Bluegrass Messengers

May Collin; Child 4Da; Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight- Version D

[Child Da. from Sharpe's Ballad Book (1823), No 17, p. 45. Child's notes then Sharpe's notes,

R. Matteson 2014]

Child describes D in a footnote: "This ballad appears modern, from a great many expressions, but yet I am certain that it is old: the present copy came from the housekeeper at Methven." Note by Sharpe, in Laing's ed. of the Ballad Book, 1880, p. 130, xvii. Motherwell, in his Minstrelsy, p. lxx, n. 24, says that he had seen a stall ballad as early as 1749, entitled 'The Western Tragedy,' which perfectly agreed with Sharpe's copy. But in his Note-Book, p. 5 (about 1826-7), Motherwell says, "The best copy of May Colean with which I have met occurs in a stall copy printed about thirty years ago [should we then read 1799 instead of 1749?], under the title of 'The Western Tragedy.' I have subsequently seen a posterior reprint of this stall copy under this title, 'The Historical Ballad of May Collean.' In Mr. Sharpe's Ballad Book, the same copy, wanting only one stanza, is given."
 
Child: D, [see footnote above] E, F are all broadside or stall copies, and in broadside style. C, D, E, F have nearly the same story. False Sir John, a knight from the south country [west country, north lands], entices May Colven, C, D [a king's daughter, C 16, E 16; a knight's daughter, Polly, F 4, 9], to ride off with him, employing, in D, a charm which he has stuck in her sleeve. At the knight's suggestion, E, F, she takes a good sum of money with her, D, E, F. They come to a lonely rocky place by the sea [river-side, F], and the knight bids her alight: he has drowned seven ladies here [eight D, six E, F], and she shall be the next. But first she is to strip off her rich clothes, as being too good to rot in the sea. She begs him to avert his eyes, for decency's sake, and, getting behind him, throws him into the water. In F he is absurdly sent for a sickle, to crop the nettles on the river brim, and is pushed in while thus occupied. He cries for help, and makes fair promises, C, E, but the maid rides away, with a bitter jest [on his steed, D, leading his steed, E, F] , and reaches her father's house before daybreak. The groom inquires in D about the strange horse, and is told that it is a found one. The parrot asks what she has been doing, and is silenced with a bribe; and when the father demands why he was chatting so early, says he was calling to his mistress to take away the cat. Here C, E, F stop, but D goes on to relate that the maid at once tells her parents what has happened, and that the father rides off at dawn, under her conduct, to find Sir John. They carry off the corpse, which lay on the sands below the rocks, and bury it, for fear of discovery.

May Collin- Sharpe's Ballad Book (1823)

1    O heard ye of a bloody knight,
Lived in the south country?
For he has betrayed eight ladies fair
And drowned them in the sea.

2    Then next he went to May Collin,
She was her father's heir,
The greatest beauty in the land,
I solemnly declare.

3    'I am a knight of wealth and might,
Of townlands twenty-three;
And you'll be lady of them all,
If you will go with me.'

4    'Excuse me, then, Sir John,' she says;
'To wed I am too young;
Without I have my parents' leave,
With you I darena gang.'

5    'Your parents' leave you soon shall have,
In that they will agree;
For I have made a solemn vow
This night you'll go with me.'

6    From below his arm he pulled a charm,
And stuck it in her sleeve,
And he has made her go with him,
Without her parents' leave.

7    Of gold and silver she has got
With her twelve hundred pound,
And the swiftest steed her father had
She has taen to ride upon.

8    So privily they went along,
They made no stop or stay,
Till they came to the fatal place
That they call Bunion Bay.

9    It being in a lonely place,
And no house there was nigh,
The fatal rocks were long and steep,
And none could hear her cry.

10    'Light down,' he said, 'Fair May Collin,
Light down and speak with me,
For here I've drowned eight ladies fair,
And the ninth one you shall be.'

11    'Is this your bowers and lofty towers,
So beautiful and gay?
Or is it for my gold,' she said,
'You take my life away?'

12    'Strip off,' he says, 'Thy jewels fine,
So costly and so brave,
For they are too costly and too fine
To throw in the sea wave.'

13    'Take all I have my life to save,
O good Sir John, I pray;
Let it neer be said you killed a maid
Upon her wedding day.'

14    'Strip off,' he says, 'Thy Holland smock,
That's bordered with the lawn,
For it's too costly and too fine
To rot in the sea sand.'

15    'O turn about, Sir John,' she said,
'Your back about to me,
For it never was comely for a man
A naked woman to see.'

16    But as he turned him round about,
She threw him in the sea,
Saying, 'Lie you there, you false Sir John,
Where you thought to lay me.

17    'O lie you there, you traitor false,
Where you thought to lay me,
For though you stripped me to the skin,
Your clothes you've got with thee.'

18    Her jewels fine she did put on,
So costly, rich and brave,
And then with speed she mounts his steed,
So well she did behave.

19    That lady fair being void of fear,
Her steed being swift and free,
And she has reached her father's gate
Before the clock struck three.

20    Then first she called the stable groom,
He was her waiting man;
Soon as he heard his lady's voice
He stood with cap in hand.

21    'Where have you been, fair May Collin?
Who owns this dapple grey?'
'It is a found one,' she replied,
'That I got on the way.'

22    Then out bespoke the wily parrot
Unto fair May Collin:
'What have you done with false Sir John,
That went with you yestreen?'

23    'O hold your tongue, my pretty parrot,
And talk no more to me,
And where you had a meal a day
O now you shall have three.'

24    Then up bespoke her father dear,
From his chamber where he lay:
'What aileth thee, my pretty Poll,
That you chat so long or day?'

25    The cat she came to my cage-door,
The thief I could not see,
And I called to fair May Collin,
To take the cat from me.'

26    Then first she told her father dear
The deed that she had done,
And next she told her mother dear
Concerning false Sir John.

27    'If this be true, fair May Collin,
That you have told to me,
Before I either eat or drink
This false Sir John I'll see.'

28    Away they went with one consent,
At dawning of the day,
Until they came to Carline Sands,
And there his body lay.

29    His body tall, by that great fall,
By the waves tossed to and fro,
The diamond ring that he had on
Was broke in pieces two.

30    And they have taken up his corpse
To yonder pleasant green,
And there they have buried false Sir John,
For fear he should be seen.
_____________________________

The following is from Four books of choice old Scottish ballads, 1823-1844, edited by T. G. Stevenson, C. K. Sharpe, James Maidment,  1868 - 384 pages. It has a reprint of the Sharpe text. 

This is a much fuller Set of the Ballad than I ever saw Printed. It is probable that Collin, or Colvin, is a corruption of Colvill; and that Carline Sands means Carlinseugh Sands, on the coast of Forfarshire, Sir John's charm resembles that used by Sir John Colquhoun in the year 1633, and the Glamour of Faa the Egyptian— touching whose amorous adventure, and tragical end, I may here mention some lines expressive of the powers of the husband's family, which I found among the Macfarlane MSS.

" 'Twixt Wigton and the town of Air, " Portpatrick and the cruives of Cree, " No man needs think for to byde there, " Unless he court with Kennedie." I will only add, that May Collin's appropriation of her lover's steed, though unromantic, may be justified by the example of the Princess of Cathay herself. Ariosto informs us that Angelica was never at a loss for a palfrey ; when Orlando had seized one, from which she fell, she would steal another.

" Cerchi pur, ch' altro furto le dia aila, 
D'un' altra bestia, come prima ha fatto."

MAY COLLIN

I. Oh! heard ye of a bloody knight,
Lived in the south country?
For he has betrayed eight ladies fair,
And drowned them in the sea.

II. Then next he went to May Colin,
She was her father's heir;
The greatest beauty in the laud,
I solemnly declare.

III. "I am a knight of wealth and might,
"Of townlands twenty-three ;
"And you'll be the lady of them all
"If you will go with me."

IV. " Excuse me, then, Sir John," she says,
"To wed I am too young—
"Without I have my parents' leave,
"With you I darena gang."
 
V. "Your parents' leave you soon shall have,
"In that they will agree;
"For I have made a solemn vow,
"This night you'll go with me."

VI. From below his arm he pulled a charm,
And stuck it in her sleeve;
And he has made her go with him,
Without her parents' leave.

VII. Of gold and silver she has got
With her twelve hundred pound;
And the swiftest steed her father hail,
She has ta'en to ride upon.

VIII. So privily they went along,
They made no stop or stay,
Till they came to the fatal place,
That they call Bunion Bay.

IX. It being in a lonely place,
And no house there was nigh,
The fatal rocks were long and steep,
And none could hear her cry.

X. "Light down," he said, "Fair May Collin,
"Light down and speak with me,
"For here I've drowned eight ladies fair,
"And the ninth one you shall be."

XI. "Is this your bowers and lofty towers,
"So beautiful and gay,
"Or is it for my gold," she said,
"You take my life away?"

XII. " Strip off," he says, "thy jewels fine,
"So costly and so brave,
"For they are too costly and too fine,
"To throw in the sea wave."

XIII. "Take all I have my life to save,
"Oh, good Sir John, I pray,
"Let it ne'er be said you killed a maid,
"Upon her wedding day."

XIV. "Strip off," he says, " thy Holland smock,
"That's bordered with the lawn,
"For it's too costly and too fiue,
"To rot on the sea sand."

XV. "Oh, turn about, Sir John," she said,
"Your back about to me,
"For it never was comely for a man
"A naked woman to see."

XVI. But as he turned him round about,
She threw him in the sea,
Saying, "Lie you there, you false Sir John,
"Where you thought to lay me."

XVII. "Oh, lie you there, you traitor false,
"Where you thought to lay me,
"For though you stripped me to the skin,
"Your clothes you've got with thee."

XVIII. Her jewels fine she did pat on,
So costly rich and brave,
And then with speed she mounts his steed,
So well she did behave.

XIX. That lady fair being void of fear,
Her steed being swift and free,
And she has reached her father's gate,
Before the clock struck three.

XX. Then first she called the stable groom,
He was her waiting man;
Soon as he heard his lady's voice,
He stood with cap in hand.

XXI. "Where have you been, Fair May Collin,
"Who owns this dapple grey?"
"It is a found one," she replied,
"That I got on the way."

XXII. Then out bespoke the wily parrot,
Unto fair May Collin— "
"What have you done with false Sir John,
"That went with you yestreen ?"

XXIII. "Oh, hold your tongue my pretty parrot,
"And talk no more of me,
"And where you had a meal a day,
"Oh, now you shall have three!"

XXIV. Then up bespoke her father dear,
From his chamber where he lay—
"What aileth thee, my pretty Poll,
"That you chat so long or day ?"
 
XXV. "The cat she came to my cage door,
"The thief I could not see,
"And I called to Fair May Collin.
"To take the cat from me."

XXVI. Then first she told her father dear,
The deed that she had done,
And next she told her mother dear,
Concerning false Sir John.

XXVII. "If this be true, Fair May Collin,
"That you have told to me,
"Before I either eat or drink,
"This false Sir John I'll see."

XXVIII. Away they went with one consent,
At dawning of the day;
Until they came to Carline Sands,
And there his body lay.

XXIX. His body tall, by that great fall,
By the waves tossed to and fro,
The diamond ring that he had on,
Was broke in pieces two.

XXX. And they have taken up his corpse,
To yonder pleasant green,
And there they have buried false Sir John,
For fear he should be seen.