Page:The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, Volume 03.djvu/272

3. 1. 
      

      • 33². b. grieved. c. grievd.
      • 33³. c. death of these worthy.
      • 34¹. c. mischief.
      • 34². b. shun the.
      • 34⁴. And fly from sin.
   2. • 1¹. a high.
      • 9¹. with this.
      • 11³. counsel, Madam.
      • 21². my milk-white.
      • 23⁴. wind his bugle horn clear.
      • 33⁸. these three lovely.
   3. • 1¹. a high.
      • 1³. Little wanting.
      • 3³. Then next.
      • 8¹. my life: my death.
      • 13³. He then.
      • 15³. might tell to.
      • 19². that wanting.
      • 26⁴. unto the.
      • 28². an for on.
      • 29¹. Here is two.
      • 29². Musgrove thy choice now make.
      • 31³. most wanting.
      • 34³. shun the.
5. • 10¹. this tidings.
   • 12³. Banburry.
   • 15³. It neer.
   • 18². struck her.
   • 19⁴. wud: (with it) in margin.
7. 10¹. (cam) to the green wood cam.
8. 13¹. Oh.
9. 9³. old word.
11. • 2¹. Corrupt: cf. A4, C4, D2, etc.
    • 13². lay slain.
12. • 9⁴. On.
    • 48¹. decks.

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82

The Bonny Birdy

Jamieson-Brown MS., fol. 42; Jamieson's Popular Ballads, I. 162.

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Jamieson, in printing this ballad, gave the husband the name Lord Randal, made many changes, and introduced several stanzas, "to fill up chasms." But the chasms, such as they are, are easily leapt by the imagination, and Jamieson's interpolations are mere bridges of carpenter's work. The admirably effective burden is taken into the story at stanza 11. As Jamieson remoulds the ballad, it is no burden, but a part of the dialogue throughout.

The main part of the action is the same as in 'Little Musgrave.' The superior lyrical quality of the Scottish ballad makes up for its inferiority as a story, so that on the whole it cannot be prized much lower than the noble English ballad.

Cunningham has rewritten the ballad in his own style, pretending, as often, to have known another recited copy: 'Sir Hugh,' Songs of Scotland, II, 130.

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1 There was a knight, in a summer's night,
 Was riding oer the lee, diddle
An there he saw a bonny birdy,
 Was singing upon a tree. diddle
  O wow for day! diddle
  An dear gin it were day! diddle
  Gin it were day, an gin I were away!
  For I ha na lang time to stay. diddle

2 'Make hast, make hast, ye gentle knight,
 What keeps you here so late?
Gin ye kent what was doing at hame,
 I fear you woud look blate.'

3 'O what needs I toil day an night,
 My fair body to kill,
Whan I hae knights at my comman,
 An ladys at my will?'

4 'Ye lee, ye lee, ye gentle knight,
 Sa loud's I hear you lee;
Your lady's a knight in her arms twa
 That she lees far better nor the.'

5 'Ye lee, you lee, you bonny birdy,
 How you lee upo my sweet!