The Blood-Stained Son- Schroter (Finland) pre1857
[The following translated Finnish version is from English and Scottish ballads: Volume 2 - Book IV- Page 347 by Francis James Child - 1857. Child says The Blood-Stained Son is a Finnish traditionary ballad printed in Schroter's Finnische Runen and compares it with Twa Bothers but it's clearly a version of Edward. It's related to the Sven i Rosengård traditional Swedish ballads. Child also preceedes The Blood-Stained Son with a Swedish ballad titled The Youth of Rosengord. Archer Taylor's book "Edward" and "Sven I Rosengard": a Study in the Dissemination of a Ballad (1931) covers in detail these types ballads and other versions. I do not have a copy of Taylor's book.
R. Matteson 2011]
THE BLOOD-STAINED SON.
A translation, nearly word for word, of Der Blutige Sohn, printed from oral tradition in Schröter's Finnische Runen, (Finnisch und Deutsch,) ed. 1834, p. 151.
"SAY whence com'st thou, say whence com'st thou,
Merry son of mine?"
"From the lake-side, from the lake-side,
O dear mother mine."
"What hast done there, what hast done there,
Merry son of mine?"
"Steeds I watered, steeds I watered,
O dear mother mine."
"Why thus clay-bedaubed thy jacket,
Merry son of mine?"
"Steeds kept stamping, steeds kept stamping,
O dear mother mine."
"But how came thy sword so bloody,
Merry son of mine?"
"I have stabbed my only brother,
O dear mother mine."
"Whither wilt thou now betake thee,
Merry son of mine?"
"Far away to foreign countries,
O dear mother mine."
"Where leav'st thou thy gray-haired father,
Merry son of mine?"
"Let him chop wood in the forest,
Never wish to see me more,
0 dear mother mine."
"Where leav'st thou thy gray-haired mother,
Merry son of mine?"
"Let her sit, her flax a-picking,
Never wish to see me more,
0 dear mother mine."
"Where leav'st thou thy wife so youthful,
Merry son of mine?"
"Let her deck her, take another,
Never wish to see me more,
0 dear mother mine."
"Where leav'st thou thy son so youthful,
Merry son of mine?"
"He to school, and bear the rod there,
[Never wish to see me more,]
0 dear mother mine."
"Where leav'st thou thy youthful daughter,
Merry son of mine?
"She to the wood and eat wild berries,
Never wish to see me more,
O dear mother mine."
"Home when com'st thou back from roaming,
Merry son of mine?"
"In the north when breaks the morning,
O dear mother mine."
"In the north when breaks the morning,
Merry son of mine?"
"When stones dance upon the water,
O dear mother mine."
"When shall stones dance on the water,
Merry son of mine?"
"When a feather sinks to the bottom,
O dear mother mine."
"When shall feathers sink to the bottom,
Merry son of mine?"
"When we all shall come to judgment,
O dear mother mine."