Ballads of Mystery and Miracle and Fyttes of Mirth Part 10

49.

'We hae lived in guid green wood This seven years and ane; But a' this time, since e'er I mind, Was never a church within.'

50.

'Your asking's nae sae great, my boy, But granted it shall be: This day to guid church ye shall gang, And your mither shall gang you wi'.'

51.

When she came unto the guid church, She at the door did stan'; She was sae sair sunk down wi' shame, She couldna come farer ben.

52.

Then out it speaks the parish priest, And a sweet smile ga'e he: 'Come ben, come ben, my lily-flower, Present your babes to me.'

53.

Charles, Vincent, Sam and d.i.c.k, And likewise James and John; They call'd the eldest Young Akin, Which was his father's name.

54.

Then they staid in the royal court, And liv'd wi' mirth and glee, And when her father was deceas'd, Heir of the crown was she.

[Annotations: 4.4: 'spier,' ask.

14.4: 'stown,' stolen.

21.4: 'my lane,' by myself. Cp. 26.4.

23.2: 'stratlins,' strayings.

44.2: 'boun,' go.]

THE UNQUIET GRAVE

+The Text+ is that communicated to the _Folklore Record_ (vol. i. p. 60) by Miss Charlotte Latham, as it was written down from recitation by a girl in Suss.e.x (1868).

+The Story+ is so simple, and so reminiscent of other ballads, that we must suppose this version to be but a fragment of some forgotten ballad.

Its chief interest lies in the setting forth of a common popular belief, namely, that excessive grief for the dead 'will not let them sleep.' Cp.

Tibullus, Lib. 1. Eleg. 1, lines 67, 68:--

'Tu Manes ne laede meos: sed parce solutis Crinibus, et teneris, Delia, parce genis.'

The same belief is recorded in Germany, Scandinavia, India, Persia, and ancient Greece, as well as in England and Scotland (see Sir Walter Scott, _Red-gauntlet_, letter xi., note 2).

There is a version of this ballad beginning--

'Proud Boreas makes a hideous noise.'

It is almost needless to add that this is from Buchan's ma.n.u.scripts.

THE UNQUIET GRAVE

1.

'The wind doth blow today, my love, And a few small drops of rain; I never had but one true love, In cold grave she was lain.

2.

'I'll do as much for my true love As any young man may; I'll sit and mourn all at her grave For a twelvemonth and a day.'

3.

The twelvemonth and a day being up, The dead began to speak: 'Oh who sits weeping on my grave, And will not let me sleep?'

4.

''Tis I, my love, sits on your grave, And will not let you sleep; For I crave one kiss of your clay-cold lips, And that is all I seek.'

5.

'You crave one kiss of my clay-cold lips; But my breath smells earthy strong; If you have one kiss of my clay-cold lips, Your time will not be long.

6.

''Tis down in yonder garden green, Love, where we used to walk; The finest flower that ere was seen Is withered to a stalk.

7.

'The stalk is withered dry, my love, So will our hearts decay; So make yourself content, my love, Till G.o.d calls you away.'

[Annotations: 5.3,4: Cp. _Clerk Sanders_, 30.3,4 6.3: 'ere' = e'er.]

CLERK COLVEN

+The Text.+--This ballad was one of two transcribed from the now lost Tytler-Brown MS., and the transcript is given here. A considerable portion of the story is lost between stanzas 6 and 7.

+The Story+ in its full form is found in a German poem of the twelfth or thirteenth century (_Der Ritter von Stauffenberg_) as well as in many Scandinavian ballads.

In the German tale, the fairy bound the knight to marry no one; on that condition she would come to him whenever he wished, if he were alone, and would bestow endless gifts upon him: if ever he did marry, he would die within three days. Eventually he was forced to marry, and died as he had been warned.

In seventy Scandinavian ballads, the story remains much the same. The hero's name is Oluf or Ole, or some modification of this, of which 'Colvill,' or 'Colven,' as we have it here, is the English equivalent.

Oluf, riding out, is accosted by elves or dwarfs, and one of them asks him to dance with her. If he will, a gift is offered; if he will not, a threat is made. Gifts and threats naturally vary in different versions. He attempts to escape, is struck or stabbed fatally, and rides home and dies. His bride is for some time kept in ignorance of his death by various s.h.i.+fts, but at last discovers the truth, and her heart breaks. Oluf's mother dies also.

It will be seen from this account how much is lost in our ballad.

But it is evident that Clerk Colven's lady has heard of his previous acquaintance with the mermaiden. This point survives only in four Faroe ballads out of the seventy Scandinavian versions.

The story is also found in French, Breton, Spanish, etc.

CLERK COLVEN