25. Earl Mar's Daughter. Quiller-Couch, Arthur, ed. 1910. The Oxford Book of Ballads

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Arthur Quiller-Couch, ed. (1863–1944). The Oxford Book of Ballads. 1910.

25. Earl Mar’s Daughter

IT was intill a pleasant time,

Upon a simmer’s day,

The noble Earl Mar’s daughter

Went forth to sport and play.

And while she play’d and sported

Below a green aik tree,

There she saw a sprightly doo

Set on a tower sae hie.

III

‘O Coo-me-doo, my love sae true,

If ye’ll come doun to me,

Ye’se hae a cage o’ gude red gowd

Instead o’ simple tree.

‘I’ll put gowd hingers roun’ your cage,

And siller roun’ your wa’;

I’ll gar ye shine as fair a bird

As ony o’ them a’.’

But she had nae these words well spoke,

Nor yet these words well said,

Till Coo-me-doo flew frae the tower

And lichted on her head.

Then she has brought this pretty bird

Hame to her bowers and ha’,

And made him shine as fair a bird

As ony o’ them a’.

VII

When day was gone, and night was come,

About the evening-tide,

This lady spied a gallant youth

Stand straight up by her side.

VIII

‘From whence cam’ ye, young man?’ she said;

‘That does surprise me sair;

My door was bolted right secure,

What way hae ye come here?’—

‘O haud your tongue, ye lady fair,

Lat a’ your folly be;

Mind ye not o’ your turtle-doo

Ye wiled from aff the tree?’—

‘What country come ye frae?’ she said,

‘An’ what’s your pedigree?’—

‘O it was but this verra day

That I cam’ ower the sea.

‘My mither lives on foreign isles,

A queen o’ high degree;

And by her spells I am a doo

With you to live an’ dee.’—

XII

‘O Coo-me-doo, my love sae true,

Nae mair frae me ye’se gae.’—

‘That’s never my intent, my love;

As ye said, it shall be sae.’

XIII

Then he has stay’d in bower wi’ her

For six lang years and ane,

Till six young sons to him she bare,

And the seventh she’s brought hame.

XIV

But aye, as ever a child was born,

He carried them away,

And brought them to his mither’s care

As fast as he could fly.

When he had stay’d in bower wi’ her

For seven lang years an’ mair

There cam’ a lord o’ high renown

To court this lady fair.

XVI

But still his proffer she refused

And a’ his presents too;

Says, ‘I’m content to live alane

Wi’ my bird Coo-me-doo.’

XVII

Her father swore a michty oath

Amang the nobles all,

‘The morn, or ere I eat or drink.

This bird I will gar kill.’

XVIII

The bird was sitting in his cage

And heard what they did say;

Says, ‘Wae is me, and you forlorn,

If I do langer stay!’

XIX

Then Coo-me-doo took flight and flew

And afar beyond the sea,

And lichted near his mither’s castle

On a tower o’ gowd sae hie.

His mither she was walking out

To see what she could see,

And there she saw her one young son

Set on the tower sae hie.

XXI

‘Get dancers here to dance,’ she said,

‘And minstrels for to play;

For here’s my young son Florentine

Come hame wi’ me to stay.’—

XXII

‘Get nae dancers to dance, mither,

Nor minstrels for to play;

For the mither o’ my seven sons,

The morn’s her wedding-day.’—

XXIII

‘O tell me, tell me, Florentine,

Tell me, an tell me true;

Tell me this day without a flaw

What I will do for you?’—

XXIV

‘Instead of dancers to dance, mither,

Or minstrels for to play,

Turn four-and-twenty well-wight men

Like storks in feathers gray:

XXV

‘My seven sons in seven swans

Aboon their heads to flee;

And I mysell a gay goshawk,

A bird o’ high degree.’

100

XXVI

Then siching said the Queen hersel’,

‘That thing’s too high for me!’

But she applied to an auld woman

What had mair skill than she.

XXVII

Instead o’ dancers to dance a dance,

105

Or minstrels for to play,

Four-and-twenty well-wight men

Turn’d birds o’ feathers gray.

XXVIII

Her seven sons in seven swans,

Aboon their heads to flee;

110

And he himsel’ a gay goshawk,

A bird o’ high degree.

XXIX

This flock o’ birds took flight and flew

Beyond the raging sea,

And landed near the Earl Mar’s castle,

115

Took shelter in every tree.

XXX

They were a flock o’ pretty birds

Right comely to be seen;

The people view’d them wi’ surprise

As they dancèd on the green.

120

XXXI

These birds flew out frae every tree

And lichted on the ha’,

And [frae the roof] with force did flee

Amang the nobles a’.

XXXII

The storks there seized [ilk wedding-guest]

125

—They could not fight nor flee;

The swans they bound the [bridegroom fast]

Below a green aik tree.

XXXIII

They lichted next on the [bride-] maidens,

Then on the bride’s own head;

130

And wi’ the twinkling o’ an e’e

The bride an’ them were fled.

XXXIV

There’s ancient men at weddings been

For sixty years or more,

But siccan a curious wedding-day

135

They never saw before.

XXXV

For naething could the companie do,

Nor naething could they say;

But they saw a flock o’ pretty birds

That took their bride away.

140

GLOSS: doo] dove. hingers] hangings, curtains. well-wight] strong, lusty.

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