17. Lady Alice
17. LADY ALICE (Child, No. 85)
Five variants have been recovered in West Virginia, under various titles. A, B, and E represent one version, C and D another. They all differ widely from the Child versions.
A Pennsylvania version going back almost to 1800 was printed by Child, No. 279. For other American texts see Journal, xxviii, 151 (Perrow; North Carolina); Focus, m, 154, and iv, 50 (Virginia); Campbell and Sharp, No. 22 (North Carolina, Tennessee); Campbell, The Survey, New York, January 2, 1915, xxxm, 373 (two stanzas from Georgia). For other American references see Journal, xxx, 317. Add Bulletin, Nos. 6-10.
A. "Young Collins." Contributed by Mr. J. Harrison Miller, Wardensville, Hardy County, January, 1917; learned from Mr. Lemuel C. Combs about eight years previously; a community song known to various people. Printed by Cox, xlvi, 124.
1 Young Collins rode out from his fields one day,
While the flowers and trees were in bloom,
And it was there that he saw his own Fair Ellen,
A- washing a white marble stone.
2 She screamed, she cried, she changed her mind,
She waved her lily-white hand,
Saying, "Come here, come here, Young Collins, my dear,
Your life is near at hand."
3 He clasped around her slender waist,
He kissed both her cheeks and her chin,
Till the stars from heaven came twinkling down,
To the spot where Young Collins jumped [in].
4 He ran, he ran to his own father's house,
Till he came to his own father's door,
Saying, " Father, dear father, I pray let me in,
I pray let me in once more.
5 "If I should die this very night,
Which I feel in my mind that I will,
Go bury me under the white marble stone,
At the foot of Fair Ellen's green hill."
6 As Ellen was sitting in her own cottage door,
All dressed up in silk so fine,
It was there that she spied a casket coming,
As far as her eyes could shine.
7 "Whose casket, whose casket, whose casket I see?
Who lies in that casket so fine?"
" 'T is Young Johnny Collins, a cold clay corpse,
Who lies in that casket so fine."
8 She ordered the casket to be opened right there,
Till she gazed on his cold clay form,
Till she took the last kiss from his cold clay lips,
As oft they had kissed her before.
9 She ordered the curtains to be brought right there,
Till she trimmed them in lace so fine:
"To-day they will weep over Collins' grave;
To-morrow they shall weep over mine."
10 The news went round through Dublin Town,
It was printed on Dublin gate,
That six pretty maidens on Saturday's night
All died for Young Collins' fate.
B. "Young Collins" or "Johnny Collins." Communicated by Mrs. Hilary G. Richardson, Clarksburg, Harrison County, March 9, 1916; obtained from Mrs. Rachel Fogg, originally from Doddridge County; learned from her mother, and she from her mother, "on back into the old country across the sea in Scotch, Dutch, or Jerusalem, she forgets which, but in this country they call 'em Hebrews." Reported by Cox, xlv, 159; printed, Journal, xxxn, 500.
1 Young Collins went forth one morning in May,
All over the fresh blooming flowers;
And the first that he spied was his Eleanor dear,
A-washin' a white marble stone.
2 He took her round the slender waist
And kissed both her cheeks and her chin;
The stars from heaven came twinkling down,
At the place where Young Collins jumped in.
3 He swum and he swum and he swu-u-u-um,
Till he came to his own father's door,
Says, "Father, dear father, O let me in,
O let me in once more!
4 "If I should die this very night,
Which I think in my heart I will,
Go bury me under the white marble stone,
At the foot of Fair Eleanor's hill."
5 As she was sitting in her own father's hall,
All dressed in her silks so fine,
She spied Young Collins' cold clay corpse:
"An old true love of mine."
6 She ordered the coffin to be brought right there,
So she might gaze on his beautiful form once more,
And get one kiss from those cold clay lips,
"Which oft times has kissed mine before."
7 She ordered a sheet to be brought right there,
All trimmed in its laces so fine:
"For to-day it was over Young Collins' grave,
To-morrow shall wave over mine."
8 The news it went round to Dablin Town,
All printed on Dablin's gate:
"Six pretty fair maids all died last night,
And 't was all for Young Collins' sake."
C. "George Collins." Communicated by Mr. R. C. Kelly, Sutton, Braxton County, January, 191 7; obtained from Howard Dent and Lidel Evans, who learned it in the lumber camps.
1. George Collins rode home one cold rainy night,
George Collins rode home so fine;
George Collins rode home one cold rainy night,
And taken sick and died.
2. Little Hattie was sitting in her mother's room,
A-sewing on silk so fine;
When she heard poor George had died,
She laid her silk aside.
3. She followed him up, she followed him down,
She followed him to his grave;
And there upon her knees she fell,
She wept, she moaned, she prayed.
4 She sat down on the coffin: "Take off the lid,
Fold back the linen so fine,
That I may kiss his cold, pale lips,
For I know he'll never kiss mine.
5 "The happiest hours I ever spent
Were by George Collins' side;
The saddest news I ever heard
Was that George Collins had died.
6 "O, don't you see the turtle dove,
As he flies from pine to pine?
He weeps, he moans for his own true love,
Just as I wept for mine."
D. "George Collins." Contributed by Miss Snoah McCourt, Orndoff, Webster County, March, 191 6; learned from Mrs. Lenna Thorpe. Reported by Cox, xlv, 159.
1 George Collins rode home one cold winter night,
George Collins rode home so fine;
George Collins rode home one cold winter night,
And taken sick and died.
2 Little Mattie sat in her mother's room,
Sewing on silks so fine;
But when she heard of George's death,
She laid her silks aside.
3 "O daughter, O daughter, what makes you weep?
There's lots of men beside George."
"O mother, O mother, George had my heart,
But now he's dead and gone."
4 She followed him up, she followed him down,
She followed him to the grave;
'T was there she fell upon her knees,
She wept, she mourned, and she prayed.
5 "My love is like the turtle dove,
That flies from pine to pine;
She mourns and weeps for her lost love,
Just as I do for mine."
E. "John Collins." Communicated by Mr. C. R. Bishop, Green Bank, Pocahontas County. Obtained from Miss Valera Ervine.
1 One morning, one morning, one morning in May,
When the flowers were all in bloom,
... he spied fair Ellen,
A-washing her marble stone.
2 He caught her around her slender waist,
He kissed both her cheek and her chin,
And the stars of heaven came twinkling down,
The place where Young Collins jumped in.
3 She screamed, she cried, she changed her voice,
She threw up her lily-white hands,
Saying, "Come here, come here, Young Collins, my dear,
Your life is not at an end."
4 He swam, he swam, he swam till he came
To his own father's door,
Saying, " Father, dear father, I pray let me in,
I pray let me in once more.
5 "If I should die this very night,
Which I feel in my mind I will,
Go bury me yonder at the white marble stone,
At the foot of Fair Ellen's green hill."
6 Next morning as she sat at her own cottage door,
All dressed in her silk so fine,
She spied a corpse a-coming,
As bright as her eyes could shine.
7 "Whose coffin* whose coffin, whose coffin," cried she,
"Whose coffin so bright and fine?
'T is Young John Collins' clay cold corpse,
An old true lover of mine."
8 The news went round through Dublin town,
'T was written on Dublin's gate,
That six fair ladies were buried next day,
And it was all for John Collins' sake.
9 She ordered a snow-white sheet to be brought,
Till she trimmed it in laces so fine:
"For to-day it shall wave over Collins' grave,
And to-morrow it shall wave over mine."