210BONNIE JAMES CAMPBELL
A.Herd’s MSS, I, 40, II, 184.
B.Finlay’s Scottish Ballads, 1808, I, xxxiii.
C.‘Bonnie George Campbell,’ Smith’s Scotish Minstrel, V, 42.
D.Cunningham’s Songs of Scotland, III, 2.
Awas copied by Sir Walter Scott (with slight variations) into a MS. at Abbotsford, ‘Scottish Songs,’ fol. 68 (1795–1806). The first half is printed from notes of Scott in Laing’s edition of Sharpe’s Ballad Book, pp. 143, 156 f, and to these two stanzas, nearly as here printed, there are added in the second case, p. 157, the following verses, which are evidently modern, with the exception of the last:
His hawk and his hounds they are wandered and gane,His lady sits dowie and weary her lane,His bairns wi greetin hae blinded their een,His croft is unshorn, and his meadow grows green.
His hawk and his hounds they are wandered and gane,His lady sits dowie and weary her lane,His bairns wi greetin hae blinded their een,His croft is unshorn, and his meadow grows green.
His hawk and his hounds they are wandered and gane,His lady sits dowie and weary her lane,His bairns wi greetin hae blinded their een,His croft is unshorn, and his meadow grows green.
His hawk and his hounds they are wandered and gane,
His lady sits dowie and weary her lane,
His bairns wi greetin hae blinded their een,
His croft is unshorn, and his meadow grows green.
Scott subjoins, “I never heard more of this.” He was familiar with Herd’s MSS.
C, like many things in the Scotish Minstrel, has passed through editorial hands, whence the ‘never return’ of st. 4, and ‘A plume in his helmet, a sword at his knee,’ st. 5. This copy furnished the starting point for Allan Cunningham, III, 1, who, however, substitutes Finlay’s ‘wife’ for the Minstrel’s ‘bryde,’ and presents her with three bairns.
Motherwell made up his ‘Bonnie George Campbell’ (Minstrelsy, p. 44) fromB,C,D. In a manuscript copied out by a granddaughter of Lord Woodhouselee (1840–50),Dis combined with Cunningham’s ballad.
Motherwell says that this ballad “is probably a lament for one of the adherents of the house of Argyle who fell in the battle of Glenlivet, stricken on Thursday, the third day of October, 1594.” Sir Robert Gordon observes that Argyle lost in this battle his two cousins, Archibald and James Campbell: Genealogical History of Sutherland, p. 229. Maidment, Scotish Ballads, 1868, I, 240, chooses to think that “there can be little doubt” that the ballad refers to the murder of Sir John Campbell of Calder by one of his own surname, in 1591, and alters the title accordingly to ‘Bonnie John Campbell.’ Motherwell has at least a name to favor his supposition. But Campbells enow were killed, in battle or feud, before and after 1590, to forbid a guess as to an individual James or George grounded upon the slight data afforded by the ballad.
Motherwell’s ballad is translated by Wolff, Halle der Völker, I, 79, Hausschatz, p. 225.
A
Herd’s MSS, I, 40, II, 184.
1O it’s up in the Highlands,and along the sweet Tay,Did bonie James Campbellride monie a day.2Sadled and bridled,and bonie rode he;Hame came horse, hame came sadle,but neer hame cam he.3And doun cam his sweet sisters,greeting sae sair,And down cam his bonie wife,tearing her hair.4‘My house is unbigged,my barn’s unbeen,My corn’s unshorn,my meadow grows green.’* * * * * *
1O it’s up in the Highlands,and along the sweet Tay,Did bonie James Campbellride monie a day.2Sadled and bridled,and bonie rode he;Hame came horse, hame came sadle,but neer hame cam he.3And doun cam his sweet sisters,greeting sae sair,And down cam his bonie wife,tearing her hair.4‘My house is unbigged,my barn’s unbeen,My corn’s unshorn,my meadow grows green.’* * * * * *
1O it’s up in the Highlands,and along the sweet Tay,Did bonie James Campbellride monie a day.
1
O it’s up in the Highlands,
and along the sweet Tay,
Did bonie James Campbell
ride monie a day.
2Sadled and bridled,and bonie rode he;Hame came horse, hame came sadle,but neer hame cam he.
2
Sadled and bridled,
and bonie rode he;
Hame came horse, hame came sadle,
but neer hame cam he.
3And doun cam his sweet sisters,greeting sae sair,And down cam his bonie wife,tearing her hair.
3
And doun cam his sweet sisters,
greeting sae sair,
And down cam his bonie wife,
tearing her hair.
4‘My house is unbigged,my barn’s unbeen,My corn’s unshorn,my meadow grows green.’
4
‘My house is unbigged,
my barn’s unbeen,
My corn’s unshorn,
my meadow grows green.’
* * * * * *
* * * * * *
Finlay’s Scottish Ballads, 1808, I, xxxiii.
1Saddled and briddledand booted rade he;Toom hame cam the saddle,but never cam he.2Down cam his auld mither,greetin fu sair,And down cam his bonny wife,wringin her hair.3Saddled and briddledand booted rade he;Toom hame cam the saddle,but never cam he.
1Saddled and briddledand booted rade he;Toom hame cam the saddle,but never cam he.2Down cam his auld mither,greetin fu sair,And down cam his bonny wife,wringin her hair.3Saddled and briddledand booted rade he;Toom hame cam the saddle,but never cam he.
1Saddled and briddledand booted rade he;Toom hame cam the saddle,but never cam he.
1
Saddled and briddled
and booted rade he;
Toom hame cam the saddle,
but never cam he.
2Down cam his auld mither,greetin fu sair,And down cam his bonny wife,wringin her hair.
2
Down cam his auld mither,
greetin fu sair,
And down cam his bonny wife,
wringin her hair.
3Saddled and briddledand booted rade he;Toom hame cam the saddle,but never cam he.
3
Saddled and briddled
and booted rade he;
Toom hame cam the saddle,
but never cam he.
Smith’s Scotish Minstrel, V, 42.
1Hie upon Hielands,and laigh upon Tay,Bonnie George Campbellrode out on a day.2He saddled, he bridled,and gallant rode he,And hame cam his guid horse,but never cam he.3Out cam his mother dear,greeting fu sair,And out cam his bonnie bryde,riving her hair.4‘The meadow lies green,the corn is unshorn,But bonnie George Campbellwill never return.’5Saddled and bridledand booted rode he,A plume in his helmet,a sword at his knee.6But toom cam his saddle,all bloody to see,Oh, hame cam his guid horse,but never cam he!
1Hie upon Hielands,and laigh upon Tay,Bonnie George Campbellrode out on a day.2He saddled, he bridled,and gallant rode he,And hame cam his guid horse,but never cam he.3Out cam his mother dear,greeting fu sair,And out cam his bonnie bryde,riving her hair.4‘The meadow lies green,the corn is unshorn,But bonnie George Campbellwill never return.’5Saddled and bridledand booted rode he,A plume in his helmet,a sword at his knee.6But toom cam his saddle,all bloody to see,Oh, hame cam his guid horse,but never cam he!
1Hie upon Hielands,and laigh upon Tay,Bonnie George Campbellrode out on a day.
1
Hie upon Hielands,
and laigh upon Tay,
Bonnie George Campbell
rode out on a day.
2He saddled, he bridled,and gallant rode he,And hame cam his guid horse,but never cam he.
2
He saddled, he bridled,
and gallant rode he,
And hame cam his guid horse,
but never cam he.
3Out cam his mother dear,greeting fu sair,And out cam his bonnie bryde,riving her hair.
3
Out cam his mother dear,
greeting fu sair,
And out cam his bonnie bryde,
riving her hair.
4‘The meadow lies green,the corn is unshorn,But bonnie George Campbellwill never return.’
4
‘The meadow lies green,
the corn is unshorn,
But bonnie George Campbell
will never return.’
5Saddled and bridledand booted rode he,A plume in his helmet,a sword at his knee.
5
Saddled and bridled
and booted rode he,
A plume in his helmet,
a sword at his knee.
6But toom cam his saddle,all bloody to see,Oh, hame cam his guid horse,but never cam he!
6
But toom cam his saddle,
all bloody to see,
Oh, hame cam his guid horse,
but never cam he!
D
Cunningham’s Songs of Scotland, III, 2, communicated by Mr Yellowlees.
1High upon Highlands,and low upon Tay,Bonnie George Campbellrode out on a day.2‘My meadow lies green,and my corn is unshorn,My barn is to build,and my babe is unborn.
1High upon Highlands,and low upon Tay,Bonnie George Campbellrode out on a day.2‘My meadow lies green,and my corn is unshorn,My barn is to build,and my babe is unborn.
1High upon Highlands,and low upon Tay,Bonnie George Campbellrode out on a day.
1
High upon Highlands,
and low upon Tay,
Bonnie George Campbell
rode out on a day.
2‘My meadow lies green,and my corn is unshorn,My barn is to build,and my babe is unborn.
2
‘My meadow lies green,
and my corn is unshorn,
My barn is to build,
and my babe is unborn.
Ais written, andCprinted, in stanzas of four long lines.
A.11.Sharpe, 143, Owanting.
12.Scottish Songs and Sharpe, andwanting.
22.Scottish Songs, and gallant,as inC.
24.Sharpe, but hame cam na he.
44.Scottish Songs, meadows grow green.