No. 62: Fair Annie
CONTENTS:
1. Child's Narrative
2. Footnotes (Found at the end of the Narrative)
3. Brief (Kittredge)
4. Child's Ballad Texts A-J
5. Endnotes
6. Additions and Corrections
ATTACHED PAGES (see left hand column):
1. Recordings & Info: Fair Annie
A. Roud 41: Fair Annie (79 listings)
2. Sheet Music: Fair Annie (Bronson's music examples and texts)
3. US & Canadian Versions
4. English and Other Versions (Including Child versions A-J with additional notes)]
Child's Narrative
A. 'Lord Thomas and Fair Annie,' Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, II, 102, 1802; 31 stanzas.
B. 'Burd Helen,' Jamieson's Popular Ballads, II, 376; 26 stanzas.
C. 'Fair Annie,' Motherwell's Manuscript, p. 351; 33 stanzas.
D. Herd, The Ancient and Modern Scots Songs, 1769, p. 307; 8 stanzas.
E. 'Lady Jane,' Jamieson-Brown Manuscript, fol' 20, Jamieson's Popular Ballads, II, 371; 20 stanzas.
F. 'Fair Annie,' Motherwell's Manuscript, p. 385, Motherwell's Minstrelsy, p. 327; 32 stanzas.
G. Communicated by Miss Reburn; 5 stanzas.
H. Communicated by Dr. Thomas Davidson; 2 stanzas.
I. 'Fair Annie,' Kinloch Manuscripts, I, 155; 45 stanzas.
J. 'The Fause Lord,' Buchan's Manuscripts, I, 66; 65 stanzas.
The fragment D, printed in 1769, antedates the committing to writing of any of the other versions. E was taken down as early as 1783. A and B are from the beginning of this century. A was obtained "chiefly from the recitation of an old woman," but we are not informed who supplied the rest. Herd's fragment, D, furnished stanzas 2-6, 12, 17, 19. A doubt may be hazarded whether stanzas 8-10 came from the old woman. I is a combination of three recited versions, and J, perhaps a transcript of a stall-copy, is, like many of Buchan's ballads, extended to twice the length of genuine versions by tedious, sometimes nauseous, amplification and interpolation.
'Lady Jane,' Jamieson's Popular Ballads, II, 73, is a combination of B and E, with a good many bad verses of Jamieson's own. A version in Motherwell's Manuscript, p. 477, "from the recitation of an old maid-servant of Mr. Alexander, of Southbar," was, as would be inferred from a memorandum at the end of the transcript, derived from a printed book, and is in fact an imperfect recollection of this compounded ballad of Jamieson's.
Grundtvig has attempted a reconstitution of the ballad from versions A, B, D, E, F, Danmarks gamle Folkeviser, V, 42.
Annie [Helen, B, Ellen, G, Jane, E] was stolen from home in her childhood, A 15, B 23, C 31, E 9, F 25, I 38, J 50, 51, by a knight from over sea, to whom she has borne seven sons, out of wedlock. Her consort bids her prepare to welcome a bride, with whom he shall get gowd and gear; with her he got none. But she must look like a maid, comb down her yellow locks, braid her hair.[1] Annie meekly assents, for love, she says, in C 12; in I 4, J 15, the welcoming goes against her heart; in F 9 she is told that she is to do it; in H 2 she says the welcome will have to come from him. Annie receives the bride and her train and serves the tables, suppressing her tears and drinking water to keep her cheek from paling. She passes for servant or housekeeper, and in I 23, J 25, uses the word 'master,' not to anger the bride; in C 17 she calls her lord brother, and the knight calls her sister in C 18 and (inconsistently) in J 38. What 'n a lady's that? asks the bride, E 9, J 37, and what means all these bonny boys that follow at her heel? J 37.
When the married pair have gone to their bed-chamber, Annie, in a room near by, bewails her sad lot in song; to the harp or her virginals, E, F, J, I. The bride hears the lament: it is that of a woman who will go mad ere day, B 20, C 26, J 44, 48. The bride goes to Fair Annie's chamber, A, C? to see what gars her greet, inquires her parentage, and discovers that they are sisters; or learns this fact from the song itself, B, E; or recognizes her sister's voice, F, I, J. King Henry was their father, B, F, I; King Easter, C;[2] the Earl of Wemyss, of Richmond, A, E. Queen Easter was their mother, F; Queen Catherine, Elinor [Orvis], B, I. The bride, who had come with many well-loaded ships, gives all or most of them to her sister, A, B, C, F, I, and goes virgin home, A, B, F, I, J; expecting, as B, J add, to encounter derision for going away wife and coming back maid.
In C 27 the bride suspects that the woman who wails so madly is a leman, and urges her husband to get up and pack her down the stairs, though the woods were ne'er so wild. He refuses. A similar scene is elsewhere put earlier, during the bridal entertainment, I 29, 30, J 40: see also G 2, 3, which are partly explained by these passages, and partly by J 36. There are other variations in the story, and some additional particulars in one or another version: none of these, however, seem to belong to the original ballad. The bride, as soon as she sees Annie, is struck with the resemblance to her lost sister, A 14, E 9, J 29. The bridegroom repents, and rejects the woman he has married, E 19, F 30, J 49. The bridegroom confiscates without ceremony, as tocher for Annie, six of the seven ships which the bride had brought with her, E, J.[3]
The name Lord Thomas in A was probably suggested by 'Lord Thomas and Fair Annet.'
A Danish ballad of Fair Annie has been known to the English for fourscore years through Jamieson's translation. The Scandinavian versions are the following.
Danish. 'Skjön Anna,' Grundtvig, No 258, V, 13, eight versions: A, 39 four-line stanzas, B, 34 sts, C, 45 sts, from manuscripts of the sixteenth century; D, 48 sts, E, 41 sts, G, 32 sts, from seventeenth-century manuscripts; F, 41 sts, from broadsides or stall-copies, the earliest dated 1648, from Peder Syv, 1695, and from copies lately taken down which were derived from printed texts; H, 43 sts, a version recently obtained from tradition in Norway. Of these, A, B, C, G are independent texts; D, E, F are derived from some copy of C, or from a version closely akin to C; H is essentially the broadside copy F, but has one stanza of its own. F, Syv, No 17, Danske Viser, IV, 59, No 177, the form through which the Danish ballad has been made known by English translations, is unfortunately an impure and sophisticated text.
Swedish. A, 'Skön Anna,' 19 sts, Arwidsson, I, 291, No 42; B, Afzelius, I, 24, No 5, 32 sts; C, Wigström, Folkdiktning, I, 57, No 28, 37 sts. C follows in the main Danish F, but with a variation in st. 31 which is of much importance if traditional. A translation of Danish F has long circulated in Sweden as a broadside: see, besides Grundtvig, Bergström's Afzelius, II, 30.
The Scandinavian story will, for more brevity, be collected principally from Danish A, B, C, and some variations of the other copies be added.
Fair Annie [Anneck, Annecke, A], a king's daughter, is stolen in her early years, and sold to a man of rank, who is in fact heir to a crown. They have seven sons in eight [seven] years, and he then becomes king. Fair Annie begs the queen-mother to intercede with her son now to make her a lawful wife and legitimate his children. The mother loves Annie, and heartily desires that he may. The son refuses; she has great virtues, but he does not know Annie's friends [her forbears, lineage, Danish F, Swedish C]. He makes suit for a king's daughter in a distant land. Annie's heart all but breaks when the bride comes. The young king asks the bride what gift she will give his amie, A. I will give her my old shoes, she says, B, D, F. She must give something else if she would get his good will. Then she will give Annie seven mills that lie far over the Rhine and grind nought but cinnamon, B, D, F. Annie is now asked what gift she will make the bride. I will give her you, whom I can so ill spare, answers Annie. No, that is not enough; she must give another gift to win the bride's good will. I will give her the seven sons I have borne, says Annie. Neither is that enough; she must give the bride her gold brooch. This Annie will not surrender, for it was his morning-gift. Annie now asks her lord to let her go into the bride-house [hall] and see the bride. He refuses emphatically, but his kind mother says, Yes; she will even go with Annie, though it should cost her her life. Annie goes to the bride-house, preceded by her seven sons, who wear her father's color. She pours wine for the bride, with many tears, A, C. The bride asks who this fair woman is that weeps so sore. And who are these that wear her father's color?[4] It is the king's sister's daughter, from a foreign land, C-F, H; his sister, Danish A, Swedish A, B. "It is not your sister's daughter," says the bride; "that I plainly see. I fear it is your leman," C 34, D, E. The king now avows the truth. It is Fair Annie, my leman, Danish A 33, Swedish A 16 (which adds, "Her father I never knew"); she was stolen from a foreign land in her young days, and has been with me seven years, Danish B 31; she was sold to me from a foreign land; these are her seven sons, they will be bastards now, and that is the cause of her grief, C 35, 36, D, E; these are my seven sons, Fair Annie is their mother, Swedish B 27. I had a sister, says the bride; she was stolen from my father's land; Fair Annie was her name, this must be she,[5] she shall keep her husband. The king sends the new-come bride home with due ceremony, and keeps Fair Annie for his heart's deligbt, C 37-44, D, E.
In Danish G 7, the king gives as a reason for not espousing Fair Annie that she has no fortune, ingen rente, which is tbe objection to her in English A 1, C 2, etc. The oldest [youngest] son of Fair Annie attends his mother's sister to her father's land in Swedish C, Danish F, K, as in English J 54. The king promises his brother to Annie's sister in Danish A 39 (compare also Swedish B 33). In English I 26, J 30, the bride thinks her brother would be a good match for Annie.
Swedish C, though in itself of little authority, has an advantage over the Danish copies and Swedish B in making Annie refuse to part with the gold brooch, not because it was a morning-gift, but because she had had it ever since she was a child and was kidnapped from her father's court; and again in making this brooch the means of her recognition as sister by the bride.
The Scandinavian ballad is regarded by Grundtvig as transmitted from Low German. The rhymes are frequently not after the Danish manner (see Grundtvig, V, 46, 7), and the heroine's name has a Low German look.
Dutch and German versions, all ill enough preserved, are:
Dutch. A. 'Schon Adelheid,' 22 four-line stanzas, Hoffmann, Niederländische Volkslieder, 2d ed., 1856, p. 46, No 11, 'Mooi Aeltje en Koning Alewijn,' Willems, p. 177, No 70; from Den Italiaenschen Quacksalver, Amsterdam, 1708. B. 'Madel,' 15 stanzas, Snellaert, Oude en nieuwe Liedjes, p. 70, No 65, 2d ed., 1864.
German. A. Longard, Altrheinländische Mährlein und Liedlein, 1843, p. 23, No 12; Wilhelm von Zuccalmaglio, Deutsche Volkslieder, 1840, p. 74, No 32, = Mittler, No 333: 21 four-line stanzas. B. Montanus (Vincenz von Zuccalmaglio), Die deutschen Volksfeste, 1854, p. 46, 17 stanzas, apparently rewritten. According to Dutch A Aaltje, Ethel, Adeline, a king's daughter, is stolen, and sold for a great sum to King Alewijn. She asks the king's mother, who is quite disposed to have her for a daughter, when her son will marry her, and the mother asks her son how long Maid Aaltje is to live under disgrace. The king objects that Aaltje is a vondeling, a waif-woman (English C 2, I 2); Heaven only knows her friends and kin. He adds that he was over the Rhine yesterday, and that Aaltje will break her heart with sorrow. The young woman asks the mother's permission to go to the bride's house, and is told to go in good style, her seven sons before her and fourteen ladies-in-waiting behind. The king meets Aaltje half-way, and says, If you are going to the bride's house, what gift do you mean to make the bride? The bride will have enough, she replies; I will give her my old stockings and shoes. She must give something better to gain her friendship. Then Aaltje will give her "seven sons of yours and mine" to serve her. She will have your seven sons, says the king, but you must give her your brooch.[6] No, that you will not get, says Aaltje. There were two at my father's court; my sister and I each had one. Are you then of royal birth? says the king. Had you told me that, I would have married you. When Aaltje appears at the bride's house, they offer her to drink, and many a tear she drops in the cup. Who is this woman that weeps so piteously? asks the bride. These are some of our nieces and nephews, who have come from foreign parts to bring you presents, is the king's answer. Nieces and nephews! Says the bride; it is Maid Aaltje, my youngest sister. She takes the crown from her head: Take it, Aaltje, and keep your husband. Saddle my horse. I came in honor, I must go back in shame. (Cf. English B 26, I 45.)
B. Madel (M'Adel), the oldest of a king's two daughters, is stolen by a king's son to be his leman, and taken to a far country. They have seven sons, and he forsakes her and betroths himself to her sister. He asks his mother what present she will make his bride; she has seven mills which she will give her. Madel, asked in like manner, replies, My old stockings and shoes. Madel asks the queen-mother if she may go to the bridal, for the king is to marry, and is answered as in A. When she comes to the bride-loft they pour wine for her, and she drops tears in the cup. The bride asks who this is, and the king replies, One of my nieces from a far country, who came to do me honor, but only puts me to shame. You are not telling me the truth, says the bride. The king owns that it is Madel, his leman, with her seven sons. The bride recognizes a brooch[7] stiff with gold and silk. "There are but two such in all Flanders; I and my sister each had one." She tears the crown from her own head and puts it on her sister, saying, King, marry her in my place. The brooch is distinctly made the means of identification, which it by all likelihood was originally in all the Scandinavian ballads, though only Swedish C has retained (or restored) this feature.
The German ballad resembles Dutch A closely. The queen-mother gives Adelheid permission to go to the wedding, and her seven sons must walk before her. At the feast the king offers her to drink; she cannot drink for the grief he has caused her. The bride sees her weeping, and orders food and drink to be offered her (cf. English J 36), but she cannot touch them. The king pretends that she is one of his nieces who has lived with him seven years [is fatigued by her journey, B]. The bride exclaims, I see the fore-span (by your fore-span, A), you are driving a pair! In A she asks the fair woman's name and country. Her country is over the Rhine, and thence she had been stolen. "Then you must be my sister," declares the bride somewhat hastily, gives up her seat and the crown, puts her ring on Adelheid's finger, and bids the news be sent to father and mother.
The lyric beauty of the Scottish version of this ballad, especially conspicuous in A, C, E, has been appreciatingly remarked by Grundtvig.
But Fair Annie's fortunes have not only been charmingly sung, as here; they have also been exquisitely told in a favorite lay of Marie de France, 'Le Lai del Freisne.' This tale, of Breton origin, is three hundred years older than any manuscript of the ballad. Comparison will, however, quickly show that it is not the source either of the English or of the Low German and Scandinavian balld. The tale and the ballads have a common source, which lies further back, and too far for us to find.
The story of the lay is this.[8] There were two knights in Brittany, living on contiguous estates, and both married. The lady of one of the two gave birth to two boys, and the father sent information of the event to his neighbor and friend. His friend's wife was a scoffing, envious woman, "judging always for the worse," and said,
I marvel much, thou messenger,
Who was thy lordës counsellor,
That did advise him not to spare
This shame to publish everywhere,
That his wife hath two children bore:
Well may each man know therefore
Two men have been with her in bower, [9]
Which is to both but small honour.
In the course of the same year the woman that had made this hateful insinuation was brought to bed of twin girls. To save her reputation she was ready even to put one of them to death, but a favorite damsel in her house suggested a better way out of her perplexity, and that was to leave one of the children at the door of a convent. The child, wrapped in a rich pall that had been brought from Constantinople, with a jewelled ring bound to its arm to show that it was well born, was taken away in the night to a considerable distance, and was laid between the branches of a great ash-tree in front of a nunnery. In the morning it was discovered by the porter, who told his adventure to the abbess; and the abbess, having inspected the foundling, resolved to bring it up under the style of her niece. The girl, who received the name La Freisne from the tree in which she had been found, turned out a marvel of beauty and of all good qualities. A gentleman of the vicinity fell in love with her, and made large gifts to the monastery to constitute himself a lay-brother, and so have access to her without exciting suspicion. He obtained her love, and in the end induced her to fly with him to his château. This she did with sufficient deliberation to take with her the robe and ring which were the tokens of her birth; for the abbess had told her how she had been found in the ash, and had committed these objects to her care. She lived a good while with the knight as his mistress, and made herself loved by everybody; but his retainers had repeatedly remonstrated with him for not providing himself with a lawful successor, and at last forced him to marry the daughter and heiress of a gentleman near by. On the day of the nuptials La Freisne let no sign of grief or anger escape her, but devoted herself to the bride so amiably as even to win over the mother, who had accompanied her daughter, and had at first felt much uneasiness at the presence of a possible rival. Finding the marriage bed not decked with sufficient elegance, La Freisne took from a trunk the precious pall from Constantinople, and threw it on for a coverlet. When the bride's mother was about to put her daughter to bed, this robe was of course the first object that met her eyes. Her heart quaked. She sent for the chamberlain, and asked where the cloth came from. The chamberlain explained that "the damsel" had put it on to improve the appearance of the bed. The damsel was summoned, and told what she knew: the abbess who brought her up had given her the robe, and with it a ring, and charged her to take good care of them. A sight of the ring was asked; the lady cried, You are my daughter, and fainted. When she recovered she sent for her husband and confessed everything. The husband was only too happy to find that the damsel tant pruz è sage è bele was his daughter. The story was repeated to La Freisne, and then to the knight and to the archbishop who had performed the marriage ceremony. The marriage was dissolved the next day, and La Freisne formally espoused by the knight, who received with her half her father's heritage. The sister went home and made a rich marriage.
The common ground-work of the ballads and the lay is, that a man who has formed an irregular union with a woman whose family he does not know undertakes matrimony with another person, who is discovered on the day of the nuptials to be sister to his leman. A jewel in the possession of the latter, by itself or together with another token, reveals and proves the kinship in the lay and in the Scandinavian-German ballad, but there is no trace of such an instrumentality in the Scottish.
Single features, or even several features, of the story of Fair Annie or of La Freisne occur in many other ballads and tales, but there is no occasion to go into these resemblances here. A Norse ballad has almost every point in 'Fair Annie' but the sisterly relation of leman and bride: see 'Slegfred og Brud,' Grundtvig, No 255, and 'Thomas o Yonderdale,' an apocryphal ballad of Buchan's, further on. Bare mention may be made of the beautiful Spanish romance 'Las dos Hermanas,' found also in Portuguese, in which the queen of a Moor or Turk discovers her sister in a slave who has been presented to her, or captured at her request. [10]
Translated after A by Schubart, p. 115; mainly after E, with stanzas from A and C, by Grundtvig, Engelske og skotske Folkeviser, No 28; after E by Wolff, Hausschatz, p. 209, Halle der Völker, I, 3; after D by Gerhard, p. 77; by Knortz, L. u. R. Alt-Englands, No 3, after Allingham.
Danish F by Jamieson, Popular Ballads, II, 103; by Prior, III, 300, No 148. Dutch A by Prior, III, 484.
Footnotes:
1. F 2 reads, "Bind up your hair, and tie it in your neck," which is deceptive. It was an imperative custom, as is well known, that the married woman should bind up her hair or wear it under a cap, while a maid wore it loose or in a braid; a yard long, like Chaucer's Emily, if she had as much. See D 3, E 3, I 5, and Prior's Danish Ballads, II, 180 f.
2. And John Armstrong her eldest hrother, C 30: so the Scottish king was right when he weened Johnie was a king as well as he.
3. "The tradition which commonly accompanies this tale," says Jamieson, Popular Ballads, II, 83, "Says that he was aware of his bride's being the sister of his mistress, and that he had courted her, not with a view of retaining her as his wife, but of securing from her father a portion for Lady Jane, whom he intended to marry: "a canny project adopted into the degenerate and interpolated J (st. 53), but rather too sharp practice for an old ballad.
4. The boys are all dressed in scarlet red in Danish E 24, F 27, H 21; so in English E 6, but in J 23 in black.
5. And the young bride throws down a half gold-ring,
Fair Annie she throws down the other,
And a pair of loving sisters were they,
And the rings they ran together.
Swedish B 32.
6. Vorige span, sts 14, 15, for which Hoffmann reads voorgespan, meaning a fore-span. A span of horses is as absurd here as possible, but is adopted in the German version, and made to point a gibe at the king. It would seem that the Dutch voorspan, brooch or clasp, German spange (see Hexham's Dictionary, 1658), must have been for some time obsolete. In Richthofen's Altfriesisches Wörterbuch we find simply span, spon: "verstanden ist darunter ein goldener Schmuck den die friesischen Weiher vor der Brust trugen." Stanza 15 is interpreted accordingly.
7. "Voorgespan" again.
8. Roquefort, Poésies de Marie de France, I, 138. There is a highly felicitous old English translation, unfortunately somewhat defective: Weber, Metrical Romances, I, 357, Ellis's Specimens, III, 282, what is missing being supplied in each case from the French.
9. For this idea see Grimm's Rechtsalterthümer, p. 456 of the 2d ed. and Deutsche Sagen, 515, 534, 571; the English romance of Octavian, Weber, III, 162, vv 127-132, the French, in Conybeare's abridgment, p. 3, reprint of the Aungervyle Society, p. 23; the volksbuch Kaiser Octavianus, Simrock, II, 244; the Spanish ballad 'Espinelo,' Duran, I, 177, No 323, and again a 16th century ballad of Timoneda, II, 392, No 1346. This last may be the foundation of a broadside in the Pepys collection, I, 40, No 18: "The Lamenting Lady, who, for wrongs done by her to a poor woman for having two children at one burthen, was by the hand of God most strangely punished by sending her as many children at one birth as there are days in the year." But we have the same miracle in Grimm's Deutsche Sagen, No 578. Further, Grundtvig, V, 386, 'Greven. Datter af Vendel,' No 258, E 1; Li Reali di Francia, 1. II, c. 42, p 180 of the edition of Venice, 1821. (Grundtvig.)
10. 'Las dos Hermanas,' Catalan, Castilian, Asturian. Milá:, Observaciones, p. 117, No 19, = Briz, II, 159; p. 124, No 24, = Primavera, II, 38, No 130; Briz, II, 161. Milá:, Romancerillo, p. 214, No 242, A-E, p. 216, No 242. Amador de los Rios, Historia de la Lit. Esp., VII, 455 f. Portuguese. 'Rainha e Captiva,' Almeida-Garrett, II, 193, No 11, 2d ed.; 'Romance de Branca-Flor,' Braga, Romanceiro Geral, p. 103, No 38; Romanceiro da Madeira, p. 211; Roméro e Braga, Cantos populares do Brazil, I, 41 ff, Nos 22, 23, II, 203. In some of these the queen identifies the captive by overhearing, while she lies in bed, words said or sung by her sister. In Chodzko, Chants de l'Ukraine, p. 88, No 17, the captive sister is replaced hy a (Polish) mother in slavery among the Turks.
Brief Description by George Lyman Kittredge
A and B were not printed till the beginning of the nineteenth century. A was obtained "chiefly from the recitation of an old woman," but we are not informed who supplied the rest. A fragment (D) printed by Herd in 1769 (before any of the nine other versions), furnished stanzas 2-6, 12, 17, 19. A doubt may be hazarded whether stanzas 8-10 came from the old woman.
The Scandinavian ballad of 'Fair Annie' (Grudtvig, No. 258) is preserved in Danish and Swedish, and is in the main identical in plot with the English. It was perhaps transmitted from Low German. Various Dutch and German versions are also preserved. The story is also told in the Lai del Fresne of Marie de France (about 1180). This tale, of Breton origin, is some four hundred years older than any manuscript of the ballad. Comparison, however, shows that it is not the source either of the English or of the Low German and Scandinavian ballad. The tale and the ballad have a common source, which lies too far back for us to find.
Child's Ballad Texts A-J
'Lord Thomas and Fair Annie'- Version A; Child 62 Fair Annie
Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, II, 102, 1802, chiefly from the recitation of an old woman residing near Kirkhill, in West Lothian.
1 It's narrow, narrow, make your bed,
And learn to lie your lane;
For I'm ga'n oer the sea, Fair Annie,
A braw bride to bring hame.
Wi her I will get gowd and gear;
Wi you I neer got nane.
2 'But wha will bake my bridal bread,
Or brew my bridal ale?
And wha will welcome my brisk bride,
That I bring oer the dale?'
3 'It's I will bake your bridal bread,
And brew your bridal ale,
And I will welcome your brisk bride,
That you bring oer the dale.'
4 'But she that welcomes my brisk bride
Maun gang like maiden fair;
She maun lace on her robe sae jimp,
And braid her yellow hair.'
5 'But how can I gang maiden-like,
When maiden I am nane?
Have I not born seven sons to thee,
And am with child again?'
6 She's taen her young son in her arms,
Another in her hand,
And she's up to the highest tower,
To see him come to land.
7 'Come up, come up, my eldest son,
And look oer yon sea-strand,
And see your father's new-come bride,
Before she come to land.'
8 'Come down, come down, my mother dear,
Come frae the castle wa!
I fear, if langer ye stand there,
Ye'll let yoursell down fa.'
9 And she gaed down, and farther down,
Her love's ship for to see,
And the topmast and the mainmast
Shone like the silver free.
10 And she's gane down, and farther down,
The bride's ship to behold,
And the topmast and the mainmast
They shone just like the gold.
11 She's taen her seven sons in her hand,
I wot she didna fail;
She met Lord Thomas and his bride,
As they came oer the dale.
12 'You're welcome to your house, Lord Thomas,
You're welcome to your land;
You're welcome with your fair ladye,
That you lead by the hand.
13 'You're welcome to your ha's, ladye,
Your welcome to your bowers;
You're welcome to your hame, ladye,
For a' that's here is yours.'
14 'I thank thee, Annie; I thank thee, Annie,
Sae dearly as I thank thee;
You're the likest to my sister Annie,
That ever I did see.
15 'There came a knight out oer the sea,
And steald my sister away;
The shame scoup in his company,
And land whereer he gae!'
16 She hang ae napkin at the door,
Another in the ha,
And a' to wipe the trickling tears,
Sae fast as they did fa.
17 And aye she served the lang tables,
With white bread and with wine,
And aye she drank the wan water,
To had her colour fine.
18 And aye she served the lang tables,
With white bread and with brown;
And ay she turned her round about,
Sae fast the tears fell down.
19 And he's taen down the silk napkin,
Hung on a silver pin,
And aye he wipes the tear trickling
A' down her cheek and chin.
20 And aye he turn'd him round about,
And smiled amang his men;
Says, Like ye best the old ladye,
Or her that's new come hame?
21 When bells were rung, and mass was sung,
And a' men bound to bed,
Lord Thomas and his new-come bride
To their chamber they were gaed.
22 Annie made her bed a little forbye,
To hear what they might say;
'And ever alas!' Fair Annie cried,
'That I should see this day!
23 'Gin my seven sons were seven young rats,
Running on the castle wa,
And I were a grew cat mysell,
I soon would worry them a'.
24 'Gin my seven sons were seven young hares,
Running oer yon lilly lee,
And I were a grew hound mysell,
Soon worried they a' should be.'
25 And wae and sad Fair Annie sat,
And drearie was her sang,
And ever, as she sobbd and grat,
'Wae to the man that did the wrang!'
26 'My gown is on,' said the new-come bride,
'My shoes are on my feet,
And I will to Fair Annie's chamber,
And see what gars her greet.
27 'What ails ye, what ails ye, Fair Annie,
That ye make sic a moan?
Has your wine barrels cast the girds,
Or is your white bread gone?
28 'O wha was't was your father, Annie,
Or wha was't was your mother?
And had ye ony sister, Annie,
Or had ye ony brother?'
29 'The Earl of Wemyss was my father,
The Countess of Wemyss my mother;
And a' the folk about the house
To me were sister and brother.'
30 'If the Earl of Wemyss was your father,
I wot sae was he mine;
And it shall not be for lack o gowd
That ye your love sall tyne.
31 'For I have seven ships o mine ain,
A' loaded to the brim,
And I will gie them a' to thee,
Wi four to thine eldest son:
But thanks to a' the powers in heaven
That I gae maiden hame!'
---------------
'Burd Helen'- Version B; Child 62 Fair Annie
Jamieson's Popular Ballads, II, 376, from the recitation of Mrs. Arrot, of Aberbrothick.
1 There livd a lord on yon sea-side,
And he thought on a wile,
How he would go over the saut sea
A lady to beguile.
2 'O learn to mak your bed, Helen,
And learn to ly your lane,
For I'm gaun over the saut seas
A bright bride to bring hame.'
3 'How can I mak my bed,' she says,
'Unless I mak it wide,
Whan I have seven o your sons
To lie down by my side?
4 'And the first o your seven sons,
He rides a milk-white steed;
The second o your seven sons
He wears a milk-white weed.
5 'The third ane o your seven sons,
He draws baith ale and wine;
The fourth ane o your seven sons,
He serves you when you dine.
6 'The fifth ane o your seven sons,
He can baith read and write;
And the sixth ane o your seven sons,
He is a' your heart's delight.
7 'And the youngest o your seven sons,
He sleeps on my breast-bane;
Whan him and I ly down at night,
For him rest get I nane.'
8 'O wha will bake my bridal bread,
And brew my bridal ale?
And wha will welcome my gae lady,
That I bring oer the dale?
9 'And sin ye've taen the turn in hand,
See that ye do it right,
And ilka chimly o the house,
That they be dearly dight.'
10 O a' the day she washd and wrang,
And a' the night she buik,
And she's awa to her chamber,
To gie her young son suck.
11 'Come here, come here, my eldest son,
And see what ye may see;
For yonder comes your father dear,
Your mother-in-law side be.'
12 She's taen a cake o the best bread,
A bottle o the best wine,
And a' the keys upon her arm,
And to the yates she's gaen.
13 'Ye are welcome hame, gay lady,' she said,
'And ay ye are welcome hame;
And sae is a' the gentlewomen
That's wi you ridden and gane.
14 'You are welcome hame, gay lord' she said,
'And ay ye are welcome hame;
And sae is a' the gentlemen
That's wi you ridden and gane.'
15 She saird them up, she saird them down,
She saird them till and frae;
But when she went behind their backs,
The tear did blind her ee.
16 Whan day was gane, and night was come,
And a' man boun to bed,
The bridegroom and the bonny bride
In their chamber was laid.
17 Burd Helen and her seven sons
Lay in a bower near by;
. . . . .
. . . . .
18 'If my seven sons were seven grey ratts,
To rin frae wa to wa,
And I mysel a good grey cat,
I would bite their back a-twa.
19 'If my seven sons were seven grey hares,
And them to rin a race,
And I mysel a good greyhound,
I would gie them a chace.'
20 Up and spak the bonny bride,
In chamber where she lay:
'There is a lady in this bower,
She will gae mad or day.'
21 'Lye still, lye still, my bonny bride,
Lye still and tak a sleep;
It's but ane o my wine puncheons;
Nae langer wad it keep.'
22 'King Henry was my father dear,
Queen Catherine was my mother,
Lady Anne she was my sister dear,
And Frederick was my brother.
23 'And whan I was six years of age,
They ca'd me Mary Mild;
I was stown frae my father's yate,
Whan I was but a child.'
24 Then up and spak the bonny bride,
By her lord as she lay:
'Lye down, lye down, my dear sister,
There's nae ill done for me.
25 'O seven ships conveyd me here,
And seven came oer the main;
And four o them shall stay wi you,
And three convey me hame.
26 'But when I gae hame to my father's house,
They will laugh me to scorn,
To come awa a wedded wife,
Gae hame a maid the morn.'
-----------
'Fair Annie'- Version C; Child 62 Fair Annie
Motherwell's manuscript, p. 351, from the recitation of Janet Holmes, an old woman in Kilbarchan, who derived the ballad from her mother; July 18, 1825.
1 Learn to mak you bed, honey,
And learn to lye your lane,
For I'm gaun owre the salt seas,
A fair lady to bring hame.
2 'And with her I'll get gold and gear,
With thee I neer got nane;
I took you as a waaf woman,
I leave you as the same.'
3 'What aileth thee at me, my lord,
What aileth thee at me,
When seven bonnie sons I have born,
All of your fair bodie?
4 'The eldest of your seven sons,
He can both read and write;
The second of your sons, my lord,
Can do it more perfyte.
5 'The third one of your sons, my lord,
He waters your milk-white steed;
The fourth one of your sons, my lord,
With red gold shines his weed.
6 'The fifth one of your sons, my lord,
He serves you when you dine;
The sixth one now you do behold,
How he walks out and in.
7 'The seventh one of your sons, my lord,
Sucks hard at my breast-bane;
When a' the house they are at rest,
For him I can get nane.
8 'And if you leave me thus forlorn,
A wainless wife I'll be,
For anybody's gold or gear
That is beyond the sea.'
9 'O wha will bake my bridal bread,
Or wha will brew my ale?
Or wha will cook my kitchen neat,
Or give my men their meal?'
10 'For love I'll bake your bridal bread,
To brew your ale I'm fain,
To cook your kitchen, as I have done,
Till you return again.'
11 'O wha will bake my bridal bread,
Or wha will brew my ale?
Or wha will welcome my braw bride,
That I bring owre the dale?'
12 'For love I'll bake your bridal bread,
For love I'll brew your ale,
And I will welcome your braw bride
That you bring owre the dale.'
13 Her mind she keeped, but sair she weepd
The time that he was gane
. . . . . .
. . . . . .
14 'Go up, go up, my eldest son,
Go to the upmost ha,
And see if you see your father coming,
With your mother-to-be-in-law.'
15 'Put on, put on, O mother dear,
Put on your gouns so braw,
For yonder is my father coming,
With my mother-to-be-in-law.'
16 She's taen the wheat-bread in one hand,
The red wines, which plenty were,
And she's gane to the outmost gate,
And bid them welcome there.
17 'You're welcome here, my brother dear,
Ye're welcome, brother John;
Ye're welcome a' my brethern dear,
That has this journey gone.'
18 'I thank you, sister Annie,' he says,
'And I thank you heartilie,
And as you've welcomed home myself,
You'll welcome my fair ladye.'
19 'If I had roses to my feet,
And ribbons to my gown,
And as leal a maid as your braw bride,
I would speak without a frown.'
20 He's given her roses to her feet,
And ribbons to her gown,
And she has welcomed his braw bride,
But weel that was her own!
21 'I thank you, sister Annie,' she says,
'I thank you heartilie,
And if I be seven years about this place,
Rewarded you shall be.'
22 She served them up, she served them down,
And she served all their cries,
And aye as she came down the stair
The tears fell from her eyes.
23 When mass was sung, and all bells rung,
And all men boune for bed,
The good lord and his fair lady
Were in their chamber laid.
24 But poor Annie and her seven sons
Was in a room hard by,
And as she lay she sighed and wept,
And thus began to cry:
25 'O were my sons transformed to cats,
To speel this castle wa,
And I mysell a red blood-hound
That I might worry them a'!'
26 The bride she overhearing all,
And sair she rued her fate:
'Awauk, awauk, my lord,' she said,
'Awauk, for well you may;
For There's a woman in this gate
That will go mad ere day.
27 'I fear she is a leman of thine,
And a leman meek and mild;
Get up and pack her down the stairs,
Tho the woods were neer sae wild.'
28 'O yes, she is a leman of mine,
And a leman meek and kind,
And I will not pack her down the stairs,
For a' the gear that's thine.'
29 'O wha's your father, Ann?' she says,
'Or wha's your mother dear?
Or wha's your sister, Ann?' she says,
'Or brother? let me hear.'
30 'King Easter he's my father dear,
The Queen my mother was;
John Armstrang, in the west-airt lands,
My eldest brother is.'
31 'Then I'm your sister, Ann,' she says,
'And I'm a full sister to thee;
You were stolen awa when very young,
By the same lord's treacherie.
32 'I've seven ships upon the sea,
All loaded to the brim,
And five of them I'll give to thee,
And twa shall carry me hame.
33 'My mother shall mak my tocher up,
When I tell her how you thrive;
For we never knew where you was gone,
Or if you was alive.'
-----------------------
'Wha' Will Bake My Bridal Bread'- Version D; Child 62 Fair Annie
Herd, The Ancient and Modern Scots Songs, 1769, p.307.
1 'Wha will bake my bridal bread,
And brew my bridal ale?
And wha will welcome my brisk bride,
That I bring oer the dale?'
2 'I will bake your bridal bread,
And brew your bridal ale,
And I will welcome your brisk bride,
That you bring oer the dale.'
3 'But she that welcomes my brisk bride
Maun gang like maiden fair;
She maun lace on her robe sae jimp,
And braid her yellow hair.'
4 'But how can I gang maiden-like,
When maiden I am nane?
Have I not born seven sons to thee,
And am with child agen?'
5 She's taen her young son in her arms,
Another in her hand,
And she's up to the highest tower,
To see him come to land.
6 'You're welcome to your house, master,
You're welcome to your land;
You're welcome with your fair lady,
That you lead by the hand.'
7 And ay she servd the lang tables,
With white bread and with wine,
And ay she drank the wan water,
To had her colour fine.
8 Now he's taen down a silk napkin,
Hung on the silver pin,
And ay he wipes the tears trickling
Adown her cheek and chin.
-----------
'Lady Jane'- Version E; Child 62 Fair Annie
Jamieson-Brown Manuscript, fol. 20; Jamieson's Popular Ballads, II, 371.
1 'O wha will bake my bridal bread,
And brew my bridal ale?
Wha will welcome my bright bride,
That I bring oer the dale?'
2 'O I will bake your bridal bread,
An brew your bridal ale;
An I will welcome your bright bride,
That you bring oer the dale.
3 'O she that welcomes my bright bride
Maun gang like maiden fair;
She maun lace her in her green cloathin,
An braid her yallow hair.'
4 'O how can I gang maiden like,
Whan maiden I am nane?
Whan I ha born you seven sons,
An am wi bairn again?'
5 The lady stood in her bowr door
An lookit oer the lan,
An there she saw her ain good lord,
Leadin his bride by the han.
6 She's dressd her sons i the scarlet red,
Hersel i the dainty green,
An tho her cheek lookd pale and wan,
She well might ha been a queen.
7 She calld upon her eldest son:
'Look yonder what you see;
For yonder comes your father dear,
Your step-mother him wi.
8 'O you'r welcome hame, my ain good lord,
To your ha's but an your bowrs;
You'r welcome hame, my ain good lord,
To your castles an your towrs:
Sae is your bright bride you beside,
She's fairer nor the flowers.'
9 'O whatn a lady's that?' she says,
'That welcoms you an me?
If I'm lang lady about this place,
Some good I will her dee.
She looks sae like my sister Jane,
Was stoln i the bowr frae me.'
10 O she has servd the lang tables,
Wi the white bread an the wine;
But ay she drank the wan water,
To keep her colour fine.
11 'An she gid by the first table,
An leugh amo them a';
But ere she reachd the second table,
She let the tears down fa.
12 She's taen a napkin lang an white,
An hung't upon a pin;
It was to dry her watry eyes,
As she went out and in.
13 Whan bells were rung, an mass was sung,
An a' man boun to bed,
The bride but an the bonny bridegroom
In ae chamber was laid.
14 She's taen her harp intill her han,
To harp this twa asleep;
An ay as she harped an she sang,
Full sorely did she weep.
15 'O seven fu fair sons I have born
To the good lord o this place,
An I wish that they were seven hares,
To run the castle race,
An I mysel a good gray houn,
An I woud gi them chase.
16 'O seven fu fair sons I have born
To the good lord o this ha;
I wish that they were seven rottons,
To rin the castle wa,
An I mysell a good gray cat,
I wot I woud worry them a'
17 'The earle o Richmond was my father,
An the lady was my mother,
An a' the bairns bisides mysel
Was a sister an a brother.'
18 'Sing on, sing on, ye gay lady,
I wot ye hae sung in time;
Gin the earle o Richmond was your father,
I wot sae was he mine.'
19 'Rise up, rise up, my bierly bride;
I think my bed's but caul;
I woudna hear my lady lament
For your tocher ten times taul.
20 'O seven ships did bring you here,
An an sal tak you hame;
The leve I'll keep to your sister Jane,
For tocher she gat nane.'
--------
'Fair Annie'- Version F; Child 62 Fair Annie
Motherwell's Manuscript, p. 385; Motherwell's Minstrelsy, p. 327. From the recitation of Mrs. Rule, Paisley, August 16, 1825.
1 'Learn to mak your bed, Annie,
And learn to lie your lane,
For I maun owre the salt seas gang,
A brisk bride to bring hame.
2 'Bind up, bind up your yellow hair,
And tye it in your neck,
And see you look as maiden-like
As the first day that we met.'
3 'O how can I look maiden-like,
When a maid I'll never be;
When seven brave sons I've born to thee,
And the eighth is in my bodie?
4 'The eldest of your sons, my lord,
Wi red gold shines his weed;
The second of your sons, my lord,
Rides on a milk-white steed.
5 'And the third of your sons, my lord,
He draws your beer and wine,
And the fourth of your sons, my lord,
Can serve you when you dine.
6 'And the fift of your sons, my lord,
He can both read and write,
And the sixth of your sons, my lord,
Can do it maist perfyte.
7 'And the sevent of your sons, my lord,
Sits on the nurse's knee;
And how can I look maiden-like,
When a maid I'll never be?
8 'But wha will bake your wedding bread,
And brew your bridal ale?
Or wha will welcome your brisk bride,
That you bring owre the dale?'
9 'I'll put cooks in my kitchen,
And stewards in my hall,
And I'll have bakers for my bread,
And brewers for my ale;
But you're to welcome my brisk bride,
That I bring owre the dale.'
10 He set his fut into his ship,
And his cock-boat on the main;
He swore it would be year and day
Or he returned again.
11 When year and day was past and gane,
Fair Annie she thocht lang,
And she is up to her bower-head,
To behold both sea and land.
12 'Come up, come up, my eldest son,
And see now what you see;
O yonder comes your father dear,
And your stepmother-to-be.'
13 'Cast off your gown of black, mother,
Put on your gown of brown,
And I'll put off my mourning weeds,
And we'll welcome him home.'
14 She's taken wine into her hand,
And she has taken bread,
And she is down to the water-side
To welcome them indeed.
15 'You're welcome, my lord, you're welcome, my lord,
You're welcome home to me;
So is every lord and gentleman
That is in your companie.
16 'You're welcome, my lady, you're welcome, my lady,
You're welcome home to me;
So is every lady and gentleman
That's in your companye.'
17 'I thank you, my girl, I thank you, my girl,
I thank you heartilie;
If I live seven years about this house,
Rewarded you shall be.'
18 She served them up, she served them down,
With the wheat bread and the wine;
By aye she drank the cold water,
To keep her colour fine.
19 She servd them up, she servd them down,
With the wheat bread and the beer;
By aye she drank the cauld water,
To keep her colour clear.
20 When bells were rung and mass was sung,
And all were boune for rest,
Fair Annie laid her sons in bed,
And a sorrowful woman she was.
21 'Will I go to the salt, salt seas,
And see the fishes swim?
Or will I go to the gay green-wood,
And hear the small birds sing?'
22 Out and spoke an aged man,
That stood behind the door:
'Ye will not go to the salt, salt seas,
To see the fishes swim;
Nor will ye go to the gay green-wood,
To hear the small birds sing.
23 'But ye'll take a harp, into your hand,
Go to the chamber door,
And aye ye'll harp, and aye ye'll murn,
With the salt tears falling oer.'
24 She's tane a harp into her hand,
Went to their chamber door,
And aye she harpd, and aye she murnd,
With the salt tears falling oer.
25 Out and spak the brisk young bride, I
n bride-bed where she lay:
'I think I hear my sister Annie,
And I wish weel it may;
For a Scotish lord staw her awa,
And an ill death may he die!
26 'Wha was your father, my girl,' she says,
'Or wha was your mother?
Or had you ever a sister dear,
Or had you ever a brother?'
27 'King Henry was my father dear,
Queen Easter was my mother,
Prince Henry was my brother dear,
And Fanny Flower my sister.'
28 'If King Henry was your father dear,
And Queen Easter was your mother,
And Prince Henry was your brother dear,
Then surely I'm your sister.
29 'Come to your bed, my sister dear,
It neer was wrangd for me,
But an ae kiss of his merry mouth,
As we cam owre the sea.'
30 'Awa, awa, ye forenoon bride,
Awa, awa frae me!
I wudna hear my Annie greet,
For a' the gold I got wi thee.'
31 'There was five ships of gay red gold
Came owre the seas with me;
It's twa o them will take me hame,
And three I'll leave wi thee.
32 'Seven ships o white money
Came owre the seas wi me;
Five o them I'll leave wi thee,
And twa'll tak me hame,
And my mother will mak my portion up,
When I return again.'
-----------
'Fair Ellen'- Version G; Child 62 Fair Annie
Communicated by Miss Margaret Reburn, as current in County Meath, Ireland, 1860-70.
1 She served them up, she served them down,
She served them up with wine,
But still she drank the clear spring water,
To keep her color fine.
2 'I must get up, she must sit down,
She must sit in my place,
Or else be torn by wild horses
And thrown over the gates.'
3 'You wont get up, she wont sit down,
She wont sit in your place,
Nor yet be torn by wild horses,
Nor thrown over the gates.'
4 She called up her seven sons,
By one, by two, by three:
'I wish you were all seven gray-hounds,
This night to worry me.'
5 'What ails you, fair Ellen? what ails you, fair?
Or why do you sigh and moan?'
'The hoops are off my wine hogsheads,
And my wine is overflown.'
----------
'But Wha Will Bake my Bridal Bread- Version H'; Child 62 Fair Annie
From Dr. Thomas Davidson; Aberdeenshire.
1 'But wha will bake my bridal bread,
An brew my bridal ale,
And wha will welcome my bride hame,
Is mair that I can tell.'
2 'It's I will bake your bridal bread,
And brew your bridal ale,
But wha will welcome your bride hame,
It'll need tae be yersel.'
3 An she's hung up a silken towel
Upon a golden pin,
. . . tae wipe her een,
As she gaed but and ben.
-----------
'Fair Annie'- Version I; Child 62 Fair Annie
Kinloch Manuscripts, I, 155, May, 1827. "Composed of three recited versions obtained in the west of Scotland."
1 'Learn to mak your bed, Annie,
And learn to lie your lane;
For I am gaing oure the saut seas,
A brisk bride to bring hame.
2 'Wi her I will get gowd and gear;
Wi thee I neer gat nane;
I got thee as a waif woman,
I'll leave thee as the same.
3 'O wha will bake my bridal bread,
Or brew my bridal ale?
Or wha welcome my brisk bride,
That I'll bring oure the dale?'
4 'O I will bake your bridal bread,
And brew your bridal ale;
But I downa welcam your brisk bride
That ye'll bring frae the dale.'
5 'She that welcomes my brisk bride,
She maun took maiden-like;
She maun kaim doun her yellow locks,
And lay them in her neck.'
6 'O how can I look maiden-like,
When maiden I am nane?
For seven sons I hae born to thee,
And the eighth lies in my wame.
7 'But what aileth thee at me, my lord,
What aileth thee at me,
Whan seven braw sons I've born to thee,
Out of my fair bodie?
8 'The first ane of your sons, my lord,
Can baith read and write;
And the second of your sons, my lord,
Can do it maist perfyte.
9 'The third ane o your sons, my lord,
Can water your grey steed;
And the fourth ane o your sons, my lord,
Can bake your bridal bread.
10 'The fifth ane o your sons, my lord,
Can serve ye whan ye dine;
And the sixth ane o your sons, my lord,
Can brew your bridal wine.
11 'The seventh ane o your sons, my lord,
Lies close at my breist-bane;
Whan a' the lave are fast asleep,
It's rest I can get nane.'
12 He set his foot into the stirrup,
His hand upon the mane;
Says, It will be year and day, ladie,
Ere ye see me again.
13 Whan he had ae foot on the sea,
The ither on dry lan,
'It will be year and day, ladie,
Till I come back again.'
14 Whan year and day war past and gane,
Fair Annie she thought lang;
And she went up to her hie tower,
Wi a silk seam in her hand.
15 She lookit east, she lookit west,
And south, below the sun,
And there she spied her ain gude lord,
Coming sailing to the lan.
16 She called up her seven braw sons,
By ane, twa, and by three:
'See, yonder comes your father,
And your mother-for-to-be.'
17 And she called up her servants a':
'O come, behold and see!
O yonder comes your master dear,
And a new mistress brings he.
18 'Gae doun, gae doun, my eldest son,
Into the outmost ha,
And if ye welcome ane o them,
Be sure to welcome a'.'
19 Some ran east, and some ran west,
And some ran to the sea;
There was na ane in a' his house
To welcome his new ladie.
20 But Annie's to her coffer gane,
Tane out a silver kaim,
And she's kaimd doun her yellow hair,
As she a maid had been.
21 And Annie has kaimd her lang yellow locks,
And laid them in her neck;
And she's awa to the saut, saut sea,
To welcome his lady aff deck.
22 She durst na ca him her ain gude lord,
For angering o the bride;
But she did ca him master dear,
And I wat he was richt glad.
23 'You're welcome, you're welcome, master,' she said,
'To your halls bot an your bouers;
And sae are a' thir merry young men
That come alang with you.
24 'You're welcome, you're welcome, fair ladie,
To your halls but an your bouers;
And sae are a' thir gay ladies;
For a' that's here is yours.'
25 'I thank ye, I thank ye, fair maiden,
I thank ye kindlie;
If I be lang about this house,
Rewarded ye sall be.
26 'I have a brither o mine ain;
He's newly come from sea;
I think it wad be a richt gude match
To marry him and thee.'
27 'I thank ye, I thank ye, fair ladie;
Gie your brither to whom like ye;
But there's never ane in this warld
My wedding day sall see:
But one word o my master dear
In private wad I be.'
28 The first dish that fair Annie set doun,
She lookit baith pale and wan;
The neist dish that fair Annie set doun,
She was scarce able to stan.
29 'O is this your mistress, good lord,' she says,
'Although she looks modest and mild?
Then we will hunt her frae our house
Wi dogs and hawks sae wild.'
30 'She's na my mistress, dear lady,' he says,
'Altho she looks modest and mild;
Nor will we hunt her frae our house
Wi dogs and hawks sae wild.'
31 Whan bells war rung, and mass was sung,
And a' men boun for bed,
The bonnie bride and the bridegroom
In bride's bed they were laid.
32 Whan dinner was past, and supper was by,
And a' were boun for bed,
Fair Annie and her seven sons
In a puir bye-chamber war laid.
33 Fair Annie took out her virginals,
And sadly did she play;
. . . . .
. . . . .
34 'O gin my sons were yon grey rats,
That climb the castle-wa,
And I mysel a bloody grey cat,
I'd rise and worry them a'.'
35 Then out and spak the bonny bride,
In bride's bed whare she lay:
'I think this is like my sister Anne,
That doth sae sadly play.'
36 'Lie still, lie still, my gay ladie,
Lie still and sleep a wee;
It's nathing but an auld servant,
That waileth sae for me.'
37 'O gin my seven sons were seven young hares,
That rin round the castle wa,
And I mysel a bluidy grewhund,
I wad rise and worry them a'.'
38 The new bride waukenit in the nicht,
And blew upon her horn:
'I think I hear my sister's voice,
That was stown frae us a bairn.'
39 'Sleep on, sleep on, dear lady,' he says,
'It's yon maiden in her dream,
. . . . . .
. . . . . .
40 'O wha was eer thy father, fair maid,
Or wha was eer thy mither?
Or wha was eer thy ae sister,
Or wha was eer thy brither?'
41 'King Henry was my father,' she said,
'Queen Elinore was my mither;
Fair Marion was my ae sister,
Earl Robert was my brither.'
42 'Sin King Henry was your father, fair maid,
And Queen Elinore your mither,
O I am een your ae sister,
And ye are just the ither.
43 'Come to your bed, fair Annie,' she said,
'Come to your bed full sune;
I may weel say, I daur weel say,
There is na evil dune.
44 'Seven ships of gold did bring me here,
But ane shall tak me hame;
Six I will leave to my sister Anne,
To bring up her children young.
45 'But whan I gang to my father's ha,
And tirl on the pin,
The meanest in a' my father's house
Will ca me a forsaken ane.'
-------------
'The Fause Lord'- Version J; Child 62 Fair Annie
Buchan's Manuscripts, I, 66.
1 'Learn, O learn, Fair Annie,' he said,
'O learn to lie your lane;
For I am going ower the sea,
To woo and to bring hame
2 'A brighter and a fairer dame
Than ever ye hae been;
For I am going ower the sea,
To chuse and bring her hame.'
3 'What aileth thee, my ain gude lord,
What aileth thee at me?
For seven braw sons hae I born
Unto your fair bodie.
4 'The eldest o your sons, my lord,
Is heir o a' your land;
The second o your braw young sons
He rises at your right hand.
5 'The third o your braw young sons
He serves you when you dine;
The fourth o your braw sons, my lord,
He bring to you the wine.
6 'The fifth o your braw young sons
Right well can use the pen;
The sixth o your braw young sons,
He's travelling but and ben.
7 'The seventh o your braw young sons,
He lies on my breast-bane,
The fairest flower amo them a',
That lay my sides between.'
8 'But I am going ower the sea,
To woo and to bring hame
A lady wi some gowd and gear;
Wi you I never got nane.'
9 'Ye staw me awa in twall years auld,
Ye sought nae gowd wi me;
Ye put me to the schools o Ayr
For fully years three.
10 'But wha'll be cook in your kitchen,
And butler in your ha?
And wha will govern your merry young men,
When ye are far awa?'
11 'O ye'll be cook in my kitchen,
And butler in my ha,
And ye'll wait on my merry young men,
And serve them ane and a'.'
12 'But wha will bake your bridal bread,
And wha will brew your ale?
And wha will welcome that lady
That ye bring ower the dale.
13 'O ye will bake my bridal bread,
And ye will brew my ale,
And ye will welcome that lady
That I bring ower the dale.
14 'Ye'll bake bread, and ye'll brew ale,
For three score knights and ten;
That day month I gang awa,
The same day I'll come again.'
15 'O I will bake your bridal bread,
And I will brew your ale;
But oh, to welcome another woman
My heart will nae be hale.'
16 'Ye will put roses in your hair,
And ribbons in your sheen,
And ye will look fair maiden like,
Though maiden ye be nane.'
17 'O I'll put roses in my hair,
And ribbons in my sheen,
And may be look as maiden-like
As the bride ye bring hame.'
18 Two of his sons he sent before,
And two rade by his side,
And three he left at hame wi her,
She was the brightest bride.
19 As she was gazing her around,
To view the rural plain,
And there she saw the bridal folk,
Merrily coming hame.
20 'Come here, come here, my boys a',
Ye see not what I see;
For here I see your fair father,
And a step-mother to thee.
21 'O shall I call him honey, Sandy,
Husband, or my gude lord?
Or shall I call him my gude master,
Let well or woe betide?'
22 'Ye winna call him honey, mother,
For angering o the bride;
But ye'll call him your gude master,
Let well or woe betide.'
23 She buskd her bonny boys in black,
Herself in simple green,
A kaim o gowd upon her hair,
As maiden she had been.
24 She's taen the white bread in her lap,
The wine glass in her hand,
And she's gane out upo the green,
To welcome the bride hame.
25 She woudna ca him her ain gude lord,
For angering o the bride:
'Ye're welcome hame, my gude master,
Your lands lie braid and wide.'
26 'O fair mat fa you, Fair Annie,
Sae well's ye've welcomd me;
Ye might hae welcomd my new bride;
Some gift to you she'll gie.'
27 'Ye're welcome hame, ye new-come bride,
To your ha's and your bowers;
Ye're welcome hame, my lady gay,
Ye're whiter that the flowers.'
28 'O wha is this,' the bride did say,
'Sae well that welcomes me?
If I'm lang lady o this place
Some gift to her I'll gie.
29 'She's likest to my dear sister
That eer my eyes did see;
A landit lord staw her awa,
An ill death mat he die!
30 'I hae a brother here this day,
Fairer ye neer did see;
And I woud think nae ill a match
Unto this fair ladie.'
31 'Ye'll wed your brother on a stock,
Sae do ye on a stane;
I'll wed me to the kingdom of heaven,
For I'll neer wed a man.'
32 She servd the footmen o the beer,
The nobles o the wine;
But nane did cross her pale, pale lips,
For changing o her min.
33 When she came in unto the room
She leuch amo them a',
But when she turnd her back about
She loot the saut tears fa.
34 She hanged up a silken cloath
Upon a siller pin;
It was to dry her twa blue eyes,
As she went out and in.
35 Her heart wi sorrow sair was filld,
Her breast wi milk ran out;
She aft went ot a quiet chamber,
And let her young son suck.
36 'There is a woman in this house
This day has served me;
But I'll rise up, let her sit down,
She's ate, that I may see.
37 'O wha is this,' the bride coud say,
'That serves this day sae well?
And what means a' this bonny boys,
That follow at her heel?'
38 'This is my sister, Fair Annie,
That serves this day sae well,
And these are a' her bauld brothers,
That follow at her heel.'
39 Then out it speaks the new-come bride,
Was full o jealousie:
'I fear there's something new, my lord,
Ye mean to hide frae me.
40 'But if she be your light leman
Has me sair beguild,
She shall gae out at my window,
And range the woods sae wild.'
41 When day was dane, and night drew on,
And a' man bound for bed,
The bridegroom and the new-come bride
In ae chamber were laid.
42 The lady being left alone,
Nursing her fair young son,
She has taen up her gude lord's harp,
She harped and she sung.
43 'Seven braw sons hae I born
To the lord o this place;
I wish they were seven hares
To run the castle race,
And I mysel a gude greyhound,
To gie them a' a chace.'
44 'Lie near, lie near, my ain gude lord,
Lie near and speak wi me;
There is a woman in the house,
She will be wild ere day.'
45 'Lie still, lie still, my new-come bride,
Lie still and take your rest;
The pale's out o my wine-puncheon,
And lang it winna rest.'
46 She held the harp still in her hand,
To harp them baith asleep,
And aye she harped and she sang,
And saut tears she did weep.
47 'Seven braw sons hae I born
To the gude lord o this ha;
I wish that they were seven brown rats,
To climb the castle wa,
And I mysel a gude grey cat,
To take them ane and a'.'
48 'Lie near, lie near, my ain gude lord,
Lie near and speak wi me;
There is a woman in this house,
She will be wild ere day.'
49 'Lie yond, lie yond, my new-come bride,
My sheets are wonderous cauld;
I woudna hear my love's lament
For your gowd ten thousand fauld.'
50 'O wae be to you, ye fause lord,
Some ill death mat ye die!
For that's the voice o my sister Ann,
Was stown frae yont the sea.'
51 'Fair mat fa ye, ye buirdly bride,
A gude death mat ye die!
For that's the voice o your sister Ann,
Was stown frae yont the sea;
I came seeking Annie's tocher,
I was not seeking thee.'
52 'Seven gude ships I hae brought here,
In seven I'se gae hame;
And a' the gowd that I brought here,
It's a' gang back again.'
53 'Seven ships they brought you here,
But ye'll gang hame in ane;
Ye'll leave the rest to tocher Ann,
For wi her I got nane.'
54 'Seven ships they brought me here,
But I'll gang hame in ane;
I'll get my sister's eldest son
To hae me maiden hame.
55 'My father wants not gowd nor gear,
He will get me a man;
And happy, happy will he be
To hear o his daughter Ann.
56 'I hae my sheen upon my feet,
My gloves upon my hand,
And ye'll come to your bed, Annie,
For I've dane you nae wrang.'
-------
End-Notes
C. 'Fair Annie' I took this day from the recitation of Janet Holmes, an old woman in Kilbarchan. It was, as she described it, a "lang rane" of her mother's. July 18, 1825. Motherwell.
11. honey is probably a corruption of Annie.
54. his wig.
193. I must be understood, I as leal, but does not require to be inserted.
204. Possibly not correct. To all would, no doubt, be an easy reading, but the abrupt exclamation is more like nature.
291. Oh.
E. 112. laugh.
143. harpd.
201. you harne.
F. 123. Oh.
223. Ye wilt.
I. 281. sat.
452. tirls.
41 ff. In one of the Kinloch versions thus,
'King Henry is my father,' she says,
'Queen Orvis is my mither,
And a' the bairns about the house
Are just my sister and brither.'
'O if ye be ane o thae, Fair Anne,
Sure I 'm ane o' the same,
And come to your gude lord, Anne,
And be ye blythe again.
'For he never wed me for his love,
But for my tocher fee,
And I am as free o him this day
As the bairn on the nurse's knee.'
J. 362. hae served.
The following more obvious and entirely superfluous interpolations have bee omitted from the text.
After 9:
But ye were feard the Duke of York
Should come and bide wi me,
As he showed kindness and respect,
Which greatly grieved thee.
After 18:
But it fell ance upon a day,
'T was aye day by it lane,
Fair Annie was washing her fingers,
Above a marble stane.
After 28:
O he that staw my ae sister
Did leave my bower full bare;
I wish a sharp sword at his breast,
Cauld iron be his share!
He looked ower his right shoulder,
A light laugh then gie he;
Said, Hear na ye my new-come bride,
Sae sair as she brands me?
The bride she patted wi her lips,
She winked wi her ee,
Yet never thought by the words he spake
'T was her sister, Annie.
After 35:
When they had eaten and well drunken,
And all had fared fine,
The knight he called his butlers all,
For to serve out the wine.
After 38;
Then out it speaks an English lord,
A smart young lord was he;
'O if she be a maiden fair,
Wi her I 'se wedded be.'
The bridegroom gae a laugh at that
Amang his merry young men;
Says, There's a hynd chiel in the house
Runs far nearer her mind.
After 53:
O if this be my sister dear,
It's welcome news to me;
I woud hae gien her thrice as much
Her lovely face to see.
----------
Additions and Corrections
P. 67, note J. More cases in Dr. R. Köhler's annotation to 'Le Fraisne,' Warnke, Lais der Marie de France, p. LXIV ff. See, also, Liebrecht, Germania, XXVIII, 114f. [The passage concerning Guinea negroes, Köhler, p. LXXIV, occurs also, perhaps originally, in Astley's Voyages, III, 83, whence it is cited by Sir John Lubbock, Mental and Social Condition of Savages, p. 36, ed. 1882. G. L. K.]
To be Corrected in the Print.
70 a, 184. Fall, ed. 1802; fell, ed. 1833.
The following are mostly trivial variations from the spelling of the text.
70 a, 194. Read cheik. 202. Read smil'd. b, 304. Read tine.
P. 65 a. Swedish. 'Skön Anna,' 'Skön Anna och Herr Peder,' Lagus, Nyländska Folkvisor, I, 13, No 4, a, b. The bride throws down one half of a gold ring, Fair Annie the other; the parts run together: a 23, 516.
67. The romance of Galerent follows the story of Marie's lai, and is thought to be founded on it: Le Roman de Galerent, Comte de Bretagne, par le trouvere Renaut, A. Boucherie, 1888. (G. L. K.)
68, note. The story is in Coryat's Crudities, 1611, p. 646 f.; III, 81 f., of the ed. of 1776. (G. L. K.)
P. 65 a. Danish. 'Skjön Anna,' Kristensen, Folkeminder, XI, 91, No 92.