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A Young
Man, a Maiden, and the Fairy Queen
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O I forbid you, maidens a’
That
wear gowd1
on your hair
To
come or gae by Carterhaugh,
For young
Tam Lin is there.
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“Roxburgh he was my grandfather,
Took me with him to bide,
And ance it
fell upon a day
That
wae18
did me betide. |
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There’s
nane that gaes by Carterhaugh
But they leave him a wad2,
Either their rings, or green mantles,
Or else their
maidenhead3.
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“And ance it fell upon a day,
A cauld19 day and a snell,20
When we were frae the hunting come
That frae my horse I fell;
The
Queen o Fairies she caught me,
In yon green hill to
dwell. |
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Janet
has kilted4 her
green kirtle5
A
little aboon6
her knee,
And she has broded7
her yellow hair
A little aboon her bree8,
And she’s awa to Carterhaugh,
As fast as she can hie.9
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“And pleasant is the fairy land,
But, an eerie tale to
tell,
Ay at the end of seven years
We pay a tiend21
to hell;
I am sae fair and fu o flesh,
I’m feard it be
myself. |
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When she came to Carterhaugh,
Tam
Lin was at the well,
And there she fand his steed
standing,
But away was himsel’.
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“But the night is Halloween, lady,
The morn is Hallowday;
Then
win me, win me, an ye will,
For weel I wat ye may. |
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She had na pu’d a double rose,
A rose but only twa,
Till
up then started young Tam
Lin,
Says, “Lady, thou’s pu nae mae.10
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“Just at the mirk22
and midnight
hour
The fairy
folk will ride,
And they that wad their true-love win,
At Miles Cross
they maun bide.” |
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“Why pu’s thou the rose, Janet,
And why breaks thou the
wand?11
Or why
comes thou to Carterhaugh
Withoutten my command?"
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“But how shall I thee ken, Tam
Lin,
Or how my true-love know,
Amang sae mony unco23
knights
The
like I never saw?” |
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“Carterhaugh, it is my ain,
My daddie
gave it me;
I’ll come and gang by Carterhaugh,
And ask
nae leave at thee.”
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“O first let pass the black, lady,
And syne24
let pass the brown,
But quickly run to the milk-white
steed,
Pu ye his rider down. |
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Janet
has kilted her green kirtle
A little aboon her knee,
And she has broded her yellow
hair
A little aboon her bree,
And she is to her
father’s ha,12
As fast as she can hie.
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“For I’ll ride on the milk-white steed,
And ay nearest
the town;
Because I was an earthly knight
They gie me that renown. |
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Four and twenty ladies fair
Were
playing at the ba,13
And out then cam’ the fair Janet,
Ance the flower amang
them a’.
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“My right hand will be gloved, lady,
My left hand will be
bare,
Cockt up
shall my bonnet be,
And kaimd25
down shall my hair,
And thae’s the tokens I gie thee,
Nae doubt I will be there. |
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Four and twenty ladies fair
Were
playing at the chess,
And out then cam the fair Janet,
As green as onie glass.14
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“They’ll turn me in your arms, lady,
Into an esk26
and adder;
But hold me fast, and
fear me not,
I am your bairnie’s father. |
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Out then spak an auld grey knight,
Lay
o’er the castle wa’,
And says, “Alas! fair
Janet, for thee
But
we’ll be blam-ed a’."
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“They’ll turn me to a bear sae grim,
And then a lion
bold;
But hold me fast, and fear me not,
As ye shall
love your child. |
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“Haud your tongue, ye auld fac’d knight,
Some ill death may ye dee!
Father my bairn on whom I
will,
I’ll father nane on thee.”
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“Again they’ll turn me in your arms
To
a red het gaud of airn27;
But hold me fast, and fear me not,
I’ll do to you nae
harm.
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Out then spak her father dear,
And he spak meek and mild;
“And ever alas, sweet Janet”,
he says,
“I think thou gaes wi child.”
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“And last they’ll turn me in your arms
Into the burning gleed28;
Then
throw me into well water,
O throw me in wi speed.
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“If that I gae wi child, father,
Mysel maun15 bear the
blame;
There’s
neer a laird about your ha
Shall get the bairn’s name.
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“An then I’ll be your ain true-love,
I’ll turn a naked
knight;
Then
cover me wi your green mantle,
And hide me out o sight.”
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“If my love were an earthly knight,
As he’s an elfin
grey,
I wad na gie my ain true-love
For nae lord that
ye hae.
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Sae gloomy, gloomy was the night,
And eerie was the way,
As fair Jenny in her green mantle
To Miles Cross she did gae.
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“The steed that my true-love rides on
Is lighter than the
wind;
Wi siller16
he is shod before,
Wi burning gowd behind.”
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About the middle o the night
She heard the bridles sing;
This
lady was as glad at that
As any earthly thing.
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Janet
has kilted her green kirtle
A little aboon her knee,
And she has broded her yellow
hair
A little aboon her bree,
And she’s awa to
Carterhaugh
As fast as she can hie.
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First she let the black pass by,
And syne she let the
brown;
But quickly
she
ran
to
the
milk-white
steed,
And pu’d the
rider down.
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When she cam to Carterhaugh,
Tam
Lin was at the well,
And there she fand his steed
standing,
But away was himsel.
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Sae weel29
she minded whae he did say,
And young
Tam Lin did win;
Syne covered him wi her
green mantle,
As blythe’s a bird in spring.
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She had na pu’d a double rose,
A rose but only twa,
Till
up then started young Tam
Lin,
Says Lady, thou pu’s nae mae.
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Out then spak the Queen o Fairies,
Out of a bush o broom30:
“Them that has gotten young
Tam Lin
Has gotten a stately groom.” |
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“Why pu’s thou the rose, Janet,
Amang the groves sae
green,
And a’ to kill the bonnie babe
That we gat us between?”
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Out then spak the Queen o Fairies,
And an angry woman was
she:
“Shame betide her ill-far’d face,
And an ill
death may she die,
For she’s taen awa the bonniest knight
In a’ my companie. |
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“Oh tell me, tell me,
Tam Lin”, she says,
“For’s sake that
died on tree,17
If eer ye was in holy chapel,
Or
Christendom did see?”
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“But had I kend31,
Tam Lin”, she says,
“What now this night I see,
I wad hae taen out thy twa
grey een32,
And put twa een o tree33.
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1 gowd :
gold |
12 ha : hall |
23 unco
: unfamiliar |
| 2
wad : something given as a pledge |
13 ba :
ball |
24 syne : then |
| 3
maidenhead : virginity |
14 green as onie glass : looking ill |
25 kaimed : combed |
| 4 kilted :
tucked |
15 maun
: must |
26
esk : newt |
| 5 kirtle :
skirt |
16 siller : silver |
27
het
gaud
of
airn
:
hot
rod
of
iron |
| 6 aboon :
above |
17 that
died on tree : Christ |
28 gleed :
wand |
| 7 broded :
braided |
18 wae : woe |
29 sae weel : so well |
| 8 bree :
brow |
19
cauld : cold |
30
broom : a yellow-flowered shrub |
| 9 hie :
speed, hurry |
20
snell : windy |
31 kend : known |
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10 nae mae :
no more |
21
tiend : tithe; tenth |
32 een : eyes |
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11 wand : branch |
22 mirk : dark |
33 tree : wood |
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