The English and Scottish Popular Ballads/Part 5/Chapter 115

by Francis James Child

 

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Robyn and Gandeleyn

¹I HERDE a carpyng of a clerk,
Al at yone wodes ende,
Of gode Robyn and Gandeleyn;
Was ther non other thynge.
Robynn lyth in grene wode bowndyn

²Stronge theuys wern tho chylderin non,
But bowmen gode and hende;
He wentyn to wode to getyn hem fleych,
If God wold it hem sende.

³Al day wentyn tho chylderin too,
And fleych fowndyn he non,
Til it were a-geyn euyn;
THe chylderin wold gon hom.

⁴Half an honderid of fat falyf der
He comyn a-y+oon,
And alle he wern fayr and fat i-now,
But markyd was ther non:
'Be dere God,' seyde gode Robyn,
'Here of we xul haue on.'

⁵Robyn bent his joly bowe,
RRtherin he set a flo;
THe fattest der of alle
THe herte he clef a to.

⁶He hadde not the der i-flawe,
Ne half out of the hyde,
There cam a schrewde arwe out of the west,
RRthatfelde Robertes pryde.

⁷Gandeleyn lokyd hym est and west,
Be euery syde:
'Hoo hat myn mayster slayin?
Ho hat don this dede?
Xal I neuer out of grene wode go
Til I se [his] sydis blede.'

⁸Gandeleyn lokyd hym est and lokyd west,
And sowt vnder the sunne;
He saw a lytil boy
He clepyn Wrennok of Donne.

⁹A good bowe in his hond,
A brod arwe ther ine,
And fowre and twenti goode arwys,
Trusyd in a thrumme:
'Be war the, war the, Gandeleyn,
Her-of thu xalt han summe.

¹⁰'Be war the, war the, Gandeleyn,
Her of thu gyst plente:'
'Euer on for an other,' seyde Gandeleyn;
'Mysaunter haue he xal fle.

¹¹'Qwer-at xal our marke be?'
Seyde Gandeleyn:
'Eueryche at otheris herte,'
Seyde Wrennok ageyn.

¹²Ho xal yeue the ferste schote?'
Seyde Gandeleyn:
'And I xul y+oeue the on be-forn,'
Seyde Wrennok ageyn.

¹³Wrennok schette a ful good schote,
And he schet not to hye;
THrow the sanchothis of his bryk;
It towchyd neyther thye.

¹⁴'Now hast thu yoouyn me on be-forn,'
Al thus to Wrennok seyde he,
'And throw the myyot of our lady
A bettere I xal yoeue the.'

¹⁵Gandeleyn bent his goode bowe,
And set ther in a flo;
He schet throw his grene certyl,
His herte he clef on too.

¹⁶'Now xalt thu neuer yelpe, Wrennok,
At ale ne at wyn,
that thu hast slawe goode Robyn,
And his knaue Gandeleyn.

¹⁷'Now xalt thu neuer yelpe, Wrennok,
At wyn ne at ale,
that thu hast slawe goode Robyn,
And Gandeleyn his knaue.'

Robyn lyyoth in grene wode bowndyn

Written continuously, without division of stanza or verses. The burden, put after 1, stands at the head of the ballad.