Dives and Lazarus- Harris (Herefordshire) 1905
Carols
by Cecil J. Sharp, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Lucy E. Broadwood
Journal of the Folk-Song Society, Vol. 2, No. 7 (1905), pp. 115-139
27. - DIVES AND LAZARUS
SUNG BY MRS. HARRIS, OF EARDISLEY, HEREFORDSHIRE, 1905. Tune noted by E. Andrews.
As it it fell out on a high Holiday [light duly day] [1]
When Diverus made a feast;
And he invited all his friends,
And grand gentry of the best.
Then Lazarus laid himself down and down
Under Dives' wall:
Some meat! some drink! brother Diverus?
For hunger, starve I shall!"
Thou wert none of my brethren as I tell thee,
Lie begging at my wall;
No meat nor drink will I give thee,
For hunger, starve thou shall!"
Then Diverus sent out his hungry dogs
To worry poor Lazarus away.
They hadn't the power to bite one bite,
But they lick his sores away.
Then Lazarus, he laid himself down and down,
And down at Diverus' gate:
"Some meat! some drink! brother Diverus,
For Jesus Christ His sake."
Then Diverus sent to his merry men
To worry poor Lazarus away.
They'd not the power to strike one stroke,
But they flung their whips[2] away.
As it fell out, on a light dully[1] day,
When Lazarus sickened and died;
There came two Angels out of heaven,
His soul for to guide.
Arise! arise! brother Lazarus,
And come along with we;
There's a place provided in heaven,
(For) To sit on an Angel's knee."
As it fell on a dark[3] dully day,
When Dives sickened and died;
There came two serpents out of hell,
His soul for to guide
Arise! arise! brother Diverus,
And come along with we;
There is a place provided in hell,
For to sit on a serpent's knee!
There is a place provided in hell
For wicked men, like thee;
. . . . . . . .
. . . . .
"Who had they as many days to live
As there is blades of grass,
I would be good unto the poor
As long as life would last! "
This carol was noted for Mrs. Leather of Weobley, Herefordshire, by her friends Miss Andrews and Dr. Quinten Darling of Eardisley. Mrs. Harris, the singer, is aged eighty. She is the widow of a mole-catcher, and learned this carol from her father who was a noted singer. These details are interesting, as there is a traditional version of this carol, with a tune that has many points of likeness to the one here given, in Bramley and Stainer's Christomas Carols Old antd New. Had the singer been young, one might have supposed that the carol had been recently learned in school or choir-practice. Mrs. Harris' words differ but little from the traditional Worcestershire version used in English County Songs (see "Lazarus", excepting that she gives six additional lines. She adhered to the old form of the narne, for "Dives" always saying "Diverus."
- In Songs of the Nativity Husk quotes the same carol, printed from a Worcester ballad-sheet of the 18th century. He gives three verses after the angels' summons to Diverus, which run as follows:
Then Dives, lifting his eyes to heaven,
And seeing poor Lazarus blest:
Give me a drop of water, brother Lazarus,
To quench my flaming thirst! " (? breast)
"Oh! had I as many years to abide
As there are blades of grass,
Then there would be an ending day, (? unending day)
But in hell I must ever last!"
"Oh! was I now but alive again
For,the space of one half-hour,
I would make my will, and then secure
That the devil should have no power:"
In Fletcher's Monsieur Thomas (1639) he uses the form "Diverus," and in Beaumont and Fletcher's Nice Valour "Dives" is spoken of as one of the ballads hanging at church corners.- L. E. B.
Footnotes:
1. (?) Bright holiday.
2. Pronounced "weeps."
3. (?) Dark holiday.