No. 219: The Gardener
[There are no known US or Canadian versions of this ballad.]
CONTENTS:
1. Child's Narrative
2. Footnotes (There are no footnotes for this ballad)
3. Brief (Kittredge)
4. Child's Ballad Texts A-C (Three additional texts of related ballads are given in Additions and Corrections)
5. End-notes
6. Additions and Corrections
ATTACHED PAGES (see left hand column):
1. Recordings & Info: 219. The Gardener
A. Roud No. 339: The Gardener (41 Listings)
2. Sheet Music: 219. The Gardener (including Bronson's music examples and texts)
3. English and Other Versions (Including Child versions A-C and additional versions)
Child's Narrative: 219. The Gardener
A. Kinloch Manuscripts, V, 47. 'The Gardener,' Kinloch Manuscripts, VII, 19; Kinloch's Ancient Scottish Ballads, p. 74.
B. 'The Gardener Lad,' Buchan's Ballads of the North of Scotland, II, 187.
C. Fragment communicated by Dr. Thomas Davidson.
A gardener will apparel a maid from head to foot with flowers, if she will be his bride. He gets a wintry answer: the snow shall be his shirt, the wind his hat, the rain his coat.
B 1-6 is mere jargon, foisted into this pretty ballad as a preface.
A 7, B 15, C 3, is found, substantially, in the preceding ballad, and perhaps belonged originally to neither.
Freely translated from A and B by Rosa Warrens, Schottische Volkslieder, p. 134, No 30.
Brief Description by George Lyman Kittredge
The Gardener is in Five Excellent New Songs, Edinburgh, Printed and sold by William Forrest, 1766; but the copy is considerably corrupted and is not given here (see Child, v, 258). A 7 is found substantially in the preceding ballad, and perhaps belonged originally to neither.
Child's Ballad Texts
'The Gardener'- Version A; Child 219 The Gardener
Kinloch Manuscripts, V, 47, in the handwriting of James Beattie; from the recitation of his aunt, Miss Elizabeth Beattie.
1 The gardener stands in his bower-door,
With a primrose in his hand,
And by there came a leal maiden,
As jimp's a willow wand.
And by, etc.
2 'O lady, can you fancy me,
For to be my bride,
You'll get a' the flowers in my garden,
To be to you a weed.
3 'The lily white shall be your smock;
Becomes your body neat;
And your head shall be deckd with jelly-flower,
And the primrose in your breast.
4 'Your gown shall be o the sweet-william,
Your coat o camovine,
And your apron o the salads neat,
That taste baith sweet and fine.
5 'Your stockings shall be o the broad kail-blade,
That is baith broad and long;
And narrow, narrow at the coot,
And broad, broad at the brawn.
6 'Your gloves shall be the marygold,---
All glittering to your hand,
Well spread oer wi the blue blaewort,
That grows in corn-land.'
7 'O fare you well, young man,' she says,
'Farewell, and I bid adieu;
Since you've provided a weed for me,
Among the summer flowers,
Then I'll provide another for you,
Among the winter showers.
8 'The new-fallen snow to be your smock;
Becomes your body neat;
And your head shall be deckd with the eastern wind,
And the cold rain on your breast.'
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'The Gardener Lad'- Version B; Child 219 The Gardener
Buchan's Ballads of the North of Scotland, II, 187
1 All ye young men, I pray draw near,
I'll let you hear my mind
Concerning those who fickle are,
And inconstant as the wind.
2 A pretty maid who late livd here,
And sweetheatrs many had,
The gardener-lad he viewd them all,
Just as they came and gaed.
3 The gardener-lad he viewd them all,
But swore he had no skill:
'If I were to go as oft to her,
Ye surely would me kill.
4 'I'm sure she's not a proper maid,
I'm sure she is not tall;'
Another young man standing by,
He said, Slight none at all.
5 'For we're all come of woman,' he said,
'If ye woud call to mind,
And to all women for her sake
Ye surely should be kind.'
6 'The summer hours and warm showers
Make the the trees yield in the ground,
And kindly words will woman win,
And this maid I'll surround.'
7 The maid then stood in her bower-door,
As straight as ony wand,
When by it came the gardener-lad,
With his hat in his hand.
8 'Will ye live on fruit,' he said?
'Or will ye marry me?
And amongst the flowers in my garden
I'll shape a weed for thee.'
9 'I will live on fruit,' she says,
'But I'll never marry thee;
For I can live without mankind,
And without mankind I'll die.'
10 'Ye shall not live without mankind,
If ye'll accept of me;
For among the flowers in my garden
I'll shape a weed for thee.
11 'The lily white to be your smock;
Becomes your body best;
And the jelly-flower to be your quill,
And the red rose in your breast.
12 'Your gown shall be o the pingo white,
Your petticoat cammovine,
Your apron o the seel o downs;
Come smile, sweet heart o mine!
13 'Your shoes shall be o the gude rue red —
Never did I garden ill —
Your stockings o the mary mild;
Come smile, sweet heart, your fill!
14 'Your gloves shall be o the green clover,
Comes lockerin to your hand,
Well dropped oer wi blue blavers,
That grow among white land.'
15 'Young man, ye've shap'd a weed for me,
In summer among your flowers;
Now I will shape another for you,
Among the winter showers.
16 'The snow so white shall be your shirt;
It becomes your body best;
The cold bleak wind to be your coat,
And the cold wind in your breast.
17 'The steed that you shall ride upon
Shall be o the weather snell,
Well bridled wi the northern wind,
And cold sharp showers o hail.
18 'The hat you on your head shall wear
Shall be o the weather gray,
And aye when you come into my sight
I'll wish you were away.'
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['The Gairdner-Lad']- Version C; Child 219 The Gardener
Communicated from memory by Dr. Thomas Davidson as learned in Old Deer, Aberdeenshire.
1 Burd Ellen stands in her bower-door,
As straucht 's a hollan wand,
And by it comes the gairdner-lad,
Wi a red rose in his hand.
2 Says, I have shapen a weed for thee
Amang my simmer flowers;
. . . .
. . .
* * * * *
3 'Gin ye hae shapen a weed for me,
Amang your simmer flowers,
It's I'll repay ye back again,
Amang the winter showers.
4 'The steed that ye sall ride upon
Sall be o the frost sae snell,
And I'll saddle him wi the norlan winds,
And some sharp showers o hail.'
* * * * *
End-Notes
A. Kinloch has made changes in Manuscripts, VII, 19, which appear in his printed copy.
C. 2. "He goes on to describe his weed, promising to array her in flowers more gorgeously than Solomon in all his glory."
4. "She continues, after the same style."
Additions and Corrections
To be Corrected in the Print.
212 a, 43. Read sallads.
P. 212. Rev. S. Baring-Gould has pointed me to a printed copy of this ballad, considerably corrupted, to be sure, but also considerably older than the traditional versions. It is blended at the beginning with a "Thyme" song, which itself is apt to be mixed up with 'I sowed the seeds of love.' The second stanza is from the "Thyme" song; the third is a traditional variation of a stanza in 'I sowed the seeds of love.' (See the piece which follows this.) The ballad begins with the fourth stanza, and the fifth is corrupted by being transferred from the gardener to the maid. Mr. Baring-Gould has lately taken down copies of the "Thyme" song in the west of England. See one in Songs and Ballads of the West, No 7, and the note thereto in the preface to Part IV of that work, p. xv; also Campbell's Albyn's Anthology, I, 40, Bruce and Stokoe, Northumbrian Minstrelsy, p. 90, and Chappell's Popular Music, p. 521 f. Rev. S. Baring-Gould has given me two copies, one from recitation, the other from "a broadside published by Bebbington, Manchester, Brit. Mus., 1876. d., A Collection of Songs and Broadsides, I, 264."
Five Excellent New Songs. Edinburgh. Printed and sold by William Forrest, at the head of the Cowgate, 1766. British Museum, 11621. b. 6 (8).
1 The wakeing all the winter night,
And the tippling at the wine,
And the courting of a bonny lass,
Will break this heart of mine.
Brave sailing here, my dear,
And better sailing there,
Brave sailing in my love's arms,
O give I were there!
2 I had a bed of thyme,
And it flourishd night and day,
There came by a squire's son
That stole my heart away.
Brave sailing here, my dear,
And better sailing there,
Brave sailing in my love's arms,
O give I were there!
3 Then up comes the gardener-lad,
And he gave me prefers free,
He gave to me the jully-flowers,
To clothe my gay bodie.
4 The gardener stood in his garden,
And the prim-rose in his hand,
And there he spi'd his own true love,
As tight's a willy wand.
5 'If he'll be a lover true,' she said,
'A lover true indeed,
And buy all the flowers of my garden,
I'll shape to thee a weed.'
Brave sailing here, my dear,
And better sailing there,
Brave sailing in my love's arms,
O give I were there!
6 'The prim-rose shall be on thy head,
And the red rose on thy breast,
And the white-rose shall be for a smock,
To cover thy body next.
Brave sailing here, my dear,
And better sailing there,
Brave sailing in my love's arms,
O give I were there!
7 'Thy glove shall be the jully-flower,
Comes lockren to thy hand,
. . .
. . .
8 Thy stockings shall be of the thyme,
Fair maid, it is a pleasant view;
Put on, fair maid, whenever you please,
And your shoes shall be of the rue.'
Brave sailing here, my dear,
And better sailing there,
And brave sailing in my love's arms,
O if I were there!
9 'You shape to me, young man,' she says,
'A weed amongst the flowers,
But I will shape to you, young man,
A weed amongst the flowers.
10 The hail-stones shall be on thy head,
And the snow upon thy breast,
And the east-wind shall be for a shirt,
To cover thy body next.
11 'Thy boots shall be of the tangle,
That nothing can betide,
Thy steed shall be of the wan water,
Loup on, young man, and ride.'
Brave sailing there, my dear,
And better sailing here,
And 't is brave sailing twixt my love's arms,
O if I were there!
Five Excellent New Songs. II. The New Lover's Garland. III. The Young Maid's Answer.
51 should read, If thou 'lt l.. he said.
52 should read nearly as in B 83, Among all.
64, 104. next should be neist.
71. grove.
71,2, 81,2, make a stanza.
After 8: The Young Maid's Answer, printed as No 3 of the Five songs.
91. to be a.
93,4 could be easily corrected from A 75,6, B 153,4.
111. stangle.
112 should read to the effect, That's brought in by the tide.
The piece which follows is little more than a variation of 'I sow'd the seeds of love' (one of "three of the most popular songs among the servant-maids of the present generation," says Mr. Chappell: see a traditional version of the song, which was originally composed by Mrs. Habergham towards the end of the seventeenth century, in Popular Music, p. 522 f.). But the choosing of a weed for a maid from garden-flowers is here, and is not in the song. It will be observed that the maid chooses no weed for the gardener, but dies of a thorn-prick, a trait which is found in neither the song nor the ballad.
Taken down by Rev. S. Baring-Gould from the singing of Joseph Paddon, Holcombe Burnell. Printed, with changes, in Baring-Gould and Sheppard's Songs and Ballads of the West, No 107, Part IV, p. 50, 1891 here as sung.
Dead Maid's Land
1 A garden was planted around
With flowers of every kind,
I chose of the best to wear in my breast,
The flowers best pleased my mind.
2 A gardener standing by
I asked to choose for me;
He chose me the lily, the violet, the pink,
But I liked none of the three.
3 A violet I don't like,
A lily it fades so soon,
But as for the pink I cared not a flink,
I said I would stop till June.
4 'The lily it shall be thy smock,
The jonquil shoe thy feet,
Thy gown shall be of the ten-week stock,
Thy gloves the violet sweet.
5 'The gilly shall deck thy head,
Thy way with herbs I'll strew,
Thy stockings shall be the marigold,
Thy gloves the violet blue.'
6 'I like not the gilly-flower,
Nor herbs my way to strew,
Nor stockings of the marigold,
Nor gloves of violet blue.
7 'I will not have the ten-week stock,
Nor jonquils to my shoon,
But I will have the red, red rose
That flowereth in June.'
8 'The rose it doth bear a thorn
That pricketh to the bone;'
'I little heed what thou dost say,
I will have that or none.'
9 'The rose it doth bear a thorn
That pricketh to the heart;'
'O but I will have the red, red rose,
For I little heed its smart.'
10 She stooped to the ground
To pluck the rose so red,
The thorn it pierced her to the heart,
And this fair maid was dead.
11 A gardener stood at the gate,
With cypress in his hand,
And he did say, Let no fair may
Come into Dead Maid's Land.
A fragment in Motherwell's Manuscript, obtained from Widow Nicol, 'It's braw sailing here,' p. 110, has something of both pieces without any suggestion of the flower-dress.
1 It's braw sailing here,
And it's braw sailing there,
And it's braw sailing on the seas
When wind and tide are fair.
2 It's braw drinking beer,
And it's braw drinking wine,
And it's braw courting a bonnie lass
When she is in her prime.
3 O the gardener sent me word,
He that pued the rose for me,
The willow, primrose, the red rose,
But I denied all three.
4 The willow I'll deny,
The primrose it buds soon,
But I'll chuse for me the red rose,
And I vow it'll stand till June.
5 In June my red rose sprung,
It was not a rose for me,
So I'll pull the top of my red rose,
And I'll plant the willow-tree.
6 For the willow I must wear,
With sorrows mixed amang,
And all the neighbours far and near
Say I luved a false luve lang.
22. braw altered to better.