Lady Isabel and the Elf-Knight (Child 4) Brown Collection of NC Folklore
[There are 7 versions of text A-G plus additional versions with music from Vol. 4. R. Matteson 2011]
OLDER BALLADS MOSTLY BRITISH
Lady Isabel and the Elf-Knight (Child 4)
For the history of this ballad in many lands and tongues, see Child's headnote in English and Scottish Popular Ballads and Grundtvig's in Danmarks gamle Folkeviser, and for its occurrence since Child's time in the British Isles and in America, see BSM 5-6 — and add to the references there given Arkansas (OFS I 47), Florida (FSF 237-41), and Missouri (OFS I 45-6). It is a favorite among the ballad singers of North Carolina; Mrs. Sutton reports that it was sung by Mrs. Hall in Buncombe county, by Mrs. Gordon in Henderson county, by Mrs. Brown in Avery county, and others. Mrs. Steely records three texts, with tunes, found in the Ebenezer community in Wake county. The name of the heroine varies. Most often it is Polly. The names Clovanne (in version C) and Cold Rain (in version D) may be assumed to derive from the May Colvin of British broadside versions. The villain, if named at all — as generally he is not in the North Carolina versions — is William. All three of the scenes that make up the story, the elopement, the drowning, the dialogue with the parrot, are present in all the North Carolina versions, even the much reduced F. Versions D, E, and G show the shift of grammatical person from the first person to the third which is so frequent in traditional balladry.
A. 'Pretty Polly.' Recorded by Mrs. Sutton but from which of the many whom she heard sing it is not clear from her covering letter. It resembles version P of the Virginia collection by beginning with the girl's warning to the bird not to betray her — though the bird here is a crowing chicken and seems to have no connection with the parrot which appears in its accustomed place at the close. There is in the Collection another copy of this version lacking the last stanza and called 'The King's Daughter,' with the tune as sung by Mrs. J. J. Miller (the Myra Barnett from whom Mrs. Sutton learned so many of her ballads).
1 'My pretty little crowin' chicken,
It's don't you crow too soon,
And your wings shall be of the yellow beaten* gold
And your comb of the silver so gay gay gay
And your comb of the silver so gay.'
2 She stole her father's horses,
And she rode the dappled bay.
And she travelled till she came to the salt-water sea
Six hours before it was day day day,
Six hours before it was day.
3 'Light down, light down, pretty Polly,
And stand by the side of me.
For the six king's daughters that I have drowned here.
And the seventh daughter you shall be be be.
And the seventh daughter you shall be.
4 Pull off, pull off those fine, fine clothes
And give them unto me;
For I do think that they're too costly and too fine
To rot in the salt-water sea sea sea.
To rot in the salt-water sea.'
5 'Oh turn your back all unto me
And your face to the leaves on the tree;
For I do think it's a scandal and a shame
That a naked woman you should see see see,
That a naked woman you should see.'
6 He turned his back all unto her
And his face to the leaves on the tree.
She picked him up so manly and so strong
And pitched him into the salt-water sea,
And pitched him into the sea.
7 'Lie there, lie there, you false-hearted man,
Lie there in the place of me.
For the six king's daughters that you have drowned there,
And the seventh daughter you shall be be be.
And the seventh daughter you shall be.'
8 She rode her father's horse
And she led the dappled bay,
And she rode till she came to her own father's house
Three hours before it was day day day.
Three hours before it was day.
9 'Oh, where have you been, pretty Polly,
So long before it is day?'
[O 'Oh, hush, oh, hush, my little parrot,
And tell no tales on me,
And your cage it shall be of the yellow beaten gold
And the doors of the ivory ry ry.
And the doors of the ivory.
[I 'Oh, why do you wake, my little parrot,
So long before it is day?'
'There came a cat unto my nest to rob me of my rest,
And I called pretty Polly to drive it away,
And I called pretty Polly to drive it away.'
B. 'The Seven Sisters.' Another version secured later (in the summer of 1928) by Mrs. Sutton from the singing of Mrs. Rebecca Gordon of Saluda Mountain, Henderson county. In this the modesty motif is omitted (after stanza 3). In the manuscript the final syllable of each stanza except the first is twice repeated as in the preceding line. This procedure, which violates the customary rhythm of ballad verse, I have assumed to be an error of transcription and have accordingly reduced each stanza to the norm of stanza 1. The "fuss" of stanza 5 is presumably a miswriting (it could hardly be a mishearing) of "fair," the adjective commonly applied to Scotland in this place. For the reading "maid" in the second line I have no explanation ; to read it "made" does not greatly help. Stanza 2 has lost one line and stanza 4 has lost three.
1 He followed her upstairs and down
And into her chamber maid;
She had no arms for to force him away,
No tongue for to tell him nay nay nay,
No tongue for to tell him nay.
2 She told him to go to her father's stable
And choose two of the best horses
Out of thirty-two or three three three,
Out of thirty-two or three.
3 They rode and they rode till the middle of the night.
Until they came to the sea.
He said, 'Here I've drowned six king's daughters.
And the seventh you shall be be be,
And the seventh you shall be.'
4 She picked him up so strong in her arms
And splunged him into the sea.
5 'Come here, come here, my pretty Polly dear.
Come pull me out of here;
I'll take you to the fuss Scotland
And there I'll marry thee thee thee,
And there I'll marry thee.'
6 'Lie there, lie there, you false young man.
Lie there in place of me;
For here you drownded six king's daughters
And the seventh drownded thee thee thee.
And the seventh drownded thee.'
7 She mounted on the milk-white steed
And led the dappled bay.
She came home to her father's hall
One hour before 'twas day day day,
One hour before 'twas day.
8 A-passin' by her parrot's cage
He begun to chatter to me;
'What's the matter, *pretty Polly dear,
Makes you travel so long before day day day,
Makes you travel so long before day?'
9 'Hush up, hush up, pretty Polly dear.
And tell no tales on me;
I'll make your cage of the new **Buton- gold
With a door of ivory ry ry,
With a door of ivory.'
10. The parrot chattered till her father woke,
All in his bed he lay;
Said, 'What's the matter, pretty parrot bird.
Makes you chatter so long before day day day,
Makes you chatter so long before day?'
11. 'The cat he's a-settin' at my cage door,
Saying he will savour me;
I was a-callin' to pretty Polly dear
To drive the cat away, way way.
To drive the cat away.'
[* The manuscript has "do" before "pretty"; presumably a meaningless slip of the pen.
** Miswritten, clearly, for "beaten."]
C. 'The Seventh King's Daughter.' This appears twice among the typescripts of the Collection, in one of the copies ascribed to the J. B. Henneman collection with a note saying that it was collected from a Mrs. Simpkins (the source of Henneman's North Carolina texts), in the other attributed directly to Mrs. Simpkins without saying who secured it but noting that Mrs. Simpkins thought "there was an introductory stanza or more which she could not remember." We print the second form, with notation of the differences — few and slight — between the two. The "Wessymore land" of stanzas 5 and 10 is presumably a corruption of "Westmoreland." The spelling "Covanne" in stanza 4 is doubtless merely a slip; elsewhere in this copy and throughout in the other copy the name is spelled "Clovanne." The third line of stanza 1 is inconsistent with the conclusion.
1 He followed her up, he followed her down,
He followed her to where she stayed.
She hadn't no father to bid him begone,
No time to say him nay.
2 'Go get it's all of your mother's gold,
And some of your father's fee,
And you will have a steed for to ride upon,
The best of thirty and three.'
3 Then she mounted her milk-white steed
And he on his dapple* grey.
They rode down to the wide water
Four hours before it was day.
4 'Come get you down, my pretty Covanne,
Come get you down,' says he;
'For I have drowned six king's daughters;
The seventh you shall be.'
5 'Oh, if you have drowned the six king's daughters,
Oh, why should you drown me,
When you promised to carry me to the Wessymore land
And marry along with me?'
6. 'Oh, pull off that satin silk gown
And spread it on yonder shore.
It is too rich and over costlie
To rot in the salt sea sound.'
7. 'Well, turn your face to the wide waters,
Your back to the leaves of the tree;
It never became a man like you
A naked woman to see.'
8. He turned his face to the wide waters,
His back to the leaves of the tree.
She picked him up in her arms so strong,
She hove him in the sea.
9. 'Come help me out, my pretty Clovanne,
Come help me out,' says he,
'And I'll double those things three times over
That ever I've told unto thee.'
10. 'Lie there, lie there, thou false-hearted William,
Lie there instead of me;
For you promised to carry me to the Wessymore lands
And married we would be.'
11. 'Come help me out, my pretty Clovanne,
Come help me out,' says he.
I will carry you to the Wessymore lands
And married we will be.'
12. 'Lie there, lie there, you false-hearted William,
Lie there instead of me.
You said that you had drowned the six king's daughters;
The seventh you shall be.'
13. Then she mounted the milk-white steed
And drew up her dapple grey;
She rode home to her father's gate
Two hours before it was day.
14. The parrot to her cage window,
The parrot there did stay.
She called unto her pretty Clovanne,
'What makes you a-stirring so long before day?'
15. 'Oh, hush, oh, hush, my pretty parrot,
Don't tell no tales on me.
And you shall have a cage of the finest gold,
The finest you ever did see.'
16. Her father into his bed chamber
It is called- where he did lay.
He called unto the pretty parrot,
'Wliar makes you a-talking so long before day?'
17. 'The cat has come to my cage window
My innocent life to betray;
I called upon my pretty Clovanne,
"Come drive this cat away.'
[* The other copy has here "topsi."]
D. 'Pretty Cold Rain.' From the manuscript book of songs of Miss Edith Walker of Boone, Watauga county. Though it does not differ greatly from the three preceding versions, it is given here as illustrating the shift of person; it begins as first person narrative by the girl but passes in the third stanza to the third person. At the close is written 'Repeat the last two lines' — which I take to be a direction governing the stanza structure throughout.
1 He followed me up and he followed me down,
He followed me where I lay;[1]
I had not the heart to tell him to be gone
Nor tongue to say 'Oh no.'
2 'Go bring me some of your father's gold.
Likewise your mother's fee;
And I will take you to the salt sea waters
And there I'll marry thee.'
3 She brought him some of her father's gold,
Likewise her mother's fee,
And they went on to her father's horse stables
Where his horses thirty and three.
4 He mounted her upon the Turkish brown
And himself on the iron grey.
They were at the salt sea waters
Three hours before it came day.
5. 'Light down, light down, you pretty Cold Rain,
Light down, I say to thee.
Right here I've drowned six kings' daughters.
And the seventh you shall be.
6. 'Pull off, pull off them gay new clothes,
Throw 'em on yonder stone;
For they air too fine and too costly
To be rotted in the salt sea foam.'
7. 'It's turn your back toward the pretty green leaves
And your face toward the sea,
For you are not fitten, you false-lighted villain.
For a naked woman to see.'[2]
8 He turned his back to the pretty green leaves
And his face toward the sea.
She picked him up in her arms so strong
And plunged him in the sea.
9. 'Your hand, your hand, my pretty Cold Rain,
Your hand, I say to thee;
And all the promises I ever made to thee
I'll double them thirty and three.'
10. 'Lie there. He there, you false-hearted vissain,[3]
Lie there, I say to thee;
You said you'd drowned six kings' daughters,
And you yourself the seventh shall be.'
11. She mounted herself on the Turkish brown
And she led the iron grey.
She was at her father's own dwelling
One hour before it came day.
12. It's up then spoke the little parrot
As it sat in its cage;
'Oh, what's the matter, my pretty Cold Rain,
Makes you walk so long before day?'
13 'It's hush your mouth, my little parrot.
And tell no tales on me;
Your cage shall be made of the beaten beaten gold
And doors of the ivory.'
14 It's up then spoke her old father
As he lay in his room;
'Oh, what's the matter, my little parrot,
Makes you talk so long before day?'
15 'It's here is a cat at my cage door
Trying to catch me.
And I was a-calling to my pretty Cold Rain
To drive the old catty-puss away.'
[1] Omitted in the other copy, which has simply "It is where he did lay."
[2] So the manuscript; but the meaning clearly is "A naked woman for to see."
[3] So the manuscript; miswritten, evidently, for "villain."
E. 'Sweet William.' Communicated by Mrs. T. L. Perry, who earlier under her maiden name of Isabel Rawn had made numerous and valuable contributions of North Carolina folk song to the JAFL. It is amusing eloping couple as going oflf in the stagecoach harnessed to the dappled grey — see stanza 13. One wonders what relation, if any, existed in the singer's mind between the Sweet William whose grave they drive to in stanza 5 and the Sweet William who is the villain of the story. This version also has the shift of person, not passing definitely to the third person until stanza 9.
1 Sweet William rode across the Darkely Mountain
And he first came a-courting of me me,
And he first came a-courting of me.
2 He followed me up and he followed me down
And he followed me into my little chamber
Where I had no tongue for to say him nay
Nor had no wings for to fly away.
3 He told me to take my father's gold
And part [of] my father's fee
And the milk-white stage and the dappled gray,
And the milk-white stage and the dappled gray.
4 I took my father's gold
And a part [of] my father's fee
And the milk-white stage and the dappled gray,
And the milk-white stage and the dappled gray.
5 We rode the milk-white stage
And drove the dappled gray,
We rode, we rode to the grave of Sweet William
One hour before it was day day,
One hour before it was day.
6 Up spake this false young William and this he did say:
'Light down here, pretty Polly, light down here beside of me;
For three young maids I have drowned here
And the fourth one you shall be be,
And the fourth one you shall be.
7 'Pull off that costly robe
And hang it on my knee;
For it cost too much money
To rot in the sea sea,
To rot in the sea.'
8 'Oh, turn your back upon me,
Upon the naked leaf tree,
For a naked woman is a sinful sight
For a man to see see,
For a naked woman is a sinful sight
For a man to see.'
9 He turned his back upon her.
Upon the naked leaf tree;
She picked him up by the middle of the swalls*
And tossed him into the sea sea.
And tossed him into the sea.
10 'Lay there, lay there, you false young man,
Lay there in the place of me;
For three fair maids you have drowned here
And the fourth one yourself shall be be.
And the fourth one yourself shall be.'
11 'Oh, give me your hand, pretty Polly,
Oh, give me your hand, I pray;
You shall not drown in the sea,
But be my bride today day,
But be my bride today.'
12 'Lay there, lay there, you false young man,
Lay there in the place of me;
For three fair maids you have drowned here
And the fourth one yourself shall be be,
And the fourth one yourself shall be.'
13 She rode the milk-white stage
And drove the dappled gray,
She drove, she drove to her father's house
One hour before it was day day,
One hour before it was day.
14 Up spake her kind old father
And this he did say;
'What made you rise, pretty Polly,
An hour before it was day day,
And hour before it was day?'
15 Then spake her little parrot
And this it did say:
'The cat ran across my cage door
And she came for to drive it away away,
And she came for to drive it away.'
16 'Oh, hold your tongue, my pretty little bird.
And tell no lies on me;
I will line your cage in yellow beaten gold
And hang it on the naked leaf tree tree,
And hang it on the naked leaf tree.
17 'Oh, hold your tongue, my pretty little bird,
And tell no lies on me;
I will dress your cage in ribbon fine
And hang it on the naked leaf tree tree.
And hang it on the naked leaf tree.
[* Is this miswritten — or misread — for "smalls," i.e., small-clothes, breeches?]
[This line reads in the manuscript "It well as be you as me," which possibly is really Frye's idiom.]
F. 'The Six Fair Maids.' Sent in by Thomas Smith of Zionville, Watauga county, with the notation that it was recited to him February in 1915, by a relative of his, Mrs. Rebecca Icenham, who had always lived in Watauga county and had know this song since her childhood. Although considerably reduced, it contains all the essentials of the story.
1 He jumped upon the milk-white steed
And her on the iron gray.
They rode till they come to the river side,
Two hours before it was day.
2 'Light off, light off, my pretty little miss.
Light you off, I say.
Six pretty maids have I drowned here,
And you the seventh shall be.
3 'Pull off that fine silk dress
And hang it on my knee.
It is too fine and costly
To rot in the sea sandee.*
4 'Turn your back, you dirty dog,
Turn your back,' said she;
'Ain't it a shame and a scandal
A naked woman for to see!'
5 She picked him up so manfully
And plunged him into the sea.
'Six fair maids you have drowned here,
And you the seventh shall be.'
6 'Hold your tongue, my pretty parrot.
Don't tell no tales on me.
And your cage shall be lined with gold dust
And your doors with ivoree.'
G. 'Seventh King's Daughter.' One of the songs collected by Professors W. Amos Abrams and Gratis D. Williams of the Appalachian State Teachers College in 1945 from the singing of Pat Frye of East Bend, Yadkin county. Frye was then seventy-three years old and had lived in or near East Bend all his life. He had been a tobacco farmer and a miller, but at the time the songs were collected had been for some years totally blind. He had a wide repertory of songs. The language of this text is not always clear. Note that it begins in the first person of the man but after three stanzas of pure dialogue passes to third person narration.
1 She wrapped her mother up
She rolled her father up in speed.
She stole the keys from the stable door
And followed after me me me,
And followed after me.
2 'Oh, light, oh, light, my pretty fair miss,
Oh, light, oh, light, pretty Polly.
There is the place I drownded six.
And the seventh you shall be be be.
And the seventh you shall be.
3 'Pull off, pull off that little white silk
And spread it on the green;
It is too costly of a dress
To rot in the roaring sea sea sea,
To rot in the roaring sea.'
4 'Oh, turn your face it's all about.
Your back to the leaves on the tree.
Till I pull off my little white silk
And spread it on the green green green.
And spread it on the green.'
5 He turned his face 'twas all about,
His back to the leaves on the tree.
She didn't pull off her little white silk;
She pushed him into the sea sea sea.
She pushed him into the sea.
6 'Oh help, oh help, my pretty fair miss,
Oh help, oh help, pretty Polly,
And we'll go back to your father's house
And married we will be be be,
And married we will be.'
7 'Lie thar, lie thar, oh, sink or swim;
It as well be you as me,
And I can get back to my father's house
Without the help of thee thee thee,
Without the help of thee.'
8 She got upon her milk-white stage
And had to trace her way;
And when she got to her father's house
It was one otter* day day day,
It was one otter day.
9 'Where have you been, my pretty fair miss.
Where have you been, pretty Polly?
Where have you been, my pretty fair miss,
So long before 'tis day day day.
So long before 'tis day?'
10 'Oh hush, oh, hush, my pretty parrot.
And tell no tales on me.
Your ring shall be of the neden nedeu'** gold
And your combs of the iris-*** gay gay gay.
And your combs of the iris gay.'
11 'Oh, what said what said,' the old man says.
'They* come a scaddy to my stage
And swore he wrestle with me.
And I called to my pretty Polly
To run the scaddy away way way.
To run the scaddy away.'
* So the manuscript. Probably stands for "It was one hour to day."
** How "beaten" becomes "neden" and "ivory" "iris" it is hard to say.
*** This spelling for the aphetic form of "there," common in rustic speech, occurs not infrequently in the manuscripts of the Collection.
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Lady Isabel and the Elf-Knight (Child 4) Music
A. 'Pretty Polly.' Sung by Mrs. Myra Barnett Miller, Lenoir, Caldwell county. Recorded at Lenoir, August 1936. There is another, very similar recording by the same singer (record XXXA2-4), with the additional titles 'The Seventh King's Daughters' and 'The Seven Sisters.' The variations are those of this second recording, also in score No. 140.
For melodic relationship, cf. ***SharpK i, No. 3 A, D, G; **OFS i, No.
2A; *BBM 24, F; ASb 60-61 ; PSL 30; TBV 549-50; and FSS No. iB.
Scale: Mode III, plagal. Tonal Center: f. Structure: aa1a2bb1 (2,2,2,2,2) =
aa1b (4,2,4). Circular Tune (V).
B. 'The Seven Sisters.' Sung by Mrs. Rebecca (Aunt Becky) Gordon. Recorded at Tuxedo, Henderson county, July 19, 1939. In another recording (VIAI-3) the same singer uses this tune with but slight changes for her version of 'The House Carpenter' (No. 40; II, 171).
For melodic relationship, cf. *TNFS 43 measures 5-6.
Scale: Heptachordal, plagal. Tonal Center: g. Structure: abca1d (2,2,2,2,2)
= ab (4,6); b is terminally incremented.
C. 'The Seventh King's Daughters.' Sung by Mrs. James York. Recorded by Dr. W. A. Abrams at Olin, Iredell county, 1940, from original at Boone, August 8, 1940. This tune very closely resembles Mrs. Myra Barnett Miller's tune for 'Pretty Polly' (2A) and has the same approach to the final.
For melodic relationship, cf. ***SharpK i 5-12, No. 3 A, B, D, E, G;
FSS 521, No. iB; **FSF 268, No. 157B ; OFS i 67, No. 6A ('Edward'); *OFS I 41, No. 2A; SCSM 400, A, first four measures; OFS i 48, No. 3, the first eight measures there are like the first four in our version; PSL 30, measures 3-4; TBV 550, No. 3D; FSOA 54.
Scale: Mode III, plagal. Tonal Center: f. Structure: aa1acc1 (2,2,2,2,2) = aai (4,6) ; a1 is terminally incremented. Circular Tune (V).
D. 'Pretty Cold Rain.' Sung by Miss Hattie McNeill. Recorded at Ferguson, Wilkes county, 1921 or 1922. Originally there was no text given in the MS score No. 141. The text from Miss Edith Walker, Boone, fits the tune perfectly, however. The score also gives the title as 'Six Fair Maids.' Melodically quite closely related to 'Pretty Polly,' 2A. Same approach to final as 'Pretty Polly,' 2A and 'The Seventh King's Daughters,' 2C.
For melodic relationship, cf. ***SharpK i, 5, 8, 9, No. 3 A, D, (E) ; PSL 30; FSS 521, No. iB; **OFS 141, No. 2, first four measures and ending; FSF 268, No. 157B; *FSoA 54.
Scale: Mixolydian. Tonal Center: d. Structure: aa^a^aS (2,2,2,2) = aa^ (4,4).
D(I) 'My Pretty Cold Rain.' Sung by Mrs. Nora Hicks. Recorded at Sugar Grove, Watauga county, August 28, 1940. Mrs. Hicks learned it from her grandmother, Mrs. Fannie Hicks. Same approach to final as 'Pretty Polly,' 2A, 'The Seventh King's Daughters,' 2C, and 'Pretty Cold Rain,' 2D.
For melodic relationship cf. *BSO 6, No. 2A, first two measures.
Scale: Mode III, plagal. Tonal Center: f. Structure: aa1 (4.4)- Circular Tune (V).
G. 'Seventh King's Daughter.' Sung by Mrs. J. Church. Recorded at Heaton, Avery county, July 30, 1939. There is no recording of Pat Frye's singing as mentioned in H, 25 [not correct; there is a recording online] ; only the text was taken down. Same approach to final as 'Pretty Polly,' 2A, 'The Seventh King's Daughters,' 2C, 'Pretty Cold Rain,' 2D and 'My Pretty Cold Rain,' 2D(i).
For melodic relationship cf. ***SharpK i, No. 3A; **FSS 521, No. 1B;
and PSL 30; *FSF 268, beginning and ending; TBV 550, No. 3D, last four measures.
Scale: Hexachordal, plagal. Tonal Center: f. Structure: aa1acc1 (2,2,2,2,2)
= aa1 (4,6) ; a1 is terminally incremented. Circular Tune (V).