Little Matha Grove- Langille (Nova Scotia) 1910
[From: Three Ballads from Nova Scotia by W. Roy Mackenzie; The Journal of American Folklore, Vol. 23, No. 89 (Jul. - Sep., 1910), pp. 371-380. The second part of the article is below. Footnotes moved to the end.
This is a compilation from the Langille family and two other informants. The individual versions are given in Ballads and sea Songs from Nova Scotia and will be labeled A-E.
R. Matteson 2012, 2015]
THREE BALLADS FROM NOVA SCOTIA
BY W. ROY MACKENZIE
LITTLE MATHA GROVE
THE following version of "Little Musgrave and Lady Barnard" (Child, No. 81) was derived from the recitations of four different persons. The basis of the text is a recitation by Mrs. Levi Langille of Marshville, Nova Scotia (A); and her part of the text includes stanzas 1-7, 10-17, and 21-22. Mrs. Langille's version was the first one procured, and the only one that was at all complete. The other three were obtained by reading her version to persons who had formerly sung the ballad, but no longer remembered it well, and could only change and supplement in places while having the first version read to them. The parts of the text denoted by B were supplied by Mrs. James Gammon of River John, Nova Scotia, and include stanzas 8-9, 18-20, and 23-24. The text, therefore, is made up as follows: 1-7, from A; 8-9, from B; 10-17, from A; 18-20, from B; 21-22, from A; 23-24, from B. The fragments furnished by John Langille of River John (C) and by Mrs. Jacob Langille of Marshville (D) are given only in the footnotes. Every word obtained from any of the reciters may thus be found either in the text or in the notes. A, B, C, and D were all collected by me during August and September, 1909.
A.
1. 'T was on a day, a high holiday,
The best day of the old year,
When little Matha Grove he went to church
The holy word to hear.
2. Some came in in diamonds of gold,
And some came in in pearls,
And among them all was little Matha Grove
The handsomest of them all.
3. Lord Daniel's wife was standing by.
On him she cast an eye,
Saying, "You little Matha Grove, this very night
I invite you to lie with me."
4. Lord Daniel is away to the New Castle
King Henry for to see. [1]
. . . . .
. . . . .
5. So the little foot-page was standing by,
And he heard all that was said,
And he took to his heels to the river-side,
And he bended his breast and he swum.[2]
6. And when he came to Lord Daniel's bower,
He knocked so hard at the ring.
There was none so ready as Lord Daniel
For to rise and let him in.
7. "What news, what news, my little foot-page,
Do you bring unto me?"
"This very night little Matha Grove
Is in bed with your wedded lady."
B. 8. "If this be true, be true unto me,
Be true you bring unto me,
I have an only daughter dear,
And your wedded lady she shall be.
9. "If this be a lie, a lie unto me,
A lie you bring unto me,
I'll cause a gallows to be rigged,
And hanged you shall be." [3]
A. 10. So he put the bugle to his mouth,
And he sounded loud and shrill:
"If there 's any man in bed with another man's wife,
It is time to be hastening away."
11. So Lord Daniel he ordered up all his men,
And he placed them in a row.
. . . . .
. . . . .
12. "What 's that, what 's that? " said little Matha Grove,
"For I know the sound so well.
It must be the sound of Lord Daniel's bugle,"
. . . . . .
13. "Lie still, lie still, you little Matha Grove,
And keep me from the cold.
Its's only my father's shepherd boy
That's driving sheep down in the fold."
14. So they hustled and they tumbled till they both fell asleep,
And nothing more did they hear,
Till Lord Daniel stood by their bedside.[4]
. . . . .
15. "How do you like my bed?" said he,
"And how do you like my sheet?
And how do you like my wedded lady
That lies in your arms and sleeps?"
I6. "Well do I like your bed," said he,
"Well do I like your sheet.
Better do I like your wedded lady,
That lies in my arms and sleeps."
17. "Get up, get up, you little Matha Grove,
And some of your clothes put on,
That it can't be said after your death
That I slew a naked man."[5]
B. 18. [6] "How can I get up," little Matha replied,
"And fight you for my life,
When you have two bright swords by your side,
And I have ne'er a knife?"
I9. "If I have two bright swords by my side,
They cost me deep in purse,
And you shall have the best of them,
And I shall have the worst.
20. " And you shall have the very first blow,
And I shall have the other.
What more, then, could I do for you
If you were my own born brother?"
A. 21. The very first blow that Matha Grove struck
He wounded Lord Daniel sore.
The very first blow Lord Daniel struck,
Little Matha could strike no more.
22. "So cursed be my hand! " said he,
"And cursed be my bride !
They have caused me to kill the handsomest man
That ever trod England's ground."[7]
B. 23. He took his lady by the hand,
He led her through the plain,
And he never spoke another word
Till he split her head in twain.
24. He put-his sword against the ground,
The point against his heart,
There never was three lovers
That sooner did depart.[8]
Footnotes:
1 C remembered the full s tanza-:
"Lord Daniel is away to the New Castle
King Henry for to see,
And this very night little Matha Grove
Shall lie with his wedded lady."
2. D recognized this stanza as being made up of parts of two stanzas, a s formerly sung. The first of the two stanzas she could not complete, but the second she completed as follows:
So he took to his heels to the river-side,
And he bended his breast and he swum,
And when he came to the dry land
He took to his heels and he run.
[Originally "bent his bow and swum." See 1921 article "Bent Bow" attached to Recordings & Info page.]
3. A omitted stanzas 8-9.
4 C rendered the stanza thus:-
"Cursed be my wife !" said he,
"And cursed be my hands !
For I have slain the best-looking man
That ever trod England's lands."
5 A omitted stanzas 23-24.
6 B rendered the stanza thus: -
So they tossed and tumbled all that night,
Till they both fell fast asleep.
And they never knew another word
Till Lord Arnold stood at their bed's feet.
7 B:--
"That it can't be said when you are dead
That I slew a naked man."
8 The following t hree stanzas are represented in A thus: -
"How can I go and fight you
When you have two bright swords lying down by your side.
And I 've got scarcely a knife? "
"You shall have the very best one,
And I shall have the worst,
And you shall have the very first blow,
And I shall have the next."
------------------
Ballads from Nova Scotia (Continued)
by W. Roy Mackenzie
The Journal of American Folklore, Vol. 25, No. 96 (Apr. - Jun., 1912), pp. 182-187
BALLADS FROM NOVA SCOTIA. - Continued [1]
BY W. ROY MACKENZIE
LITTLE MATHA GROVE
IN the Journal of American Folk-Lore for July-September, 1910, I published, under the title "Little Matha Grove," a version of
"Little Musgrave and Lady Barnard"'' (Child, No. 81). The basis of this text was a recitation by Mrs. Levi Langille, of Marshville,
Nova Scotia; but I also recorded stanzas and lines as delivered by three other persons who had some familiarity with the ballad. In August, 1911, I received from Mrs. Bigney, of Pictou, Nova Scotia, additional variants on a few of the stanzas; and these variants I shall record below, indicating their positions in the ballad by reference to my previously published version.
Stanza 3 is slightly changed; then follows a new stanza; and stanza 4, which was incomplete, is rounded out. The three new stanzas read thus:
Lord Daniel's wife, who was standing by,
On him she cast her eye,
Saying, "This very night, you little Matha Grove,
You must come with me and lie."
"I wouldn't for the world, I wouldn't for my life,
For fear Lord Daniel should hear,
For I know you are Lord Daniel's wife
By the ring on your hand you do wear."
"Well, what if I am Lord Daniel's wife,
As you suppose me to be?
Lord Daniel's away to the New Castle
King Henry for to see."
Stanza 14 is thus rendered:
They rumbled and tumbled till they both fell asleep;
And not a word did they say
Till Lord Daniel stood by the bed-side
Little Matha for to slay.
The following combination is made of stanzas 17 and 18:
"Get up, get up, you little Matha Grove,
And fight me for your life." -
"How can I fight when you've two bright swords,
And I've got scarcely a knife?"
Stanza 22 is thus rendered:
"Cursed be my wife," said he,
"And cursed be my hand.
They have caused me to slay the prettiest lad
That ever trod England's land."
1 "Three Ballads from Nova Scotia," Journal of American Folk-Lore, vol. xxiii (July- September, 191o), No. LXXXIX.