Erlinton: Child 8- Version A: Scott's Minstrelsy, in, 235, ed. 1803
[Below is the entire ballad with notes from Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border by Sir Walter Scott Scott, published in 1803. He calls this an adaptation of the Child of Ell (see Earl Brand for text). Scott's three footnotes are missing in Child's book. Although the next to last stanza is irregular (six lines) there is no indication from Scott that any lines are missing.]
The details of A are: "The two copies from which (with some editorial garnish and filling out) A was compounded were: a. "Scotch Ballads, Materials for Border Minstrelsy," No 20, obtained from Nelly Laidlaw, and in the handwriting of William Laidlaw; b. 'Earlington's Daughter,' the same collection, No 11, in the handwriting of James Hogg. The differences are purely verbal, and both copies may probably have been derived from the same reciter; still, since only seven or eight verses in sixty-eight agree, both will be given entire, instead of a list of the variations." Additions and Corrections p. 107.
Both ballads will be found in Child No. 8 Erlinton- Additions and Corrections and the ballads will be individualy listed in English and other Versions.]
ERLINTON Child 8- Version A: Scott's Minstrelsy, in, 235, ed. 1803; ed. 1833, n, 353. Made up from two copies obtained from recitation.
1 Erlinton had a fair daughter;
I wat he weird her in a great sin;
For he has built a bigly bower,
An a' to put that lady in.
2 An he has warnd her sisters six,
An sae has he her brethren se'en,
Outher to watch her a' the night,
Or else to seek her morn an een.
3 She hadna been i that bigly bower
Na not a night but barely ane,
Till there was Willie, her ain true love,
Chappd at the door, cryin 'Peace within!'
4 'O whae is this at my bower door,
That chaps sae late, nor kens the gin?'
'O it is Willie, your ain true love,
I pray you rise an let me in!'
5 'But in my bower there is a wake,
An at the wake there is a wane;
But I'll come to the green-wood the morn,
Whar blooms the brier, by mornin dawn.'
6 Then she's gane to her bed again,
Where she has layen till the cock crew thrice,
Then she said to her sisters a',
'Maidens, 'tis time for us to rise.'
7 She pat on her back her silken gown,
An on her breast a siller pin,
An she's tane a sister in ilka hand,
An to the green-wood she is gane.
8 She hadna walkd in the green-wood
Na not a mile but barely ane,
Till there was Willie, her ain true love,
Whae frae her sister has her taen.
9 He took her sisters by the hand,
He kissd them baith, an sent them hame,
An he's taen his true love him behind,
And through the green-wood they are gane.
10 They hadna ridden in the bonnie green-wood
Na not a mile but barely ane,
When there came fifteen o the boldest knights
That ever bare flesh, blood, or bane.
11 The foremost was an aged knight,
He wore the grey hair on his chin:
Says, 'Yield to me thy lady bright,
An thou shalt walk the woods within.'
12 'For me to yield my lady bright
To such an aged knight as thee,
People wad think I war gane mad,
Or a' the courage flown frae me.'
13 But up then spake the second knight,
I wat he spake right boustouslie:
'Yield me thy life, or thy lady bright,
Or here the tane of us shall die.'
14 'My lady is my warld's meed;
My life I winna yield to nane;
But if ye be men of your manhead,
Ye'll only fight me ane by ane.'
15 He lighted aff his milk-white steed,
An gae his lady him by the head,
Sayn, 'See ye dinna change your cheer,
Untill ye see my body bleed.'
16 He set his back unto an aik,
He set his feet against a stane,
An he has fought these fifteen men,
An killd them a' but barely ane.
17 . . . . .
. . . . . . .
For he has left that aged knight,
An a' to carry the tidings hame.
18 When he gaed to his lady fair,
I wat he kissd her tenderlie:
'Thou art mine ain love, I have thee bought;
Now we shall walk the green-wood free.'
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ERLINTON- from Scott's Minstrelsy, in, 235, ed. 1803
NEVER BEFORE PUBLISHED.
This ballad is published from the collation of two copies, obtained from recitation. It seems to be the rude original, or perhaps a corrupted and imperfect copy, of the Child of Ell, a beautiful legendary tale, published in the Reliques of Ancient Poetry. It is singular, that this charming ballad should have been translated, or imitated, by the celebrated Burger, without acknowledgment of the English original. As the Child of Ell avowedly received corrections, we may ascribe its greatest beauties to the poetical taste of the ingenious editor. They are in the truest stile of Gothic embellishment. We may compare, for example, the following beautiful verse with the same idea in an old romance.
'The baron stroked his dark-brown cheek,
And turned his face aside,
To wipe away the starting tear,
He proudly strove to hide!
(Child of Ell)
The heathen Soldan, or Amiral, when about to slay two lovers, relents in a similar manner:
Weeping, he turned his heued awai,
And his swerde hit fel to grounde.
(Florice and Blauncheflour)
ERLINTON
Erlinton had a fair daughter,
I wat he weird her in a great sin [1],
For he has built a bigly bower,
An' a to put that lady in.
An' he has warn'd her sisters six,
An' sae has he her brethren se'en,
Outher to watch her a' the night,
Or else to seek her morn an' e'en.
She hadna been i' that bigly bower,
Na not a night, but barely ane,
Till there was Willie, her ain true love,
Chapp'd at the door, cryin' "Peace within!"
"O whae is this at my bower door,
That chaps sae late nor kens the gin[2]?"
"O it is Willie, your ain true love,
I pray you rise an' let me in!"
"But in my bower their is a wake,
An' at the wake there is a wane[3];
But I'll come to the green-wood the morn,
Whar blooms the brier by mornin' dawn."
Then she's gane to her bed again,
Where she has layen till the cock crew thrice,
Then she said to her sisters a',
"Maidens, 'tis time for us to rise."
She pat on her back a silken gown,
An' on her breast a siller pin,
An' she's tane a sister in ilka hand,
An' to the green-wood she is gane.
She hadna walk'd in the green-wood,
Na not a mile but barely ane,
Till there was Willie, her ain true love,
Whae frae her sisters has her ta'en.
He took her sisters by the hand,
He kiss'd them baith, an' sent them hame,
An' he's ta'en his true love him behind,
And through the green-wood they are gane.
They hadna ridden in the bonnie green-wood,
Na not a mile but barely ane,
When there came fifteen o' the boldest knights,
That ever bare flesh, blood, or bane.
The foremost was an aged knight,
He wore the grey hair on his chin,
Says, " Yield to me thy lady bright,
An' thou shalt walk the woods within."
"For me to yield my lady bright
To such an aged knight as thee,
People wad I think war gane mad,
Or a' the courage flown frae me."
But up then spate the second knight,
I wat he spake right boustouslie,
"Yield me thy life, or thy lady bright,
Or here the tane of us shall die."
"My lady is my warld's meed;
My life I winna yield to nane;
But if ye be men of your manhead,
Ye'll only fight me ane by ane."
He lighted aff his milk-white steed,
An' gae his lady him by the head,
Say'n "See ye dinna change your cheer,
Until ye see my body bleed."
He set his back unto an aik,
He set his feet against a stane,
An' he has fought these fifteen men,
An' kill'd them a' but barely ane;
For he has left that aged knight,
An' a' to carry the tidings hame.
When he gaed to his lady fair,
I wat he kiss'd her tenderlie,
"Thou art mine ain love, I have thee bought;
Now we shall walk the green wood free."
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Footnotes
1. Weird her in a great sin—Placed her in danger of committing a great sin.
2. Gin—he slight or trick necessary to open the door, from engine,
3. Wane—-A number of people.