Fairy lovers

[smokingboot]

I am in a thinking doing frame of mind today, which probably translates as me being of no use to anybody.

There's a meme doing the rounds in which you put a poem in your LJ and anybody who reads it puts a poem in theirs etc. I love poetry and tend to do this whenever the mood takes me, so there's no point me adding to it - especially as many of my favourites are up already. So rather than add beautiful poetry, I'll let the spirit of the day take over, and add a couple of fairy ballads. Neither are great poems technically, but they're interesting none the less, and teach us how to deal with fairy lovers, advice I'm sure we can all use.

The first is True Thomas. This one gives you directions to Fairyland and is the inspiration to many tales including Neil Gaiman's Books of Magic. It is also a warning to those gentlemen who loiter under trees waiting to be kissed by strange women. If you are going to do this anywhere, don't do it on the Eildon hills, or you'll end up dressed like an extra from Men In Tights.




True Thomas lay on Huntlie bank;
A ferlie he spied wi' his e'e;
And there he saw a ladye bright
Come riding down by the Eildon Tree.

Her skirt was o' the grass-green silk,
Her mantle o' the velvet fyne;
At ilka tett o' her horse's mane,
Hung fifty siller bells and nine.

True Thomas he pu'd aff his cap,
And louted low down on his knee
'Hail to thee Mary, Queen of Heaven!
For thy peer on earth could never be.'

'O no, O no, Thomas' she said,
'That name does not belang to me;
I'm but the Queen o' fair Elfland,
That am hither come to visit thee.

'Harp and carp, Thomas,' she said;
'Harp and carp along wi' me;
And if ye dare to kiss my lips,
Sure of your bodie I will be.'

'Betide me weal; betide me woe,
That weird shall never daunten me.'
Syne he has kiss'd her rosy lips,
All underneath the Eildon Tree.

'Now ye maun go wi' me,' she said,
'True Thomas, ye maun go wi' me;
And ye maun serve me seven years,
Thro' weal or woe as may chance to be.'

She 's mounted on her milk-white steed,
She 's ta'en true Thomas up behind;
And aye, whene'er her bridle rang,
The steed gaed swifter than the wind.

O they rade on, and farther on,
The steed gaed swifter than the wind;
Until they reach'd a desert wide,
And living land was left behind.

'Light down, light down now, true Thomas,
And lean your head upon my knee;
Abide ye there a little space,
And I will show you ferlies three.

'O see ye not yon narrow road,
So thick beset wi' thorns and briers?
That is the Path of Righteousness,
Though after it but few inquires.

'And see ye not yon braid, braid road,
That lies across the lily leven?
That is the Path of Wickedness,
Though some call it the Road to Heaven.

'And see ye not yon bonny road
That winds about the fernie brae?
That is the Road to fair Elfland,
Where thou and I this night maun gae.

'But, Thomas, ye sall haud your tongue,
Whatever ye may hear or see;
For speak ye word in Elfyn-land,
Ye'll ne'er win back to your ain countrie.'

O they rade on, and farther on,
And they waded rivers abune the knee;
And they saw neither sun nor moon,
But they heard the roaring of the sea.

It was mirk, mirk night, there was nae starlight,
They waded thro' red blude to the knee;
For a' the blude that 's shed on the earth
Rins through the springs o' that countrie.

Syne they came to a garden green,
And she pu'd an apple frae a tree:
'Take this for thy wages, true Thomas;
It will give thee the tongue that can never lie.'

'My tongue is my ain,' true Thomas he said;
'A gudely gift ye wad gie to me!
I neither dought* to buy or sell
At fair or tryst where I might be.

'I dought neither speak to prince or peer,
Nor ask of grace from fair ladye!'--
'Now hold thy peace, Thomas,' she said,
'For as I say, so must it be.'

He has gotten a coat of the even cloth,
And a pair o' shoon of the velvet green;
And till seven years were gane and past,
True Thomas on earth was never seen.

*dare



The next is Tam Lin, a poem which teaches us that Scottish fairies can be a bit mean. They steal, they screw, they get you pregnant, go through hideous mood swings, and their ex's are even more psychotic than they are: I have anglicised and annotated this a tiny bit to make it remotely comprehensible.



I forbid ye, maidens all,
that wear gold on your hair,
To come and gae by Caterhaugh,
For young Tam Lin is there.


There's nane that gaes by Carterhaugh
But they leave him a wad,
Either their things or green mantles,
Or else their maidenhead.


But Janet has kilted her green kirtle
A little above her knee,
And she has braided her yellow hair
a little above her bree,*
And she has gaen for Carterhaugh,
As fast as she can hie.


When she came to Carterhaugh
Tam Lin was at the well,
And there she found his steed standing,
But away was himsell.


She hadna pulled a double rose,
A rose but only twae,
Till up then started young Tam Lin,
Says, 'Lady, thou 's pull nae mae.


Why pull's thou the rose, Janet?
Why breaks thou the wand?
Why comest thou to Carterhaugh
Withouthen my command?'


'Carterhaugh it is is my ain,
My daddy gave it me;
I'll come and gae by Carterhaugh,
And ask nae leave at thee.'


Janet has kilted her green kirtle
A little aboon her knee,
And she has snooded her yellow hair
a little aboon her bree,
She is on to her father's hall,
as fast as she can hie.


Four and twenty ladies fair
Were playing at the ball,
And out then came fair Janet,
The flowr amang them all.


Four and twenty ladies fair
Were playing at the chess,
Out then came fair Janet,
As green** as ony glass.


Out spak an auld grey-headed knight,
Lay owre the castle wall,
And says, 'Alas, fair Janet,
For thee we'll be blam'd all.'


'Hold your tongue, you auld grey knight
Some ill death may ye die!
Father my bairn on whom I will,
I 'll father none on thee.'


Out then spak her father dear,
He spak baith thick and milde;
'And ever alas, sweet Janet,' he says,
'I think ye gae wi childe.'


'If that I gae wi child, father,
Mysell bears all the blame;
There 's not a laird about your hall
Shall get the bairnie's name.


'If my lord were an earthly knight,
As he 's an elfish grey,
I wad na gie my ain true-love
For nae lord that ye hae.'


Janet has kilted her green kirtle
A little aboon her knee,
And she has snooded her yellow hair
A little aboon her bree,
And she's away to Carterhaugh,
As fast as she can hie.


When she came to Carterhaugh,
Tam Lin was at the well,
And there she faund his steed standing,
But away was himsell.


She hadna pulled a double rose,
A rose but only twae,
Till up then started young Tam Lin,
Says, 'Lady, thou pull's na mae.


Why pull's thou the rose, Janet,
Out owr yon groves sae green,
And all to kill your bonny babe,
That we gat us between?'


'O tell me, tell me, Tam' she says,
'For's sake who died on tree,
If eer ye were in holy chapel,
Or christendom did see.'


'Roxburgh he was my Grandfather
Took me with him to bide,
And ance it fell upon a day
That woe did me betide.


'Ance it fell upon a day,
A cauld day and a snell,
When we were frae the hunting come,
That from my horse I fell.


'The Queen of Fairies she came by,
Took me wi her to dwell,
Evn where she has a pleasant land
For those that in it dwell,
But at the end o seven years,
They pay their tithe to hell.


The night it is gude Halloween,
The fairie folk do ride,
And they that would their true-love win,
At Miles Cross they maun bide.'


'But how shall I thee ken, Tam Lin,
Or how shall I thee know,
Amang a pack o uncouth knights
The like I never saw ?'


'The first company that passes by,
Say na, and let them gae;
The next company that passes by,
Say na, and do right sae;
The third company that passes by,
Then I 'll be one o thae.


Some ride upon a black, lady,
And some ride on a brown,
But I ride on a milk-white steed,
And ay nearest the town :
Because I was an earthly knight
They gae me that renown.


'My right hand will be glovd, lady,
My left hand will be bare,
And thae's the tokens I gie thee,
Nae doubt I will be there.


'Then hie thee to the milk-white
And pu me quickly down,
Cast thy green kirtle owr me,
And keep me frae the rain.


'They'll turn me in thy arms, lady,
An adder and a snake;
But hold me fast, let me na gae,
To be your worldly mate.


'They'll turn me in your arms, lady,
A grey greyhound to girn;***
But hald me fast, let me na gae,
The father o your bairn.


They'll turn me in your arms, lady,
A red het gad o iron;
Then hand me fast, and be na feard,
I'll do to you nae harm.


'They 'll turn me in your arms, lady,
A mother-naked man;
Cast your green kirtle owr me,
To keep me frae the rain.


'First dip me in a stand o milk,
And then a stand o water;
Haud me fast, let me na gae,
I'll be your bairnie's father.'


Janet has kilted her green kirtle
A little aboon her knee,
And she has snooded her yellow hair
A little aboon her bree,
And she is on to Miles Cross,
As fast as she can hie.


The first company that passd by,
She said na, and let them gae;
The next company that passed by,
She said na, and did right sae;
The third company that passed by,
Then he was one o thae.


She hied her to the milk-white steed,
And pu'd him quickly down;
She cast her green kirtle owr him,
To keep him frae the rain
Then she did all was ordered her,
And so recovered him


Out then spak the Queen o Fairies,
Out o a brush o broom:
"Them that hae gotten young Tam Lin
Hae got a stately groom.'


Out then spak the Queen o Fairies,
Out o a bush of rye:
'Thou has gotten young Tam Lin
the best knight in my company.'


'Had I kend****, Tam Lin,' she says,
A lady wad hae borrowd thee,
I wad has taen out thy twa grey een,
Put in twa een o tree.*****


'Had I but kend, Tam Lin,' she says,
'Before I came frae hame,
I had taen out that heart o flesh,
Put in a heart o stane.'


*Not a cheese, her brow. Balladeers - no respect for vowels. Tcha!

**Pregnant

***snarl, growl. If you were going to turn your lover into a formidable dog, would a greyhound be the first to spring to mind?

****known

***** een o tree = eyes of wood