POPULAR BRITISH BALLADS, ANCIENT AND MODERN

1. The word "ballad" is admittedly of very wide significance. Meaning originally "a song intended as the accompaniment to a dance," it was afterwards applied to "a light simple song of any kind" with a leaning towards the sentimental or romantic; and, in its present use, is defined by Dr Murray as "a simple spirited poem in short stanzas, in which some popular story is graphically told." Passing over the obsolete sense of "a popular song specially celebrating or scurrilously attacking some person or institution," we may note that Dr Johnson calls a ballad "a song," and quotes a statement from Watts that it once "signified a solemn and sacred song as well as a trivial, when Solomon's Song was called the 'The Ballad of Ballads,' but now it is applied to nothing but trifling verse."

Ballad-collectors, however, have never strictly regarded any one of these definitions, and to me their catholicity seems worthy of imitation. I have demanded no more of a ballad than that it should be a simple spirited narrative; and, though excluding the pure lyrics and metrical romances found in Percy's Reliques or elsewhere, I have been guided in doubtful cases rather by intuition than by rule. I have included poems written in every variety of metre except blank verse, and even the latter may seem to be represented by Blake's Fair Elinor.

Moreover, this is a collection of poems, not of archaeological specimens or verses on great historic events; and the ballads have been chosen according to my judgment of their artistic merits.

2. Vols. I. and II. contain the best traditionary ballads of England and Scotland, with a small group of Peasant Ballads still sung in country districts. Vols. III. and IV. contain selected modern experiments in the art of ballad-writing by English, Scotch, and Welsh poets, with a mixed group of Irish ballads; those on foreign or classical subjects being in each case excluded.

a. The text of the old ballads has been carefully prepared from the best authorities, and the spelling is modernised so far as can be done without injuring the rhythm or accentuation. Brief historical or explanatory notes are printed in the Table of Contents, and obsolete terms are explained in footnotes.

No attempt has been made to settle disputed dates of composition, but the ballads are arranged in groups according to the collection (e.g. Percy's Reliques, Scott's Minstrelsy, etc.) in which they were first included, and thus brought before the notice of the literary public. The groups are arranged according to the dates of publication of the collections.

b. For the Peasant Ballads one text is seldom more authoritative than another, and minor differences have to be settled by personal judgment. The versions here offered, have, in many cases, been prepared from those popular in different parts of England. They are believed to represent the most poetical form of the songs which were the favourites of the elder generation, and which are being now superseded by the shorter and more sensational effusions of the music-hall. They are arranged according to their subjects.

c. The modern ballads are arranged chronologically, according to the dates of birth of their authors, and are intended to be, so far as possible, representative of our best poets. Parodies and dialect poems have been purposely omitted, because they form classes by themselves and are essentially different in spirit from both the traditionary and the literary ballads. This restriction does not involve the omission of all poems with humorous subjects or treatment.

By calling these ballads "modern" I do not wish to imply that every one of them was written later than those in Vols. I. and II., since it is practically certain that some of the Peasant group belong to this century. They are modern in the sense of being literary productions by known authors, which were offered to the public in a printed form from the first.

d. Irish ballads, written in English, are comparatively modern, but they belong to the traditionary manner and, whether the work of ballad-mongers or of poets, need not be separated from the few translations from the Irish which have been thought suitable for this collection. They too are arranged chronologically.

e. A similar group of Welsh ballads was projected, but after a careful investigation of the principal periodicals and collections, and some correspondence with students of Welsh literature, I have concluded that, for English readers at least, there exist but few Welsh ballads of any merit; and that the poetic genius of the nation could not be fairly represented by such a selection.

3. a. Every student of our old ballads owes an immeasurable debt of gratitude to Professor F. J. Child, whose monumental collections * have covered the entire field. I have naturally followed his guidance in the choice of texts and used his transcripts from manuscripts, having received his cordial permission to do so, in letters of kind advice and sympathy.

* "English and Scottish Ballads," in 8 vols. (Houghton,
Mifflin & Co.); "The English and Scottish Ballads"—in the
course of publication—Parts i.-viii. having already
appeared (Houghton, Mifflin & Co.).

My thanks are also due to Dr Furnivall and Professor Hales for answers to questions and permission to follow their reprint of The Percy Folio; to Professor Skeat for the use of his transcript of The Hunting of the Cheviot; to Mr W. C. Hazlitt for a portion of an old copy of Adam Bell, Clym of the Clough, and William Cloudeslè; and to the Council of the Folk-lore Society for the version of the Unquiet Grave which appeared in their Record.

b. In the preparation of the Peasant group I have received great assistance from the Rev. S. Baring-Gould, who has generously put at my disposal the results of his life-long studies in this subject, given me advice and information at every turn, and allowed me the free use of all his own manuscript and printed material. Without his help and encouragement this part of the work could never have been completed.

My thanks are also due to numerous members of the Folk-lore Society, both in London and the provinces, among whom I would particularly mention Miss C. S. Burne, author of Shropshire Folk-lore, and Mrs Balfour of Northumberland.

I have received much assistance also from Miss Lucy E. Broadwood, who has united with Mr J. A. Fuller-Maitland and the Leadenhall Press, Ltd., in permitting me to reprint from her English County Songs.

For replies to various questions on these subjects I am indebted to Messrs A. T. Quiller-Couch, W. E. A. Axon, Edward Peacock, the Rev. J. C. Atkinson, Judge Hughes, Miss Field, and Miss G. Chanter. Messrs G. Bell & Sons have kindly allowed me to reprint "Sir Arthur and charming Mollee" from their Ancient Poems, Ballads, and Songs of the Peasantry of England.

c. For the use of copyright matter my thanks are further due to Messrs Macmillan & Co., the publishers of Charles Kingsley, and Miss Rossetti; to Messrs Smith, Elder & Co., of Robert Browning; to Messrs Chatto & Windus, of G. W. Thombury; to Messrs Elis & Elvey, of D. G. Rossetti; Messrs Ward, Lock & Bowden, of Henry Kingsley; Messrs Kegan Paul & Co., of Mrs Hamilton-King; Messrs Messina & Co., Melbourne, of A. L. Gordon; and Mr C. Baxter, the agent of Mr R. L. Stevenson.

I am also indebted to Sir George Young, Bart., for information concerning W. M. Praed; to. Mr Sebastian Evans; Mrs W. B. Scott; Mrs Dobell; Dr George MacDonald; Miss Jean Ingelow and her publishers, Messrs Longmans, Green & Co.; Mrs Isa Craig Knox; Mrs Calverly; Dr Garnett; Mrs Cory and the publisher of the late William Cory, Mr George Allen; Mr A. C. Swinburne; Madame Darmsteter; Miss Grant; Mr Ernest Rhys; Mr R. Buchanan; Mr John Davidson; Mr Rudyard Kipling and his publishers, Messrs Methuen & Co., and Messrs Thacker & Co.; and Miss G. Chanter.

Having found every endeavour vain to discover the address of the Misses Hawker, I have ventured to reprint The Doom of St Madron, by the late R. S. Hawker, without their permission, the publishers, Messrs Kegan Paul & Co., offering no objection so far as they are concerned. From the works of Tennyson, Mr Wm. Morris, and a few others, I should have made selections, had not the permission been, to my great regret, withheld.

d. In the preparation of the Irish group I have been very materially assisted by Mr Alfred Percival Graves, who has advised my selection and given me the free use of all his own work; and by Mr David J. O'Donoghue, author of the Dictionary of the Poets and Poetry of Ireland, who has devoted much time to supplying me with information of all kinds, and directing me to the work of comparatively unknown authors.

For the use of copyright matter I am also indebted to Mrs Allingham; to Professor E. F. Savage-Armstrong, for his own work, and that of his brother, the late Edward J. Armstrong; to Lady Ferguson; Miss Emily H. Hickey; Mr Michael Hogan; Mr Wm. Winter and Messrs C. Scribner & Sons, for a poem by Fitzjames O'Brien; Messrs Routledge & Sons for poems by S. Lover; to Mr T. D. Sullivan, M.P.; Mrs K. Tynan (Hinkson); Mr Aubrey de Vere and his publishers, Messrs Macmillan & Co.; Mr W. B. Yeats; and Dr Sigerson.

Finally, I have to thank Mr Theodore Watts and Mr Alfred H. Miles, editor of The Poets and Poetry of the Century, for information on certain questions of copyright.

R. Brimley Johnson.

Llandaff House, Cambridge,

August 3rd, 1894.

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THE THREE RAVENS

There were three ravens sat on a tree,

Downe, a downe, hay downe, hay downe,

There were three ravens sat on a tree,

With a downe,

There were three ravens sat on a tree,

They were as black as they might be,

With a downe, derrie, derrie, derrie, downe, downe.

The one of them said to his mate,

"Where shall we our breakfast take?"—

"Down in yonder green field,

There lies a knight slain under his shield.

"His hounds they lie down at his feet,

So well they can their master keep.

=His hawks they flie so eagerly,

There's no fowl dare him come nigh."

Down there comes a fallow doe,

As great with young as she might go.

She lift up his bloody head,

And kist his wounds that were so red.

She got him up upon her back,

And carried him to earthen lake.

She buried him before the prime,

She was dead herself ere even-song time.

God send every gentleman,

Such hawks, such hounds, and such a leman.

lake, grave.

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LITTLE MUSGRAVE AND LADY BARNARD

As it fell one holy-day, hay down,

As many be in the year,

When young men and maids together did go

Their matins and mass to hear,

Little Musgrave came to the church door,

The priest was at private mass;

But he had more mind of the fair women,

Then he had of our lady's grace.

The one of them was clad in green,

Another was clad in pall;

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And then came in my lord Barnards wife,

The fairest amonst them all.

She cast an eye on little Musgrave,

As bright as the summer sun,

And then bethought this little Musgrave,

"This lady's heart have I won."

Quoth she, "I have loved thee, little Musgrave,

Full long and many a day:"

"So have I loved you, fair lady,

Yet never word durst I say."

"I have a bower at Bucklesfordbery,

Full daintily it is dight;

If thou wilt wend thither, thou little Musgrave,

Thou's lig in mine arms all night."

Quoth he, "I thank ye, fair lady,

This kindness thou showest to me;

But whether it be to my weal or woe,

This night I will lig with thee."

With that he heard a little tiny page,

By his lady's coach as he ran:

"Allthough I am my lady's footpage,

Yet I am lord Barnard's man.

"My lord Barnard shall know of this,

Whether I sink or swim:"

And ever where the bridges were broke,

He laid him down to swim.

"Asleep, or wake! thou lord Barnard,

As thou art a man of life;

For little Musgrave is at Bucklesfordbery,

Abed with thy own wedded wife."

"If this be true, thou little tiny page,

This thing thou tellest to me,

Then all the land in Bucklesfordbery

I freely will give to thee.

"But if it be a lie, thou little tiny page,

This thing thou tellest to me,

On the highest tree in Bucklesfordbery

Then hanged shalt thou be."

He called up his merry men all:—

"Come saddle me my steed;

This night must I to Bucklesfordbery,

For I never had greater need."

And some of them whistl'd, and some of them sung,

And some these words did say,

And ever when my lord Barnard's horn blew,

"Away, Musgrave, away!"

"Methinks I hear the thresel-cock,

Methinks I hear the jay;

Methinks I hear my Lord Barnard,—

And I would I were away."

thresel-cock, thrush.)

"Lie still, lie still, thou little Musgrave,

And huggell me from the cold;

'Tis nothing but a shephard's boy,

A driving his sheep to the fold.

"Is not thy hawk upon a perch?

Thy steed eats oats and hay,

And thou a fair lady in thine arms,—

And wouldst thou be away?"

With that my lord Barnard came to the door,

And lit a stone upon;

He plucked out three silver keys,

And he open'd the doors each one.

He lifted up the coverlet,

He lifted up the sheet;

"How now, how now, thou little Musgrave,

Doest thou find my lady sweet?"

"I find her sweet," quoth little Musgrave,

"The more 'tis to my pain;

I would gladly give three hundred pounds

That I were on yonder plain."

"Arise, arise, thou little Musgrave,

And put thy clothés on;

It shall ne'er be said in my country,

I have killed a naked man.

"I have two swords in one scabbard,

Full dear they cost my purse;

And thou shalt have the best of them,

And I will have the worse."

The first stroke that little Musgrave stroke,

He hurt Lord Barnard sore;

The next stroke that Lord Barnard stroke,

Little Musgrave ne'er struck more.

With that bespake this fair lady,

In bed whereas she lay;

"Although thou'rt dead, thou little Musgrave,

Yet I for thee will pray;

"And wish well to thy soul will I,

So long as I have life;

So will I not for thee, Barnard,

Although I am thy wedded wife."

He cut her paps from off her breast,

Great pity it was to see,

That some drops of this lady's heart's blood

Ran trickling down her knee.

"Woe worth you, woe worth, my merry men all,

You were ne er born for my good;

Why did you not offer to stay my hand,

When ye saw me wax so wood!

"For I have slain the bravest sir knight

That ever rode on steed;

So have I done the fairest lady

That ever did woman's deed.

"A grave, a grave," Lord Barnard cried,

To put these lovers in;

But lay my lady on the upper hand,

For she came of the better kin,"

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THE TWA SISTERS

There was twa sisters in a bowr,

Edinburgh, Edinburgh,

There was twa sisters in a bow'r,

Stirling for aye,

There was twa sisters in a bowr,

There came a knight to be their wooer,

Bonny Saint Johnston stands upon Tay.

He courted the eldest wi' glove an' ring,

But he loved the youngest above a' thing.

He courted the eldest wi' brooch an' knife,

But loved the youngest as his life;

The eldest she was vexed sair,

An' much envied her sister fair;

Into her bower she could not rest,

Wi' grief an' spite she almost brast.

Upon a morning fair an' clear

She cried upon her sister dear:

O sister come to yon sea-stran',

And see our father's ships come to lan'.

She's ta'en her by the milk-white han',

And led her down to yon sea-stran'.

The youngest stood upon a stane,

The eldest came an' threw her in;

She took her by the middle sma',

An' dash'd her bonny back to the jaw;

O sister, sister, take my han',

An I'se make you heir to a' my lan'.

O sister, sister, take my middle,

And ye's get my gold and my golden girdle.

jaw, wave.

O sister, sister, save my life,

And I swear I'se never be nae man's wife.

"Foul fa the han' that I should take,

It twin'd me an' my wardle's make."

"Your cherry cheeks and yallow hair,

Gars me gae maiden for evermair."

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Sometimes she sank, an' sometimes she swam,

Till she cam down yon bonny mill dam;

O out it came the miller's son,

An' saw the fair maid swimmin' in.

"O father, father, draw your dam!

Here's either a mermaid, or a swan."

The miller quickly drew the dam,

An' there he found a drown'd woman;

twin'd, deprived). wardles make, life-mate.

You couldna see her yallow hair,

For gold and pearl that were sae rare;

You couldna see her middle sma,

For golden girdle that was sae braw;

Ye couldna see her fingers white

For golden rings that was sae gryte.

And by there came a harper fine,

Popular British Ballads, Ancient and Modern, Vol. 1 (of 4)

POPULAR BRITISH BALLADS, ANCIENT AND MODERN

Volume One of Four

Compiled and Edited by Reginald Brimley Johnson

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THE PREFACE

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THE THREE RAVENS

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LITTLE MUSGRAVE AND LADY BARNARD

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THE TWA SISTERS

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