No. 16 Sheath and Knife
[There are no extant US or Canadian traditional versions of Sheath and Knife.]
CONTENTS:
1. Child's Narrative
2. Brief (Kittredge)
3. Child's Ballad Texts A-D (E and F were added later in "Additions and Corrections")
4. Endnotes
5. "Additions and Corrections"
ATTACHED PAGES (see left hand column):
1. Recordings & Info: Sheath and Knife
A. Roud Number 3301: Sheath and Knife (11 Listings)
2. Sheet Music: Sheath and Knife
3. English and Other Versions (Including Child versions A-F with additional notes)]
Child's Narrative
A. a. Motherwell's Manuscript, p. 286.
b. 'The broom blooms bonnie and says it is fair,' Motherwell's Minstrelsy, p. 189.
B. Sharpe's Ballad Book, ed. by D. Laing, p. 159.
C. 'The broom blooms bonie,' Johnson's Museum, No 461.
D. Notes and Queries, First Series, v, 345, one stanza.
[E. Mr. Macmath has found the following ballad in Motherwell's handwriting, on a half-sheet of paper.
F. 'The Broom blooms bonnie,' from the recitation of Agnes Lyle, Kilbarchan.]
The three stanzas of this ballad which are found in the Musical Museum (C) were furnished, it is said, by Burns. It was first printed in full (A b) in Motherwell's Minstrelsy. Motherwell retouched a verse here and there slightly, to regulate the metre. A a is here given as it stands in his manuscript. B consists of some scattered verses as remembered by Sir W. Scott.
The directions in 3, 4 receive light from a passage in Robin Hood's Death and Burial:
But give me my bent bow in my hand,
And a broad arrow I'll let flee,
And where this arrow is taken up
There shall my grave diggd be.
'Lay me a green sod under my head,' etc.
Other ballads with a like theme are 'The Bonny Hind,' further on in this volume, and the two which follow it.
Translated in Grundtvig's E. og s. Folkeviser, No 49, p. 308; Wolff's Halle der Völker, 1, 64.
Brief Description by George Lyman Kittredge
Other ballads with a like theme are Nos. 50, 51, 52. See also the introduction to 'Leesome Brand,' No. 15.
Child's Ballad Texts A-F
'The broom blooms bonnie and says it is fair'- Version A a: Child 16- Sheath and Knife
a. Motherwell's Manuscript, p. 286. From the recitation of Mrs. King, Kilbarchan Parish, February 9, 1825.
b. 'The broom blooms bonnie and says it is fair,' Motberwell's Minstrelsy, p. 189.
1. It is talked the warld all over,
The brume blooms bonnie and says it is fair
That the king's dochter gaes wi child to her brither.
And we'll never gang doun to the brume onie mair
2 He's taen his sister doun to her father's deer park,
Wi his yew-tree bow and arrows fast slung to his back.
3 'Now when that ye hear me gie a loud cry,
Shoot frae thy bow an arrow and there let me lye.
4 'And when that ye see I am lying dead,
Then ye'll put me in a grave, wi a turf at my head.'
5 Now when he heard her gie a loud cry,
His silver arrow frae his bow he suddenly let fly.
Now they'll never, etc.
6 He has made a grave that was lang and was deep,
And he has buried his sister, wi her babe at her feet.
And they'll never, etc.
7 And when he came to his father's court hall,
There was music and minstrels and dancing and all.
But they'll never, etc.
8 'O Willie, O Willie, what makes thee in pain?'
'I have lost a sheath and knife that I'll never see again.'
For we'll never, etc.
9 'There is ships o your father's sailing on the sea
That will bring as good a sheath and a knife unto thee.'
10 'There is ships o my father's sailing on the sea,
But sic a sheath and a knife they can never bring to me.'
Now we'll never, etc.
----------------------
'The broom grows bonnie, the broom grows fair'- Version B: Child 16- Sheath and Knife
Sharpe's Ballad Book, ed. by D. Laing, p. 159: Sir Walter Scott, from his recollection of a nursery-maid's singing.
1 Ae lady has whispered the other,
The broom grows bonnie, the broom grows fair
Lady Margaret's wi bairn to Sir Richard, her brother.
And we daur na gae doun to the broom nae mair
* * * * *
2. 'And when ye hear me loud, loud cry,
The broom grows bonnie, the broom grows fair
O bend your bow, let your arrow fly.
And I daur na gae doun to the broom nae mair
3 'But when ye see me lying still,
The broom grows bonnie, the broom grows fair
O then you may come and greet your fill.'
And I daur na gae doun to the broom nae mair
* * * * *
4 'It's I hae broken my little pen-knife
The broom grows bonnie, the broom grows fair
That I loed dearer than my life.'
And I daur na gae doun to the broom nae mair
* * * * *
5 'It's no for the knife that my tears doun run,
The broom grows bonnie, the broom grows fair
But it's a' for the case that my knife was kept in.'
And I daur na gae doun to the broom nae mair
----------------
'The broom blooms bonie'- Version C: Child 16- Sheath and Knife-
Johnson's Museum, No 461
1 It's whispered in parlour, it's whispered in ha,
The broom blooms bonie, the broom blooms fair
Lady Marget's wi child amang our ladies a'.
And she dare na gae down to the broom nae mair
2 One day whisperd unto another
The broom blooms bonie, the broom blooms fair
Lady Marget's wi child to Sir Richard, her brother.
And she dare na gae down to the broom nae mair
* * * * *
3 'O when that you hear my loud loud cry,
The broom blooms bonie, the broom blooms fair
Then bend your bow and let your arrows fly.
And I dare na gae down to the broom nae mair
-----------------------
['Broom blooms bonnie']- Version D: Sheath and Knife; Child 16
Notes and Queries, 1st Series, v, 345, communicated by E.F. Rimbault.
Ae king's dochter said to anither,
Broom blooms bonnie an grows sae fair
We'll gae ride like sister and brither.
But we'll never gae down to the broom nae mair
---------------------
['Brume blumes bonnie and grows sae fair']- Version E: Sheath and Knife- Child 16
Mr. Macmath has found the following ballad in Motherwell's handwriting, on a half-sheet of paper.
1 One king's daughter said to anither,
Brume blumes bonnie and grows sae fair
'We'll gae ride like sister and brither.'
And we'll neer gae down to the brume nae mair
2 'We'll ride doun into yonder valley,
Brume blumes bonnie and grows sae fair
Whare the greene green trees are budding sae gaily.
And we'll neer gae down to the brume nae mair
3 'Wi hawke and hounde we will hunt sae rarely,
Brume blumes bonnie and grows sae fair
And we'll come back in the morning early.'
And we'll neer gae down to the brume nae mair
4 They rade on like sister and brither,
Brume blumes bonnie and grows sae fair
And they hunted and hawket in the valley the-gether.
And we'll neer gae down to the brume nae mair
5 'Now, lady, hauld my horse and my hawk,
Brume blumes bonnie and grows sae fair
For I maun na ride, and I downa walk.
And we'll neer gae down to the brume nae mair
6 'But set me doun be the rute o this tree,
Brume blumes bonnie and grows sae fair
For there hae I dreamt that my bed sall be.'
And we'll neer gae down to the brume nae mair
7 The ae king's dochter did lift doun the ither,
Brume blumes bonnie and grows sae fair
And she was licht in her armis like ony fether.
And we'll neer gae down to the brume nae mair
8 Bonnie Lady Ann sat doun be the tree,
Brume blumes bonnie and grows sae fair
And a wide grave was houkit whare nane suld be.
And we'll neer gae down to the brume nae mair
9 The hawk had nae lure, and the horse had nae master,
Brume blumes bonnie and grows sae fair
And the faithless hounds thro the woods ran faster.
And we'll neer gae down to the brume nae mair
10 The one king's dochter has ridden awa,
Brume blumes bonnie and grows sae fair
But bonnie Lady Ann lay in the deed-thraw.
And we'll neer gae down to the brume nae mair
------------------
'The Broom blooms bonnie'- Version F: Sheath and Knife- Child 16
'The Broom blooms bonnie,' from the recitation of Agnes Lyle, Kilbarchan.
1 'There is a feast in your father's house,
The broom blooms bonnie, and so is it fair
It becomes you and me to be very douce.'
And we'll never gang up to the broom nae mair
2 'Will you to to yon hill so hie,
The broom blooms bonnie, and so is it fair
Take your bow and your arrow wi thee.'
And we'll never gang up to the broom nae mair
3 He's tane his lady on his back,
The broom blooms bonnie, and so is it fair
And his auld son in his coat-lap.
And we'll never gang up to the broom nae mair
4 'When ye hear me give a cry,
The broom blooms bonnie, and so is it fair
Ye'll shoot your bow and let me ly.
And we'll never gang up to the broom nae mair
5 'When ye see me lying still,
The broom blooms bonnie, and so is it fair
Throw awa your bow and come running me till.'
And we'll never gang up to the broom nae mair
6 When he heard her gie a cry,
The broom blooms bonnie, and so is it fair
He shot his bow and he let her lye.
And we'll never gang up to the broom nae mair
7 When he saw she was lying still,
The broom blooms bonnie, and so is it fair
He threw awa his bow and came running her till.
And we'll never gang up to the broom nae mair
8 It was nae wonder his heart was sad,
The broom blooms bonnie, and so is it fair
When he shot his auld son at her head.
And we'll never gang up to the broom nae mair
9 He howkit a grave lang, large and wide,
The broom blooms bonnie, and so is it fair
He buried his auld son down by her side.
And we'll never gang up to the broom nae mair
10 It was nae wonder his heart was sair,
The broom blooms bonnie, and so is it fair
When he shooled the mools on her yellow hair.
And we'll never gang up to the broom nae mair
11 'Oh,' said his father, 'Son, but thou'rt sad,
The broom blooms bonnie, and so is it fair
At our braw meeting you micht be glad.'
And we'll never gang up to the broom nae mair
12 'Oh,' said he, 'Father, I've lost my knife,
The broom blooms bonnie, and so is it fair
I loved as dear almost as my own life.
And we'll never gang up to the broom nae mair
13 'But I have lost a far better thing,
The broom blooms bonnie, and so is it fair
I lost the sheathe that the knife was in.'
And we'll never gang up to the broom nae mair
14 'Hold thy tongue and mak nae din,
The broom blooms bonnie, and so is it fair
I'll buy thee a sheath and a knife therein.'
And we'll never gang up to the broom nae mair
15 'A' the ships ere sailed the sea
The broom blooms bonnie, and so is it fair
Neer'll bring such a sheathe and knife to me.
And we'll never gang up to the broom nae mair
16 'A' the smiths that lives on land
The broom blooms bonnie, and so is it fair
Will neer bring such a sheath and knife to my hand.'
And we'll never gang up to the broom nae mair
__________________
End-Notes
A. b. Motherwell's printed copy has these variations:
11. It is talked, it is talked; a variation found in the Manuscript
31. O when ... loud, loud cry.
32. an arrow frae thy bow.
41. cauld and dead.
51. loud, loud cry.
61. has houkit.
62. babie.
71. came hame.
72. dancing mang them a': this variation also in the Manuscript
91, 101. There are.
B. "I have heard the 'Broom blooms bonnie' sung by our poor old nursery-maid as often as I have teeth in my head, but after cudgelling my memory I can make no more than the following stanzas." Scott, Sharpe's Ballad Book, 1880, p. 159.
Scott makes Effie Deans, in The Heart of Mid-Lothian, vol. I ch. 10, sing this stanza, probably of his own making:
The elfin knight sat on the brae,
The broom grows bonny, the broom grows fair
And by there came lilting a lady so gay.
Additions and Corrections
P. 185. As an arrow-shot is to fix the place for a grave here and in 'Robin Hood's Death,' so, in many popular tales, arrows are shot to determine where a wife is to be sought: see a Hindoo tale, Asiatic Journal, 1833, XI, 207, Benfey, Pantschatantra, I, 261; Hahn, Griechische Märchen, No 67, II, 31, 285; Afanasief, I, 346, No 23, cited by Ralston, The Nineteenth Century, IV, 1004, 1878; Jagic, in Archiv fur slavische Philologie, II, 619, and R. Köhler's notes at p. 620.
P. 185. Mr. Macmath has found the following ballad in Motherwell's handwriting, on a half-sheet of paper. It is not completely intelligible (why should Lady Ann be left in the death-throe, to bury herself?), but undoubtedly belongs here. The first stanza agrees with D.
[Version] E
1 One king's daughter said to anither,
Brume blumes bonnie and grows sae fair
'We'll gae ride like sister and brither.'
And we'll neer gae down to the brume nae mair
2 'We'll ride doun into yonder valley,
Brume blumes bonnie and grows sae fair
Whare the greene green trees are budding sae gaily.
And we'll neer gae down to the brume nae mair
3 'Wi hawke and hounde we will hunt sae rarely,
Brume blumes bonnie and grows sae fair
And we'll come back in the morning early.'
And we'll neer gae down to the brume nae mair
4 They rade on like sister and brither,
Brume blumes bonnie and grows sae fair
And they hunted and hawket in the valley thegether.
And we'll neer gae down to the brume nae mair
5 'Now, lady, hauld my horse and my hawk,
Brume blumes bonnie and grows sae fair
For I maun na ride, and I downa walk.
And we'll neer gae down to the brume nae mair
6 'But set me doun be the rate o this tree,
Brume blumes bonnie and grows sae fair
For there hae I dreamt that my bed sail be.'
And we'll neer gae down to the brume nae mair
7 The ae king's dochter did lift doun the ither,
Brume blumes bonnie and grows sae fair
And she was licht in her armis like ony fether.
And we'll neer gae down to the brume nae mair
8 Bonnie Lady Ann sat doun be the tree,
Brume blumes bonnie and grows sae fair
And a wide grave was houkit whare nane suld be.
And we'll neer gae down to the brume nae mair
9 The hawk had nae lure, and the horse had nae master,
Brume blumes bonnie and grows sae fair
And the faithless hounds thro the woods ran faster.
And we'll neer gae down to the brume nae mair
10 The one king's dochter has ridden awa,
Brume blumes bonnie and grows sae fair
But bonnie Lady Ann lay in the deed-thraw.
And we'll neer gae down to the brume nae mair
Some words are difficult to read.
2. sae wanting in burden1.
31. hunt? growis fair in burden1.
51. Originally Oh hauld my bridle and stirrup.
Ann, or come, is written over Oh.
92. faithless?
The lost knife here in A 8-10, B 5, and in 'Leesome Brand,' No 15, 3641, appears in 'The Squire of Low Degree,' Percy Folio, III, 267, vv. 117-126 (not in the version printed by Ritson and by Hazlitt).
'Daughter,' he sais, 'ffor whose sake
Is that, sorrow that still thou makes?'
'Ffather,' shee sais, 'as I doe see,
Itt is ffor no man in Christentye;
Ffather,' shee sayes, 'as I doe thriue,
Itt is ffor noe man this day aliue.
Ffor yesterday I lost my kniffe;
Much rather had I haue lost my liffe!'
'My daughter,' he sayes, 'if itt be but a blade,
I can gett another as good made.'
'Ffather,' shee sais, 'there is neuer a smith but one
That [can] smith you such a one.'
(G.L.K.)
To be Corrected in the Print.
186 a, Notes to A b. Add 22. slung at.
P. 186. D is in or from T. Lyle's Ancient Ballads and Songs, 1827, p. 241. Scott, as Lyle says, has nearly the same burden in a stanza (of his own?) which he makes E. Deans sing, in The Heart of Mid-Lothian.
To be Corrected in the Print.
185 b, P 132. Read There's.
P. 185, III, 500. In C. K. Sharpe's papers there is the following version, in Motherwell's handwriting, sent by him to Sharpe with a letter dated Paisley, 8th October, 1825.
F. 'The Broom blooms bonnie,' from the recitation of Agnes Lyle, Kilbarchan.
1 'There is a feast in your father's house,
The broom blooms bonnie, and so is it fair
It becomes you and me to be very douce.'
And we'll never gang up to the broom nae mair
2 'Will you go to yon hill so hie,
The broom blooms bonnie, and so is it fair
Take your bow and your arrow wi thee.'
And we'll never gang up to the broom nae mair
3 He's tane his lady on his back,
The broom blooms bonnie, and so is it fair
And his auld son in his coat-lap.
And we'll never gang up to the broom nae mair
4 'When ye hear me give a cry,
The broom blooms bonnie, and so is it fair
Ye'll shoot your bow and let me ly.
And we'll never gang up to the broom nae mair
5 'When ye see me lying still,
The broom blooms bonnie, and so is it fair
Throw awa your bow and come running me till.'
And we'll never gang up to the broom nae mair
6 When he heard her gie a cry,
The broom blooms bonnie, and so is it fair
He shot his bow and he let her lye.
And we'll never gang up to the broom nae mair
7 When he saw she was lying still,
The broom blooms bonnie, and so is it fair
He threw awa his bow and came running her till.
And we'll never gang up to the broom nae mair
8 It was nae wonder his heart was sad,
The broom blooms bonnie, and so is it fair
When he shot his auld son at her head.
And we'll never gang up to the broom nae mair
9 He howkit a grave lang, large and wide,
The broom blooms bonnie, and so is it fair
He buried his auld son down by her side.
And we'll never gang up to the broom nae mair
10 It was nae wonder his heart was sair,
The broom blooms bonnie, and so is it fair
When he shooled the mools on her yellow hair.
And we'll never gang up to the broom nae mair
11 'Oh,' said his father,' son, but thou'rt sad,
The broom blooms bonnie, and so is it fair
At our braw meeting you micht be glad.'
And we'll never gang up to the broom nae mair
12 'Oh,' said he, 'father, I've lost my knife,
The broom blooms bonnie, and so is it fair
I loved as dear almost as my own life.
And we'll never gang up to the broom nae mair
13 'But I have lost a far better thing,
The broom blooms bonnie, and so is it fair
I lost the sheathe that the knife was in.'
And we'll never gang up to the broom nae mair
14 'Hold thy tongue and mak nae din,
The broom blooms bonnie, and so is it fair
I'll buy thee a sheath and a knife therein.'
And we'll never gang up to the broom nae mair
15 'A' the ships ere sailed the sea
The broom blooms bonnie, and so is it fair
Neer'll bring such a sheathe and knife to me.
And we'll never gang up to the broom nae mair
16 'A' the smiths that lives on land
The broom blooms bonnie, and so is it fair
Will neer bring such a sheath and knife to my hand.'
And we'll never gang up to the broom nae mair
III, 500. E. Colonel W.F. Prideaux has printed this piece, from a manuscript of Motherwell's in his possession, in Notes and Queries, Eighth Series, I, 372, with the trifling variations (or confirmations of doubtful readings) here annexed.
11. Ane.
31. we'll hunt
61. let me doun by the rute o the.
72. And wanting: as ony.
92. faithless.
101. The ae.
To be Corrected in the Print.
P. 210 b, to III, 500. Mr. Macmath informs me that the manuscript of Motherwell here referred to is the same as that already printed, and correctly printed, at III, 500 f.