The Bonny Lass of Lochroyan- Herd 1776 Child B
[According to Jamieson the Tabean birben kame in stanza 2 & 4 must denote, "an ivory comb made at Tabia." See Herd's almost identical text below Child's. Note that in the Child text birben is mispelled as brirben. The Child text in Stanza 5 [2] is also wrong: It's a' cored oer with pearl, should be: It's a' cover'd oer with pearl.]
Child: B came to Herd "by post from a lady in Ayrshire (?), name unknown."
From: An Accused Queen in "The Lass of Roch Royal" (Child 76) by David C. Fowler
The Journal of American Folklore, Vol. 71, No. 282 (Oct. - Dec., 1958), pp. 553-563
In Herd's version (Child B), dated 1776, the "shoe my foot" stanzas are removed from their dramatically appropriate position in the dialogue and placed at the beginning, where they now apparently become rhetorical questions uttered by the lass and addressed to the babe itself (already born? The babe is not mentioned directly again, but is perhaps indicated in B 18). In response to these questions someone (her sister?) replies that members of her own family (father, mither, brither) will shoe the babe's bonny feet, etc., and concludes (B 4): "Mysel will kame his bonny head, / With a tabean brirben kame; / And the Lord will be the bairn's father, / Till Love Gregory come hame." Nevertheless, in spite of this comforting a ssurance, the lass sails away in a rich ship to seek Love Gregory. Soon she meets a "rude rover," who asks her (B 8): "O whether is thou the Queen hersel, / Or ane o her maries three?/ Or is thou the lass of Lochroyan/, Seeking Love Gregory?" She identifies herself as the latter, and the rover points out a "bonny bower" where he says she will find Love Gregory. The lass then tirls at the pin, demanding entry, and, in spite of the apparent loyalty of her family (B I-4), announces that she is "Banisht frae a' my kin" (B ii). There follows the usual dialogue with mention of tokens (rings and maidenhead), except that the conversation ends abruptly, obviously because of the fact that the "shoe my foot" stanzas have been removed and placed at the beginning of the ballad. After naming the tokens, the lass again demands entry, and, there being presumably no reply (B 18-19):
Then she has turned her round about:
"Well, since that it be sae,
Let never woman that has born a son
Hae a heart sae full of wae.
"Take down, take down that mast o gould,
Set up a mast of tree;
For it dinna become a forsaken lady
To sail so royallie."
Next we have Love Gregory telling his mother the dream, and she responds as usual. He curses her and orders his steed ("'Gar saddle to me the black,' he said, 'Gar saddle to me the brown . . . ,'" etc.), rides out to meet the corpse, kisses her rosy lips, and then stabs himself to death. There is no mention of birk and brier.
The shifting of the "shoe my foot" stanzas to the beginning in this version from Herd marks a second stage in the distintegration of the ballad. Not only does this shift rob the lass-mother dialogue of its high point of pathos, but it exposes the "shoe my foot" stanzas to the danger of easy detachment from the rest of the ballad. This is, of course, what actually happens later on. We have a few ballads that lack these stanzas (76 C, G), and many that consist of little else than "shoe my foot" (J, plus scores of other ballads and songs). In spite of the intrusion of the funereal ending in this version, the important sea journey is retained; but, because of the new attitude of the lass's family, her sudden departure on the bonny ship is so poorly motivated as to seem useless and arbitrary. One positive feature of Herd's text is significant: for the first time it is suggested (B I-4, 18) that the child is already born.
The Bonny Lass of Lochroyan, or Lochroyen- Version B; The Lass of Roch Royal Child 76
Herd's Manuscript, I, 144; II, 60, the first ten lines; Herd's Scottish Songs, 1776, 1, 149.
1 'O wha will shoe thy bonny feet?
Or wha will glove thy hand?
Or wha will lace thy midle jimp,
With a lang, lang London whang?
2 'And wha will kame thy bonny head,
With a Tabean brirben kame?
And wha will be my bairn's father,
Till Love Gregory come hame?'
3 'Thy father'll shoe his bonny feet,
Thy mither'll glove his hand;
Thy brither will lace his middle jimp,
With a lang, lang London whang.
4 'Mysel will kame his bonny head,
With a tabean brirben kame;
And the Lord will be the bairn's father,
Till Love Gregory come hame.'
5 Then she's gart build a bonny ship,
It's a' cored oer with pearl,
And at every needle-tack was in't
There hang a siller bell.
6 And she's awa . . .
To sail upon the sea;
She's gane to seek Love Gregory,
In lands whereer he be.
7 She hadna saild a league but twa,
O scantly had she three,
Till she met with a rude rover,
Was sailing on the sea.
8 'O whether is thou the Queen hersel,
Or ane o her maries three?
Or is thou the lass of Lochroyan,
Seeking Love Gregory?'
9 'O I am not the Queen hersell,
Nor ane o her maries three;
But I am the lass o Lochroyan,
Seeking Love Gregory.
10 'O sees na thou yone bonny bower?
It's a' cored oer with tin;
When thou hast saild it round about,
Love Gregory is within.'
11 When she had saild it round about,
She tirled at the pin:
'O open, open, Love Gregory,
Open, and let me in!
For I am the lass of Lochroyan,
Banisht frae a' my kin.'
12 'If thou be the lass of Lochroyan,
As I know no thou be,
Tell me some of the true tokens
That past between me and thee.'
13 'Hast thou na mind, Love Gregory,
As we sat at the wine,
We changed the rings aff ither's hands,
And ay the best was mine?
14 'For mine was o the gude red gould,
But thine was o the tin;
And mine was true and trusty baith,
But thine was fa'se within.
15 'If thou be the lass of Lochroyan,
As I know na thou be,
Tell me some mair o the true tokens
Past between me and thee.'
16 'And has na thou na mind, Love Gregory,
As we sat on yon hill,
Thou twin'd me of my [maidenhead,]
Right sair against my will?
17 'Now open, open, Love Gregory,
Open, and let me in!
For the rain rains on my gude cleading,
And the dew stands on my chin.'
18 Then she has turnd her round about:
'Well, since that it be sae,
Let never woman that has born a son
Hae a heart sae full of wae.
19 'Take down, take down that mast o gould,
Set up a mast of tree;
For it dinna become a forsaken lady
To sail so royallie.'
20 'I dreamt a dream this night, mother,
I wish it may prove true,
That the bonny lass of Lochroyan
Was at the gate just now.'
21 'Lie still, lie still, my only son,
And sound sleep mayst thou get,
For it's but an hour or little mair
Since she was at the gate.'
22 Awa, awa, ye wicket woman,
And an ill dead may ye die!
Ye might have ither letten her in,
Or else have wakened me.
23 'Gar saddle to me the black,' he said,
'Gar saddle to me the brown;
Gar saddle to me the swiftest steed
That is in a' the town.'
24 Now the first town that he cam to,
The bells were ringing there;
And the neist toun that he cam to,
Her corps was coming there.
25 'Set down, set down that comely corp,
Set down, and let me see
Gin that be the lass of Lochroyan,
That died for love o me.'
26 And he took out the little penknife
That hang down by his gare,
And he's rippd up her winding-sheet,
A lang claith-yard and mair.
27 And first he kist her cherry cheek,
And syne he kist her chin,
And neist he kist her rosy lips;
There was nae breath within.
28 And he has taen his little penknife,
With a heart that was fou sair,
He has given himself a deadly wound,
And word spake never mair.
_______________
From Herd's Scottish Songs, 1776. The f was changes to an s throughout.
The Bonny Lass of Lochroyan.
O WHA will shoe thy bonny feet?
Or wha will glove thy hand?
Or wha will lace thy middle-jimp,
With a lang, lang London whang?
And wha will kame thy bonny head
With a Tabean birben kame? [1]
And wha will be my bairns father,
Till love Gregory come hame?
Thy father'll shoe his bonny feet;
Thy mother'll glove his hand;
Thy brither will lace his middle jimp
With a lang lang London whang.
Mysell will kame his bonny head
With a Tabean birben kame;
And the Lord will be the bairns father
Till Gregory come hame.
Then she's gart build a bonny ship,
It's a' coverd o'er with pearl:
And at every needle-track was in't.
There hang a siller-bell.
And she's awa
To fail upon the sea:
She's gane to seek love Gregory
In lands whare'er he be.
She had na sail'd a league but twa,
Or scantly had she three,
Till she met with a rude rover
Was failing on the sea.
O whether art thou the queen hersell?
Or ane o' her Maries three?
Or art thou the Lafs of Lochroyan
Seeking love Gregory?
O I am not the queen hersell,
Nor ane of her Maries three;
But I am the Lass of Lochroyan
Seeking love Gregory.
O sees na thou yon bonny bower,
It's a' cover'd o'er with tin:
When thou hast fail'd it round abut,
Love Gregory is within.
When she had fail'd it round about,
She tirled at the pin:
O open, open, love Gregory,
Open, and let me in!
For I am the Lass of Lochroyan,
Banisht frae a' my kin.
[His mother speaks to her from the house, and she thinks it him.]
If thou be the Lass of Lochroyan,
As I know na thou be,
Tell me some of the true takens
That past between me and thee.
Hast thou na mind, love Gregory,
As we sat at the wine,
We changed the rings aff ithers hands,
And ay the best was mine!
For mine was o' the gude red gould,
But thine was o' the tin;
And mine was true and trusty baith,
But thine was fause within.
And hast thou na mind, love Gregory,
As we sat on yon hill,
Thou twin'd me of my maidenhead
Right sair against my will?
Now open, open, love Gregory,
Open, and let me in;
For the rain rains on my gude deeding,
And the dew stands on my chin.
If thou be the Lass of Lochroyan,
As I know na thou be,
Tell me some mair o' the takens
Past between me and thee.
Then me has turn'd her round about,
Well since it will be sae,
Let never woman who has born a fon
Hae a heart fae full of wae.
Take down, take down that mast of gould,
Set up a mast of tree;
For it dinna become a forfaken lady
To sail sae royallie.
[He Speaks.]
I dreamt a dream this night, mother,
I wish it may prove true,
That the bonny Lass of Lochroyan
Was at the gate just now.
Lie still, lie still, my only son,
And sound sleep mayst thou get;
For it's but an hour or little mair
Since she was at the gate.
Awa, awa, ye wicked woman, And an ill dead may you die; Ye might have either letten her in, Or elfe have wakened me. Gar faddle to me the black, he faid, Gar faddle to me the brown, Gar faddle to me the fwiftefl fteed That is in a' the town. Now the firft town he came to,
The bells were ringing there; And the neifl town he came to,
Her corpfe was coming there.
Set down, fet down that comely corpfe,
Set down, and let me fee, Gin that be the Lafs of Lochroyan, That died for love o' me.
And he took out his little penknife,
That hang down by his gare; And he's ripp'd up her winding-meet, A lang claith-yard and mair.
And firft he kift her cherry-cheek,
And fyne he kift her chin, And neift he kift her rofy lips;
There was nae breath within.
And he has ta'en his little penknife,
With a heart that was fou fair; He has given himfelf a deadly wound,
And word fpoke never mair.
1. Tabean birben kame must denote, "an ivory comb made at Tabia." Jamieson