Bamboo Briers- Hannah Ross (VA-WV) 1875 Cox A
[From Folk Songs of the South; John Harrington Cox, 1925. His notes follow.
R. Matteson 2016]
88. THE BRAMBLE BRIAR
Two fairly good copies of the ballad have been found in West Virginia under the titles, "The Bamboo Briers" and "The Bomberry Brier." In story they do not differ materially.
For a full discussion of this song, known in England as "In Bruton Town," and its Old World connections see Belden's paper, "Boccaccio, Hans Sachs, and The Bramble Briar" {Publications of the Modern Language Association, xxxiii, 327). See also Journal, xxix, 168; xxxv, 359; Pound, No. 22; Payne, Publications of the Texas Folk-Lore Society, 11 (1923), 6.
A. "The Bamboo Briers." Contributed by Mr. Decker Toney, Queens Ridge, Wayne County, January 20, 1916; learned from his mother, Hannah Moore, who learned it from her mother, Hannah Ross, a native of Virginia.
1 Across Bridgewater a rich man lived,
He had three sons and a daughter fair;
He divided up their equal portion,
Seven thousand pounds was his daughter's share.
2 Seven thousand was his daughter's portion,
The maid being brisk and a comely dame;
She fancied a young man who plowed the ocean,
And unto him she bestowed the same.
3 One night, as they were setting courting,
Her two brothers chanced to overhear;
They vowed the courtship should be broken,
Or send him headlong to his grave.
4 So early next morning they forced him hunting,
Over high hills and lofty mountains,
Through silent places quite unknown,
Until they came to bamboo briers,
Where they did him kill and slay[1].
5 As soon as they returned from hunting,
She quickly asked for the servant-man:
"You seem to whisper, what makes me ask you[2],
Pray, brothers, tell me, if you can."
6 "We lost him in our game of hunting,
His face again you will nevermore see;
We lost him in the bamboo briers,
His face, his face, you'll see no more."
7 Early next morning she started to hunt him,
Over hills and lofty mountains,
Through silent places quite unknown,
Until she came to the bamboo briers,
There she found him killed and slain.
8 Three days and nights she stayed there with him,
Kissing him just as he lay[3]:
"One grave will bury us both, my darling;
I'll stay here with you until I die."
9 Three days and nights she stayed there with him,
Seeking life for her sad mourn[4];
She felt sharp hunger come creeping o'er her,
And back home she was forced to return.
10 When she returned from where they were hunting,
They quickly asked, " Where's the servant-man?"
"You cursed villains did that murder,
And for the crime you both shall hang."
11 Then they both darkened their faces,
They walked slowly off down by the seaside;
The fearful waves rushed from the ocean,
And caused their faces from this world to hide.
1. Usually "killed and thrown" to rhyme as in, "Where he was killed and thrown." See also similar wording in stanza 7.
2. The wording is confusing.
3. lie
4. This line is confused. Another WV version (Bush B) has:
Three days and nights she stayed there by him,
And kissing him on her bended knees,