Lord Lovel- Bailey (VA) 1868 Davis L
[Ending fragment, from Davis; Traditional Ballads of Virginia; 1929. His notes follow.
R. Matteson 2014]
20. LORD LOVEL
(Child, No. 75)
For a general introduction to Nos. 18, 19, and 20, see the head-note to No. 18.
The wide popularity of "Lord Lovel" in America has frequently been mentioned, as in the head-notes of Cox and Reed Smith. The thirty-seven items of the Virginia collection can be more succinctly represented here because they all belong to a single version, and because several variants are almost identical. They all agree in the general outlines of the story differ only in minor details and in phraseology. There are, however, some remarkably interesting minor variations. The thoughts that came into Lord Lovel's mind, for instance are sometimes "languishing," but also "lingering," "laughing," "angry," "anguish," "strange," "laiguid," and "languish," and the church whose bells are tolling is sometimes "St. Pancras," but also "St. Patrick's," "St. Pauthry's," "St. Varney's," "St. Vincent's," "St. Mary's," and "St. Rebecca." The lovers preserve their names with some constancy. Lady Nancybell (variously spelled is only once Lady Annie, later Lady Annie the belle, which is quite close to the Ouncebell of Child A; and Lord Lovel slips only once, and quite naturally, into Lord Lover.
The Virginia texts are all closely related, in phraseology and in story, to Child H. The story is familiar. Lord Lovel tends his horse at his castle gate, when up comes Lady Nancybell to bid her lover good speed. In answer to her inquiries, he tells her that he is going strange countries for to see, and for what length of time he will be gone. In one text, A, she says that his intended stay is too long, and that she will be dead when he returns. Lord Lovel goes, but before his intended stay is up he languishes for Lady Nancybell and returns. In London he is greeted by funeral bells and is told the name of the dead, Lady Nancybell. He has the grave opened and the shroud turned back that he may kiss the dead, and himself dies of grief. They are buried near one another, and the rose and brier, springing from their graves, entwine their branches as a sign of love transcending death.
Miss Mary Johnston, the novelist, in a letter to Dr. Smith, of the Virginia Folk-Lore Society, tells of hearing a mountain woman sing the first two lines of "Lord Lovel" thus:
Lord Lovel stood at his cassy-gate,
A-combing his milk-white speed.
"It is probable," Dr. Smith explains, "that 'steed,' meaning nothing to the hearer, found itself easily replaced by the equally meaningless 'speed,' while 'cassy,' which often appears as 'casten' related itself vaguely in the singer's mind with the 'cast'-of 'cast-iron."' But the substitution of "cassy" for "castle" does not need such elaborate explanation. The ways of popular etymology are strange.
The four melodies, all much alike, are rather lilting, even tripping, with their double or triple repetition of the last word of the fourth line, followed by the repetition of the line. They are quite out of harmony with the deep tragedy of the ballad. To sing the tune is to mitigate the tragedy, perhaps even to run the risk of burlesquing it.
Parodies of "Lord Lovel" may be partially attributed to the tune, but also to the nature of the story. As Child says, " 'Lord Lovel' is peculiarly such a ballad as Orsino likes and praises: it is silly sooth, like the old age. Therefore a gross taste has taken pleasure in parodying it. But there are people in the world who are amused even with a burlesque of Othello." A Civil war
parody about Abe Lincoln, from oral tradition in Virginia, forms a perhaps excusable appendix to the ballad. Cox refers to various parodies in his head-note, p. 78.
For American texts, see Barry, No. 14; Belden, No.6 (fragment); Brown, p. 9 (North Carolina);. Bulletin, Nos. 2-10; Campbell and Sharp, No. 19 (North Carolina); Child, V, 294 (Massachusetts); Cox, No. 12; Jones, p. 301; Journal, xVIII:, 291 (Barry, Massachusetts, Connecticut, fragment and melody, Rhode Island, fragment, melody reprinted from Mus. 401, 2, Harvard
University Library); XIX, 283 (Belden, Missouri, version reprinted from Mr. Ashby's ballad-book); XXIV, 337 (Barry, melody only from Hudson MS. No. 336); XXXI, 352 (Pound, Nebraska, fragment); XXXVI 143 (Tolman and Eddy, Ohio, fragment and melody); Pound, Syllabus, p. 9, (fragment); Pound, Ballads, No. 2; Sandburg, p. 70 (South Carolina) Scarborough, p. 55 (North Carolina, text and melody); -Shearin, p. 3; Shearin and Combs, p. 8; shoemaker, p. 149; Reed Smith, No. 6; Reed Smith, Ballads, No. 6. Parody satirizing a Confederate officer, Belden, No. 128. Confederate parody substituting Lincoln for Lovel, Bulletin, No. 6, p. 6. For additional references, see Cox, p.78; Journal, XXIX, 160; XXXVI 343.
L. "Lord Lovel." Collected by Mr. John Stone. Sung by Mr. Thomas H. Bailey, of Marksville , Va. Page County. November 10, 1919. With music. "Mr. Bailey got this song years ago from a man named Oliver Cave, who lived on the top of the Blue Ridge mountains. The tune is almost identical with that of The Bonnie Blue Flag.' I have an idea that 'The Bonny Blue Flag, got its tune from Lord Lovel' "(Mr. stone). Mr. Fred P. Myers, who sends the same text from the same singer states that it that it was "sung by Mr. Bailey from memory of one hearing from Lee Koonz of Marksville, Page County, Va., 1868. Heard first at an apple-butter boiling.' " Perhaps Mr. Bailey's memory was at fault.
1 Lord Lovel who stands at the castle gate
A-combing his milk-white steed,
An' up comes Miss Nancy my dear,[1]
A-wishing her lover could stay, stay, stay,
A-wishing her lover could stay.
2 "Where are you going, Lord Lovel?" said she,
"Where are you going?" said she'
" Away, away to strange countries to see, see, see,
Away to strange countries to see.
3. "When-will you be back, Lord Lovell?" said she,
"When will you be back?" said she.
"One year or two or three at the most
I'll return to my Lady Nancy, -cy, -cy,
I'll return to my Lady Nancy."
4. He having been gone but a very short time,
Not more than a month and one day,
Languish thoughts came into his mind,[3]
His lady he would go see, see, see,
His lady he would go see.
5. He saddled his pony and he did ride,
He rode till he came to the town;
And there he heard the large church bell,
The people was mourning all 'round, 'round, 'round,
The people was mourning all 'round
6. "What is to matter?" Lord Lovel says he,
"What is to matter?" says he.
The ladies replied, "The Governor's daughter is dead.
Some called her the lady Nancy, -cy, -cy,
Some called her the lady Nancy."
7. He ordered her coffin to be opened wide
And the shroud to be fold down.
And there he kissed her clay-cold lips
Till the tears came trickling down, down, down,
Till the tears came trickling down.
1. In up comes (originally)
2. A conjectural standardization of this stanza for its last two lines these three:
"Away, away to strange countries,
Away to strange countries to see, see, see,
Away to strange countries to see."'
3 Variant line " Before languid thoughts came into his mind."