rested them in Silverwood,Beneath that green aik tree.60
And many were the green-wood flowersUpon the grave that grew,And marvell'd much that bonny boyTo see their lovely hue.
"What's paler than the prymrose wan?65What's redder than the rose?What's fairer than the lilye flowerOn this wee know that grows?"—
O out and answer'd Jellon Grame,And he spak hastilie—70"Your mother was a fairer flower,And lies beneath this tree.
"More pale she was, when she sought my grace,Than prymrose pale and wan;And redder than rose her ruddy heart's blood,75That down my broadsword ran."—
Wi' that the boy has bent his bow,It was baith stout and lang;An thro' and thro' him, Jellon Grame,He gar'd an arrow gang.80
Says,—"Lie ye there, now, Jellon Grame!My malisoun gang you wi'!The place that my mother lies buried inIs far too good for thee."
1. Silverwood, mentioned in this ballad, occurs in a medley MS. song, which seems to have been copied from the first edition of the Aberdeen Cantus,penesJohn G. Dalyell, Esq. advocate. One line only is cited, apparently the beginning of some song:—"Silverwood, gin ye were mine."Scott.
1. Silverwood, mentioned in this ballad, occurs in a medley MS. song, which seems to have been copied from the first edition of the Aberdeen Cantus,penesJohn G. Dalyell, Esq. advocate. One line only is cited, apparently the beginning of some song:—
"Silverwood, gin ye were mine."Scott.
"Silverwood, gin ye were mine."Scott.
A fragment of this fine ballad (which is commonly calledThe Cruel Knight) was published by Herd, (i. 222,) and also by Pinkerton, (Select Scottish Ballads, i. 69,) with variations. Finlay constructed a nearly complete edition from two recited copies, but suppressed some lines. (Scottish Ballads, ii. 72.) The present copy is one which Motherwell obtained from recitation, with a few verbal emendations by that editor from Finlay's.
With respect to the sudden and strange catastrophe, Motherwell remarks:—
"The reciters of old ballads frequently supply the best commentaries upon them, when any obscurity or want of connection appears in the poetical narrative. This ballad, as it stands, throws no light on young Johnstone's motive for stabbing his lady; but the person from whose lips it was taken down alleged that the barbarous act was committed unwittingly, through young Johnstone's suddenly waking from sleep, and, in that moment of confusion and alarm, unhappily mistaking his mistress for one of his pursuers. It is not improbable but the ballad may have had, at one time,a stanza to the above effect, the substance of which is still remembered, though the words in which it was couched have been forgotten."Minstrelsy, p. 193.
Buchan's version, (Lord John's Murder, ii. 20,) it will be seen, supplies this deficiency.
Young Johnstone and the young Col'nelSat drinking at the wine:"O gin ye wad marry my sister,It's I wad marry thine.""I wadna marry your sister,5For a' your houses and land;But I'll keep her for my leman,When I come o'er the strand."I wadna marry your sister,For a' your gowd so gay;10But I'll keep her for my leman,When I come by the way."Young Johnstone had a nut-brown sword,Hung low down by his gair,And herittedit through the young Col'nel,15That word he ne'er spak mair.But he's awa' to his sister's bower,He's tirled at the pin:"Whare hae ye been, my dear brither,Sae late a coming in?"20"I hae been at the school, sister,Learning young clerks to sing.""I've dreamed a dreary dream this night,I wish it may be for good;They were seeking you with hawks and hounds,25And the young Col'nel was dead.""Hawks and hounds they may seek me,As I trow well they be;For I have killed the young Col'nel,And thy own true love was he."30"If ye hae killed the young Col'nel,O dule and wae is me;But I wish ye may be hanged on a hie gallows,And hae nae power to flee."And he's awa' to his true love's bower,35He's tirled at the pin:"Whar hae ye been, my dear Johnstone,Sae late a coming in?""It's I hae been at the school," he says,"Learning young clerks to sing."40"I have dreamed a dreary dream," she says,"I wish it may be for good;They were seeking you with hawks and hounds,And the young Col'nel was dead.""Hawks and hounds they may seek me,45As I trow well they be;For I hae killed the young Col'nel,And thy ae brother was he.""If ye hae killed the young Col'nel,O dule and wae is me;50But I care the less for the young Col'nel,If thy ain body be free."Come in, come in, my dear Johnstone,Come in and take a sleep;And I will go to my casement,55And carefully I will thee keep."He had not weel been in her bower door,No not for half an hour,When four-and-twenty belted knightsCame riding to the bower.60"Well may you sit and see, Lady,Well may you sit and say;Did you not see a bloody squireCome riding by this way?""What colour were his hawks?" she says,65"What colour were his hounds?What colour was the gallant steedThat bore him from the bounds?""Bloody, bloody were his hawks,And bloody were his hounds;70But milk-white was the gallant steedThat bore him from the bounds.""Yes, bloody, bloody were his hawks,And bloody were his hounds;And milk-white was the gallant steed75That bore him from the bounds."Light down, light down now, gentlemen,And take some bread and wine;And the steed be swift that he rides on,He's past the brig o' Lyne."80"We thank you for your bread, fair Lady,We thank you for your wine;But I wad gie thrice three thousand pound,That bloody knight was ta'en.""Lie still, lie still, my dear Johnstone,85Lie still and take a sleep;For thy enemies are past and gone,And carefully I will thee keep."But young Johnstone had a little wee sword,Hung low down by his gair,90And he stabbed it in fair Annet's breast,A deep wound and a sair."What aileth thee now, dear Johnstone?What aileth thee at me?Hast thou not got my father's gold,95Bot and my mither's fee?""Now live, now live, my dear Ladye,Now live but half an hour,And there's no a leech in a' ScotlandBut shall be in thy bower."100"How can I live, how shall I live?Young Johnstone, do not you seeThe red, red drops o' my bonny heart's bloodRin trinkling down my knee?"But take thy harp into thy hand,105And harp out owre yon plain,And ne'er think mair on thy true loveThan if she had never been."He hadna weel been out o' the stable,And on his saddle set,110Till four-and-twenty broad arrowsWere thrilling in his heart.
Young Johnstone and the young Col'nelSat drinking at the wine:"O gin ye wad marry my sister,It's I wad marry thine."
"I wadna marry your sister,5For a' your houses and land;But I'll keep her for my leman,When I come o'er the strand.
"I wadna marry your sister,For a' your gowd so gay;10But I'll keep her for my leman,When I come by the way."
Young Johnstone had a nut-brown sword,Hung low down by his gair,And herittedit through the young Col'nel,15That word he ne'er spak mair.
But he's awa' to his sister's bower,He's tirled at the pin:"Whare hae ye been, my dear brither,Sae late a coming in?"20"I hae been at the school, sister,Learning young clerks to sing."
"I've dreamed a dreary dream this night,I wish it may be for good;They were seeking you with hawks and hounds,25And the young Col'nel was dead."
"Hawks and hounds they may seek me,As I trow well they be;For I have killed the young Col'nel,And thy own true love was he."30
"If ye hae killed the young Col'nel,O dule and wae is me;But I wish ye may be hanged on a hie gallows,And hae nae power to flee."
And he's awa' to his true love's bower,35He's tirled at the pin:"Whar hae ye been, my dear Johnstone,Sae late a coming in?""It's I hae been at the school," he says,"Learning young clerks to sing."40
"I have dreamed a dreary dream," she says,"I wish it may be for good;They were seeking you with hawks and hounds,And the young Col'nel was dead."
"Hawks and hounds they may seek me,45As I trow well they be;For I hae killed the young Col'nel,And thy ae brother was he."
"If ye hae killed the young Col'nel,O dule and wae is me;50But I care the less for the young Col'nel,If thy ain body be free.
"Come in, come in, my dear Johnstone,Come in and take a sleep;And I will go to my casement,55And carefully I will thee keep."
He had not weel been in her bower door,No not for half an hour,When four-and-twenty belted knightsCame riding to the bower.60
"Well may you sit and see, Lady,Well may you sit and say;Did you not see a bloody squireCome riding by this way?"
"What colour were his hawks?" she says,65"What colour were his hounds?What colour was the gallant steedThat bore him from the bounds?"
"Bloody, bloody were his hawks,And bloody were his hounds;70But milk-white was the gallant steedThat bore him from the bounds."
"Yes, bloody, bloody were his hawks,And bloody were his hounds;And milk-white was the gallant steed75That bore him from the bounds.
"Light down, light down now, gentlemen,And take some bread and wine;And the steed be swift that he rides on,He's past the brig o' Lyne."80
"We thank you for your bread, fair Lady,We thank you for your wine;But I wad gie thrice three thousand pound,That bloody knight was ta'en."
"Lie still, lie still, my dear Johnstone,85Lie still and take a sleep;For thy enemies are past and gone,And carefully I will thee keep."
But young Johnstone had a little wee sword,Hung low down by his gair,90And he stabbed it in fair Annet's breast,A deep wound and a sair.
"What aileth thee now, dear Johnstone?What aileth thee at me?Hast thou not got my father's gold,95Bot and my mither's fee?"
"Now live, now live, my dear Ladye,Now live but half an hour,And there's no a leech in a' ScotlandBut shall be in thy bower."100
"How can I live, how shall I live?Young Johnstone, do not you seeThe red, red drops o' my bonny heart's bloodRin trinkling down my knee?
"But take thy harp into thy hand,105And harp out owre yon plain,And ne'er think mair on thy true loveThan if she had never been."
He hadna weel been out o' the stable,And on his saddle set,110Till four-and-twenty broad arrowsWere thrilling in his heart.