The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland Volume I Part 42

Fair maid, pretty maid; Give your hand to me, And you shall see a blackbird, A blackbird on the tree; All sorts of colours Lying by his side, Take me, dearest [--], For to be my bride-

Will you come?

No!

Naughty old maid, she won't come out, She won't come out, To help us with our dancing-

Will you come?

Yes!

Now we've got the bonny la.s.s, Now we've got the bonny la.s.s, To help us with our dancing.

-Liphook, Hants (Miss Fowler).

XIII. Trip trap over the gra.s.s, If you please, will you let one of your [eldest] daughters come, Come and dance with me?

I will give you pots and pans, I will give you bra.s.s, I will give you anything For a pretty la.s.s-

No!

I will give you gold and silver, I will give you pearl, I will give you anything For a pretty girl.

Take one, take one, the fairest you may see.

The fairest one that I can see Is pretty [Nancy], come to me;

You shall have a duck, my dear, And you shall have a drake, And you shall have a young man, Apprentice for your sake.

If this young man should happen to die, And leave this poor woman a widow, The bells shall all ring and the birds shall all sing, And we'll clap hands together.

-Halliwell's _Popular Nursery Rhymes_, cccx.x.xii.

XIV. Will you take gold and silver, or will you take bra.s.s, Will you take anything for a pretty la.s.s?

No! we'll not take gold and silver, no! we'll not take bra.s.s; We'll not take anything for a pretty la.s.s.

Will you take the keys of school, or will you take bra.s.s?

Will you take anything for a pretty la.s.s?

Yes! we'll take the keys of school; yes! we will take bra.s.s; We will take anything for a pretty la.s.s.

Come, my dear [Mary Anne], and give me your right hand,

And you shall have a duck, my dear, You shall have a drake; You shall have a nice young man To fiddle for your sake.

The birds will sing, the bells will ring, And we'll all clap hands together.

-Congleton Workhouse School (Miss A. E. Tremlow).

(_c_) The popular version of this game is played by the greater number of the children forming a line on one side with joined hands, and one child (sometimes two or more) facing them, advancing and retiring while singing the verses. When he asks the question, "Will you come?" one girl on the opposite side answers "No!" and afterwards "Yes!" When this is said, she goes to the opposite side, and the two dance round together while singing the next verse. The game begins again by the two singing the verses, and thus getting a third child to join them, when the game proceeds for a fourth, and so on.

The Congleton and London versions are played by two lines of children of about equal numbers. In the Lincolns.h.i.+re version the above description answers, except that when the last line is sung every one claps hands.

In the Suss.e.x version the child at the end of the line is taken over by the child who sings the verses, and they lock their little fingers together while singing the remainder.

Addy (_Sheffield Glossary_) says:-"Two children advance and retire on one side. When the opposite side says 'Yes!' the two take the first child in the row and dance round with her, singing the remaining verse.

This is called 'the wedding.'"

The Lanarks.h.i.+re version is quite a different one, and contains rather remarkable features. Mr. Black says that the game was played entirely by girls, never by boys, and generally in the months of May or June, about forty years ago. The children sang with rather mincing and refined voices, evidently making an effort in this direction. They walked, with their hands clasped behind their backs, up and down the road. Each child was crowned with rushes, and also had sashes or girdles of rushes.

Mr. Ballantyne says in his boyhood it was played by a row of boys on one side and another of girls opposite. The boys selected a girl when singing the third verse.

In the Roxton version, one child at the end of the line of children acts as "mother." One child advances as "suitor," and says the three first verses. The "mother" replies with the next line. The "suitor" chooses a girl and says the next verse, and then all the children sing the last verse. This is the same action as in Halliwell's version.

(_d_) The a.n.a.lysis of the game-rhymes is on pp. 164-67. This a.n.a.lysis presents us with a very good example of the changes caused by the game-rhymes being handed down by tradition among people who have forgotten the original meaning of the game. The first line in the Scotch version contains the word "dis," which is not known to the ordinary vocabulary. Another word, of similar import, is "dik-ma-day" in the Lanarks.h.i.+re version. Two other words occur, namely, "thegan" in the Lanarks.h.i.+re, and "maycanameecan" in the Suss.e.x versions, which are also not to be found in ordinary vocabularies. The two last words appear only once, and cannot, therefore, be used for the purpose of tracing out an original form of the game-rhyme, because on the system of a.n.a.lysis adopted they may be arbitrary introductions and totally unconnected with the original rhymes. This, however, is not the case with the two first-mentioned words, and I am inclined to consider them as forming part of the earliest version. The word "dis" is carried through no less than ten out of the fourteen variants, the gradation in the forms being as follows:-

dis da.s.s dish diss[y]-duss dossy this-thus -dust -dust[y]

What the meaning of this word is it may be impossible to ascertain, though probably Mr. Newell may be correct in his suggestion that it represents the old English word "adist," the opposite of "ayont,"

meaning "this way," "come hither" (_Games of American Children_, p. 51).

But the point really is, that the version which contains the oldest word-forms would probably be the purest in other respects. The a.n.a.lysis of the whole game confirms this view, as the Scottish and Yorks.h.i.+re versions are nearly parallel, while the discrepancies begin to creep in with the Shrops.h.i.+re version, reaching their last stage in the versions recorded by Halliwell and from Congleton. Following this line of argument, "dik-ma-day" becomes first "duke, my dear," and then "duck, my dear." Turning next to the import of the rhymes, apart from special words used, it is curious to note that "dis" is only converted into "dusty," and hence into "dusty day," in two versions out of the fourteen. The Lincolns.h.i.+re version agrees with Halliwell's version in making some curious offers for a pretty la.s.s, but these rhymes are probably an innovation. In the same way the incidents numbered 39-40, occurring in the Suss.e.x version, and 43-46 occurring in the London and Hants versions, are borrowings from other games, and not original portions of this. The Congleton version is evidently incomplete.

+----+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+ No. Scotland (Chambers). Lanarks.h.i.+re. Biggar. +----+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+ 1. A-dis, a-dis, a green A-dis, a-dis, a green A dish, a dish, a gra.s.s. gra.s.s. green gra.s.s. 2. - - - 3. A-dis, a-dis, a-das. A-dis, a-dis, a-da.s.s. A dish, a dish, a dish. 4. - - - 5. - - - 6. Come all ye pretty Come my pretty fair Come all ye pretty maids. maid. maids. 7. And dance along with And walk along with And dance along with us. us. us. 8. For we are going a- - For we are lads a roving. roving. 9. We'll take this maid - We'll take this pretty by the hand. fair maid by the hand. 10. - - - 11. - - - 12. You shall have a duke, You shall have a dik- Ye sall get a duke. my dear. ma-day. 13. - - - 14. - - - 15. - - - 16. - - - 17. - - - 18. - - - 19. - - - 20. You shall have a You shall have a Ye sall get a drake. drake. dragon. 21. - - - 22. - - - 23. - - - [8.] - - - 24. And ye shall get a You shall have a nice Ye sall get a bonny young prince. young man. prince. 25. - - - 26. - - - 27. A young prince for - For your ain sake. your sake. 28. - - - 29. - - - 30. If this young prince - If they all should should die. die. 31. - - - 32. Ye shall get another. - Ye sall get anither. 33. - - - 34. - - - 35. Bells will ring and - The bells will ring, birds sing. birds will sing. 36. - - - 37. We'll all clap hands - We'll clap hands together. together. 38. - With princes for his - thegan. 39. - - - 40. - - - 41. - - - 42. - - - 43. - - - 44. - - - 45. - - - 46. - - - +----+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+

+----+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+ No. Yorks.h.i.+re. Roxton. Shrops.h.i.+re. +----+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+ 1. Dissy, dissy, green Dossy, dossy, green - gra.s.s. gra.s.s. 2. - - Walking up the green gra.s.s. 3. Dissy, dissy, duss. Dossy, dossy, doss. A dust, a dust, a dust. 4. - - - 5. - - - 6. Come all ye pretty Come all ye pretty We want a pretty maids. maids. maiden. 7. And dance along with Dance upon the gra.s.s. To walk along with us. us. 8. - - - 9. - - We'll take her by the hand. 10. - - - 11. - - She shall go to Derby. 12. You shall have a duck. You shall have a duck. She shall have a duck, (after No. 19) my dear. 13. - I will give pots and - pans. 14. - ..... bra.s.s. - 15. - ..... gold and silver. - 16. - ..... pearl. - 17. - ..... anything. - 18. - - - 19. - For a pretty la.s.s. - 20. You shall have a You shall have a She shall have a drake. drake. drake. 21. - - - 22. - - - 23. - - - [8.] - - - 24. You shall have a nice You shall have a young She shall have a nice young man. man. young man. 25. - - - 26. - - - 27. To love you for your - A fighting for her sake. sake. 28. - Apprentice for your - sake. 29. - - - 30. If this young man - Suppose this young man should chance to die. was to die. 31. - If this young man - should wealthy grow. 32. - - - 33. And leave the girl a - And leave the girl a widow. widow. 34. - And give his wife a - feather. 35. Birds shall sing and Bells shall ring and Bells ring and we bells ring. birds sing. shall sing. 36. - - - 37. Clap all your hands We'll all clap hands And all clap hands together. together. together. 38. - - - 39. - - - 40. - - - 41. - - - 42. - - - 43. - - - 44. - - - 45. - - - 46. - - - +----+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+

+----+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+ No. Lincolns.h.i.+re, Suss.e.x, Hurstmonceux. Middles.e.x. Frodingham. +----+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+ 1. - - - 2. Stepping up the green Up and down the green Tripping up the green gra.s.s. gra.s.s. gra.s.s. 3. Thus, and thus, and This, and that, and - thus. thus. 4. - - Dusty, dusty day. 5. - - - 6. Please may we have a Come all ye fair Come all ye pretty pretty la.s.s. maids. maids. 7. To come and play with And walk along with Come and with us play. us. us. 8. - - - 9. - - - 10. - - - 11. - - - 12. - - You shall have a duck. 13. We will give you pots - - and pans. 14. ..... bra.s.s. - - 15. ..... gold and silver. Some will give us - silver ..... gold. 16. ..... pearl. - - 17. ..... anything. - - 18. - - - 19. For a pretty la.s.s. - - 20. You shall have a goose - You shall have a swan. for dinner. 21. - Take hold of my - finger. 22. - Maycanameecan. - 23. - - - [8.] - - - 24. You shall have a nice - You shall have a nice young man. young man. 25. - Pray tell me the name - of your young man. 26. - - - 27. - - A waiting for to come. 28. - - - 29. To take you up the - - garden. 30. Suppose this young man - Suppose he were to was to die. die. 31. - - - 32. - - - 33. And leave the girl a - And leave his wife a widow. widow. 34. - - - 35. Bells would ring, cats - - would sing. 36. - - Come all ye pretty fair maids. 37. So we'll all clap - Come clap your hands hands together. together. 38. - - - 39. - Don't you think [ ] - a nice young man? 40. - Don't you think [ ] - as handsome as he? 41. - Then off with the - glove, on with the ring. 42. - You shall be married - when you can agree. 43. - - - 44. - - - 45. - - - 46. - - - +----+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+

+----+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+ No. London. Hants, Liphook. Halliwell. +----+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+ 1. - - - 2. Here we come up the Here we go up the Trip, trap, over the green gra.s.s. green gra.s.s. gra.s.s. 3. - - - 4. On a dusty, dusty day. - - 5. - So early in the - morning. 6. Fair maid, pretty Fair maid, pretty Please let one of your maid. maid. daughters come. 7. - - Come and dance with me. 8. [See below.] - - 9. Give your hand to me. Give your hand to me. Take one, take the fairest you can see. 10. - - Pretty [ ] come to me. 11. - - - 12. - - You shall have a duck, my dear. 13. - - I will give you pots and pans. 14. - - ..... bra.s.s. 15. - - ..... gold and silver. 16. - - ..... pearl. 17. - - ..... anything. 18. I'll show you a You shall see a - blackbird. blackbird. 19. - - For a pretty girl. 20. - - You shall have a drake. 21. - - - 22. - - - 23. - All sorts of colours - lying by his side. [8.] We'll all go roving. - - 24. - - You shall have a young man. 25. - - - 26. I'll take [ ] for my Take [ ] for my - bride. bride. 27. - - - 28. - - Apprentice for your sake. 29. - - - 30. - - If this young man should happen to die. 31. - - - 32. - - - 33. - - And leave the poor woman a widow. 34. - - - 35. - - Bells shall ring, birds shall sing. 36. - - - 37. - - We'll all clap hands together. 38. - - - 39. - - - 40. - - - 41. - - - 42. - - - 43. Naughty miss, she Naughty old maid, she - won't come out. won't come out. 44. To help us with our To help us with our - dancing. dancing. 45. Now we've got our Now we'll get our - bonny la.s.s. bonny la.s.s. 46. To help us with our To help us with our - dancing. dancing. +----+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+

+----+----------------------+ No. Sheffield. +----+----------------------+ 1. - 2. Stepping up the green gra.s.s. 3. Thus, and thus, and thus. 4. - 5. - 6. Will you let one of your fair maids. 7. Come and play with us. 8. - 9. - 10. - 11. - 12. - 13. We will give you pots and pans. 14. ..... bra.s.s. 15. ..... gold and silver. 16. ..... pearl. 17. ..... anything. 18. - 19. For a pretty la.s.s. 20. - 21. - 22. - 23. - [8.] - 24. You shall have a nice young man. 25. - 26. - 27. - 28. Born for your sake. 29. - 30. - 31. - 32. - 33. - 34. - 35. Bells shall ring, cats shall sing. 36. - 37. We'll all clap hands together. 38. - 39. - 40. - 41. - 42. - 43. - 44. - 45. - 46. - +----+----------------------+

(_e_) Henderson, in describing the curious rites accompanying the saining or blessing of a corpse in the Scottish Lowlands, states that empty dishes are arranged on the hearth as near as possible to the fire, and after certain ceremonies in connection therewith have been performed, the company join hands and dance round the dishes, singing this burden:-

A dis, a dis, a dis, A green griss; A dis, a dis, a dis.

-_Folk-lore of Northern Counties_, p. 54.

This rhyme is, it will be seen, the same as the first two lines of the game, the word "griss" in the burial-rhyme becoming "gra.s.s" in the game-rhyme, "grisse" being the old form for "gra.s.s" or herb (Halliwell, _Provincial Glossary_, quotes a MS. authority for this). This identification of the game-rhyme would suggest that the game originally was a child's dramatic imitation of an old burial ceremony, and it remains to be seen whether the signification of the words would carry out this idea.

In the first place, the idea of death is a prominent incident in the game, appearing in seven out of the fourteen versions. In all these cases the death is followed by the clapping of hands and bell-ringing, and in five cases by the singing of birds. Clapping of hands occurs in two other cases, and bell-ringing in one other case, not accompanied by the death incident. Now it is singular that the burial-rite which has just been quoted is called Dish-a-loof; and a reference to the game of "Dish-a-loof" [under that t.i.tle], will show that it derives its name from the clapping of hands. In the ceremony, as described by Henderson, although songs and games are part of the burial-ceremony, there is no specific mention of hand-clapping; but it is conceivable that the action at one time formed part of the ceremony, and hence the name "Dish-a-loof." This would not account for the promise of a duck, drake, &c., as in incidents Nos. 12 and 20; nor for the promise of a young prince or young man; but these incidents might very well be variants of some earlier forms which are not now discoverable, especially as love-games were played at funerals, and as the tendency, in the less complete forms of the game as they have come down to us, is in the direction of transposing the game into a complete love-game. The use of rushes in the Lanarks.h.i.+re game might indicate the funeral garland (Aubrey's _Remaines_, pp. 109, 139). For clapping of hands to indicate bell-tolling or bell-ringing at times of death see Napier's _Folklore_, p. 66. Henderson (p. 63) says the "pa.s.sing bell" was supposed in former times to serve two purposes: it called on all good Christians within hearing to pray for the departing spirit, and it scared away the evil spirits who were watching to seize it, or at least to scare and terrify it.

On the whole evidence from the rhymes, therefore, I should be disposed to cla.s.s this game as originally belonging to burial, and not love, rites.

Green Gravel

[Music]

-Madeley, Shrops.h.i.+re (Miss Burne).

[Music]