No. 246: Redesdale and Wise William
[There are no known US or Canadian traditional 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 (Another version of A, Child labels A b, is found in Additions and Corrections. Changes for the text A b are found in Additions and Corrections.)
5. End-notes
6. Additions and Corrections
ATTACHED PAGES (see left hand column):
1. Recordings & Info: 246. Redesdale and Wise William
A. Roud No. 243: Redesdale and Wise William (11 Listings)
2. Sheet Music: 246. Redesdale and Wise William (Bronson gives two music examples and texts)
3. English and Other Versions (Including Child versions A-C with additional notes)]
Child's Narrative: 246. Redesdale and Wise William
A a. 'Reedisdale and Wise William,' Buchan's Ballads of the North of Scotland, II, 70; MotherwelTs Manuscript, p. 452; Motherwell's Minstrelsy, p. 298.
[b. C. K. Sharpe's "second collection" ]
B. 'Roudesdales,' Harris Manuscript, fol. 14 b.
C. Kinloch Manuscripts, V, 423, two stanzas.
Redesdale boasts to William that he can win any woman with a blink of his eye. William has a sister who, he maintains, is not to be had so easily. A wager is laid, William's head against Redesdale's lands. William is shut up to prevent his warning his sister, but sends her a letter by a carrier-bird. Redesdale rides to the maiden's bower, and, seeing her at the window, tries to induce her to come down by a series of offers of silk-gowns, jewels, etc. His offers proving bootless, he threatens to fire the house, and does so. The maid and her women don wet mantles and pass the reek and flame unhurt. She sends word to her brother, who claims Redesdale's lands.
A 1, 2, 5 are substantially a repetition of No 245, A 1, 21,4, 6, etc. The sharp shower in B 16-18, which puts out, and does not put out, the fire, is an inept interpolation.
This ballad may be an offshoot from a widely spread story which is tediously told further on in 'Twa Knights.'
Brief Description by George Lyman Kittredge
This ballad may be an offshoot from a widely spread story which is tediously told further on in 'The Twa Knights' (No, 268). A, sts. 1, 2, 5, are substantially a repetition of No, 245, A, 1, 2, 6, etc.
Child's Ballad Texts
'Reedisdale and Wise William'- Version A; Child 246 Redesdale and Wise William
Buchan's Ballads of the North of Scotland, II, 70; written down from memory by Mr. Nicol, Strichen, as learned in his earlier years from old people.
1 When Reedisdale and Wise William
Were drinking at the wine,
There fell a roosing them amang,
On an unruly time.
2 For some o them hae roosd their hawks,
And other some their hounds,
And other some their ladies fair,
And their bowers whare they walkd in.
3 When out it spake him Reedisdale,
And a rash word spake he;
Says, There is not a lady fair,
In bower wherever she be,
But I could aye her favour win
Wi ae blink o my ee.
4 Then out it spake him Wise William,
And a rash word spake he;
Says, I have a sister of my own,
In bower wherever she be,
And ye will not her favour win
With three blinks of your ee.
5 'What will ye wager, Wise William?
My lands I'll wad with thee;'
'I'll wad my head against your land,
Till I get more monie.'
6 Then Reedisdale took Wise William,
Laid him in prison strang,
That he might neither gang nor ride,
Nor ae word to her send.
7 But he has written a braid letter,
Between the night and day,
And sent it to his own sister
By dun feather and gray.
8 When she had read Wise William's letter,
She smil d and she leugh;
Said, Very well, my dear brother,
Of this I have eneuch.
9 She looked out at her west window
To see what she could see,
And there she spied him Reedisdale
Come riding ower the lea.
10 Says, Come to me, my maidens all,
Come hitherward to me;
For here it comes him Reedisdale,
Who comes a-courting me.
11 'Come down, come down, my lady fair,
A sight of you give me;'
'Go from my yetts now, Reedisdale,
For me you will not see.'
12 'Come down, come down, my lady fair,
A sight of you give me;
And bonny are the gowns of silk
That I will give to thee.'
13 'If you have bonny gowns of silk,
O mine is bonny tee;
Go from my yetts now, Reedisdale,
For me you shall not see.'
14 'Come down, come dow, my lady fair,
A sight of you I'll see;
And bonny jewels, brooches and rings
I will give unto thee.'
15 'If you have bonny brooches and rings,
O mine are bonny tee;
Go from my yetts now, Reedisdale,
For me you shall not see.'
16 'Come down, come down, my lady fair,
One sight of you I'll see;
And bonny are the ha's and bowers
That I will give to thee.'
17 'If you have bonny ha's and bowers,
O mine are bonny tee;
Go from my yetts now, Reedisdale,
For me you shall not see.'
18 'Come down, come down, my lady fair,
A sight of you I'll see;
And bonny are my lands so broad
That I will give to thee.'
19 'If you have bonny lands so broad,
O mine are bonny tee;
Go from my yetts now, Reedisdale,
For me ye will not see.'
20 'Come down, come down, my lady fair,
A sight of you I'll see;
And bonny are the bags of gold
That I will give to thee.'
21 'If you have bonny bags of gold,
I have bags of the same;
Go from my yetts now, Reedisdale,
For down I will not come.'
22 'Come down, come down, my lady fair,
One sight of you I'll see;
Or else I'll set your house on fire,
If better cannot be.'
23 Then he has set the house on fire,
And all the rest it tuke;
He turned his wight horse head about,
Said, Alas, they'll ne'er get out!
24 'Look out, look out, my maidens fair,
And see what I do see,
How Reedisdale has fired our house,
And now rides oer the lea.
25 'Come hitherwards, my maidens fair,
Come hither unto me;
For thro this reek, and thro this smeek,
O thro it we must be!'
26 They took wet mantles them about,
Their coffers by the band,
And thro the reek, and thro the flame,
Alive they all have wan.
27 When they had got out thro the fire,
And able all to stand,
She sent a maid to Wise William,
To bruik Reedisdale's land.
28 'Your lands is mine now, Reedisdale,
For I have won them free;'
'If there is a gude woman in the world,
Your one sister is she.'
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'Roudesdales'- Version B; Child 246 Redesdale and Wise William
Harris Manuscript, fol. 14 b; from Mrs. Harris.
1 Roudesdales an Clerk William
Sat birlin at the wine,
An a' the talk was them atween
Was aboot the ladies fine, fine,
Was aboot the ladies fine.
2 Says Roudesdales to Clerk William,
I'll wad my lands wi thee,
I'll wad my lands against thy head,
An that is what I'll dee,
3 'That there's no a leddy in a' the land,
That's fair, baith ee an bree,
That I winna wed withoot courtin,
Wi ae blink o my ee.'
4 Says William, I've an ae sister,
She's fair, baith ee an bree;
An you'll no wed her withoot courtin,
Wi ae blink o your ee.'
5 He has wrote a broad letter,
Between the nicht an the day,
An sent it to his ae sister
Wi the white feather an the gray.
6 The firsten line she luekit on,
A licht lauchter gae she;
But eer she read it to the end
The tear blindit her ee.
7 'Oh wae betide my ae brither,
Wald wad his head for me,
. . .
. . . '
8 Roudesdales to her bour has gane,
An rade it round aboot,
An there he saw that fair ladie,
At a window lookin oot.
9 'Come doon, come doon, you fair ladie,
Ae sicht o you to sed;
For the rings are o the goud sae ried
That I will gie to thee.'
10 'If yours are o the goud sae ried,
Mine's o the silver clear;
So get you gone, you Roudesdales,
For you sall no be here.'
11 'Come doon, come doon, you lady fair,
Ae sicht o you to see;
For the gouns are o the silk sae fine
That I will gie to thee.'
12 'If yours are o the silk sae fine,
Mone's o the bonnie broun;
Sa get you gone, you Roudesdales,
For I will no come doon.'
13 'Come doon, come doon, you ladie fair,
Ae sicht o you to see;
For the steeds are o the milk sae white
That I will gie to thee.'
14 'If yours are o the milk sae white,
Mine's o the bonnie broun;
Sae get you gone, you Roudesdales,
For I will no come doon.'
15 'Come doon, come doon, you ladie fair,
Ae sicht o you to see;
Or I will set your bour on fire
Atween your nurse an thee.'
16 'You may set my bowr on fire,
As I doubt na you will dee,
But there'll come a sharp shour frae the wast
Will slocken 't speedilie.'
17 He has set her bour on fire,
An quickly it did flame;
But there cam a sharp shour frae the wast
That put it oot again.
18 Oot amang the fire an smoke
That bonnie lady cam,
Wi as muckle goud aboon her bree
As wald bocht an earldom.
19 'Oh wae betide you, ill woman,
An ill, ill died may you dee!
For ye hae won your brither's head,
An I go landless free.'
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['Redesdale and Clerk William']- Version C; Child 246 Redesdale and Wise William
Kinloch Manuscripts, V, 423.
1 Redesdale and Clerk William
Sat drinking at the wine;
They hae fawn a wagering them atween
At a wanhappy time.
2 'What will ye wad,' says Redesdale,
'O what will ye wad wi me
That there's na a lady in a' the land
But I wad win wi ae blink o my ee?'
------
End-Notes
A. There are some very trivial variations from Buchan's text in Motherwell's copies; mostly is, with a plural subject, Scottice, for are. Motherwell received the ballad from Buchan, and was much in the way of making small betterments.
B. Air, 'Johnnie Brod.'
44. o her.
52. Perhaps necht.
62. Perhaps leiht.
Additions and Corrections
P. 383. There is a copy in C. K. Sharpe's "second collection" which is substantially the same as A. The variations here follow:
A. b. 12. Was.
13. There was a praising.
14. In an unhappy.
21. For some ones they did praise.
24. And wanting.
31. That out did speak.
33. Says, I saw never a.
35. But what I would her favour gain.
36. With one blink of.
36, 46. eye.
41. out did speak.
42. spoke.
45. Whose favour you would never gain.
51. you,
After 5:
'That is too good a wager, William,
Upon a woman's mind,
It is to[o] good a wager Wil[lia]m,
I'm very sure you'l tyne.'
61. So.
63. he could neither go.
64. Nor no.
71. has wrote a broad.
73. his only.
81. read the letter over.
82. She looked.
84. enough.
93. she saw.
94. riding throw.
101. Says wanting: Come hitherward.
103. here does come.
104. For injury to me.
111. Come down, come down, said Reedesdale.
112. One sight of you I'll see.
113. my gate.
12, 13, wanting.
14 'Come down, come down, O lady fair,
One sight of you I'll see,
And bony is the rings of gold
That I will give to thee.'
15 'If you have boney rings of gold,
mine is bony tee;
Go from my gate now, Reedesdale,
For ine you will not see.'
16 'Come down, come down, O lady fair,
One sight of you I'll see,
And boney is the bowers and halls
That I will give to the.'
17 'If you have boney bowers and halls,
I have bowers and halls the same;
Go from my gate now, Reedesdale,
For down I will not come.'
18-21 wanting.
221. O lady.
223. Or then.
224. Since.
231. So he has set that bower.
232. the house it took.
24 wanting.
25 'Come hitherward,' the lady cried,
'My maidens all, to me;
For throw the smoak and throw the heat,
All throw it we must be.'
261. their mantles.
263. And throw the smoak and throw the heat.
264. They throw it all did win.
271. had all got safely out.
272. able for.
273. Sent some of them to.
282. Have not I gaind.
The Danish ballad 'Væddemaalet,' Grundtvig, No 224, spoken of under 'The Twa Knights,' ought to have been noticed here also.