"The Unco Knicht's Wowing," or "Cather Banks" Child 1 Version C. Motherwell's Manuscript, p. 647.
[From Motherwell's MS., 1825 and after. A folio, almost entirely in Motherwell's hand, containing, besides some pieces not indexed, 228 indexed ballads. Most of these are from the West of Scotland, but not a few were given Motherwell by Buchan and are duplicates of copies which occur in Buchan's MSS. In the possession of Mr Malcolm Colquhoun Thomson, Glasgow. From the recitation of Mrs Storie of Lochwinnoch. Motherell received this text from Crawfurd and it appears in Crawfurd's MS under her maiden name, Mary MacQueen (see that version at bottom of this page).
The "Cather Banks" title is derived from the refrain and is not the original title.
[In Child 1; Riddles Wisely Expounded; Version C- Child says:
"The familiar ballad-knight of A, B is converted in C into an "unco knicht," who is the devil, a departure from the proper story which is found also in 2 J. The conclusion of C,
As soon as she the fiend did name,
He flew awa in a blazing flame,
reminds us of the behavior of trolls and nixes under like circumstances, but here the naming amounts to a detection of the Unco Knicht's quiddity, acts as an exorcism, and simply obliges the fiend to go off in his real character."
The ballad is also known as "Cather Banks" and is found in Motherwell's Manuscript, p. 647. From the recitation of Mrs. Storie.
R. Matteson 2011/2018]
Cather Banks; Child C. 'The Unco Knicht's Wowing,' Motherwell's Manuscript, p. 647; c, 1825
1 There was a knicht riding frae the east,
Sing the Cather banks, the bonnie brume
Wha had been wooing at monie a place.
And ye may beguile a young thing sune
2 He came unto a widow's door,
Sing the Cather banks, the bonnie brume
And speird whare her three dochters were.
And ye may beguile a young thing sune
3 The auldest ane's to a washing gane,
Sing the Cather banks, the bonnie brume
The second's to a baking gane.
And ye may beguile a young thing sune
4 The youngest ane's to a wedding gane,
Sing the Cather banks, the bonnie brume
And it will be nicht or she be hame.
And ye may beguile a young thing sune
5 He sat him doun upon a stane,
Sing the Cather banks, the bonnie brume
Till thir three lasses came tripping hame.
And ye may beguile a young thing sune
6 The auldest ane's to the bed making,
Sing the Cather banks, the bonnie brume
And the second ane's to the sheet spreading.
And ye may beguile a young thing sune
7 The youngest ane was bauld and bricht,
Sing the Cather banks, the bonnie brume
And she was to lye with this unco knicht.
And ye may beguile a young thing sune
8 'Gin ye will answer me questions ten,
Sing the Cather banks, the bonnie brume
The morn ye sall be made my ain.
And ye may beguile a young thing sune
9 'O what is heigher nor[1] the tree?
Sing the Cather banks, the bonnie brume
And what is deeper nor the sea?
And ye may beguile a young thing sune
10 'Or what is heavier nor the lead?
Sing the Cather banks, the bonnie brume
And what is better nor the breid?
And ye may beguile a young thing sune
11 'O what is whiter nor the milk?
Sing the Cather banks, the bonnie brume
Or what is safter nor the silk?
And ye may beguile a young thing sune
12 'Or what is sharper nor a thorn?
Sing the Cather banks, the bonnie brume
Or what is louder nor a horn?
And ye may beguile a young thing sune
13 'Or what is greener nor the grass?
Sing the Cather banks, the bonnie brume
Or what is waur nor a woman was?'
And ye may beguile a young thing sune
14 'O heaven is higher nor the tree,
Sing the Cather banks, the bonnie brume
And hell is deeper nor the sea.
And ye may beguile a young thing sune
15 'O sin is heavier nor the lead,
Sing the Cather banks, the bonnie brume
The blessing's better nor the bread.
And ye may beguile a young thing sune
16 'The snaw is whiter nor the milk,
Sing the Cather banks, the bonnie brume
And the down is safter nor the silk.
And ye may beguile a young thing sune
17 'Hunger is sharper nor a thorn,
Sing the Cather banks, the bonnie brume
And shame is louder nor a horn.
And ye may beguile a young thing sune
18 'The pies[2] are greener nor the grass,
Sing the Cather banks, the bonnie brume
And Clootie's waur[3] nor a woman was.'
And ye may beguile a young thing sune
19 As sune as she the fiend did name,
Sing the Cather banks, the bonnie brume
He flew awa in a blazing flame.
And ye may beguile a young thing sune
1. nor= than
2. peas
3. And Devil's worse
__________________________________
The Unco Knicht's Wouing - Crawfurd MS, sung by Mary Macqueen (Mrs. Storie)
1.2 'tae': perhaps begun 'th', with 'a' written over 'h'; 4.2 second 'be': superimposed on 'is', apparently by Macqueen; 13.2, 18.2 'wuss' = wish, curse. Crawford has written in the title and made three other additions: 'g' at the end of 'bedmakin' 'in 6.1 and alternative rhyming words added at the 219.
The Unco Knicht's Wouing
1 There was a Knight ridin' frae the East
Sing the claret banks tae the bonny broom
Wha had been wooin' at mony a place
An' ye may beguile a young thing sune
2 He cam' unto a widow's dore
An' speir'd whare her three dochters war.
3 The auldest ane's tae a washin' gane
An' the second's tae a bakin' gane
4 The youngest ane's tae a weddin' gane
An' it will be night ere she be hame
5 He sat him doun upon a stane
Till these three lasses cam' trippin' hame
6 The auldest ane's tae the bedmakin'
An' the second ane's tae the sheet spreadin'
7 The youngest ane was bauld an' bright
An' she was tae lye wi' this unco Knight
8 Gin ye will answere me questions ten
Tomorrow ye sall be my ain
9 O what is heigher than the tree
An' what is deeper than the sea
10 Or what is heavier than the lead
Or what is better than the bread
11 O what is whiter than the milk
Or what is softer than the silk
12 Or what is sharper than a thorn
Or what is louder than a horn
13 Or what is greener than the grass
Or what is waur than a woman's wuss
14 O Heav'n is heigher than the tree
An' Hell is deeper than the sea
15 O sin is heavier than the lead
The blessing's better than the bread
16 The snaw is whiter than the milk
An' the down is safter than the silk
17 Hunger's sharper than a thorn
An' shame is louder than a horn
18 The Peas are greener than the grass
An' the Fiend is waur than a woman's wuss[1]
19 As sune as she the Fiend did name
He flew awa in a fierie flame
1. wuss= wish, curse