Lord Donald- Mrs. Comie; Kinloch 1827; Child B
[Child B appears titled 'Lord Donald' in George Ritchie Kinloch's Ancient Scottish Ballads, p. 110 published in 1827. Below Child's copy is Kinloch's with notes. R. Matteson 2011]
LORD DONALD- Child 12; Lord Randal; Version B
Kinloch's Ancient Scottish Ballads, p. 110. From Mrs. Comie, Aberdeen.
1 'O whare hae ye been a' day, Lord Donald, my son?
O whare hae ye been a' day, my jollie young man?'
'I've been awa courtin; mither, mak my bed sune,
For I'm sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie doun.'
2 'What wad ye hae for your supper, Lord Donald, my son?
What wad ye hae for your supper, my jollie young man?'
'I've gotten my supper; mither, mak my bed sune,
For I'm sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie doun.'
3 'What did ye get for your supper, Lord Donald,my son?
What did ye get for your supper, my jollie young man?'
'A dish of sma fishes; mither mak my bed sune,
For I'm sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie doun.'
4 'Whare gat ye the fishes, Lord Donald, my son?
Whare gat ye the fishes, my jollie young man?'
'In my father's black ditches; mither, mak my bed sune,
For I'm sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie doun.'
5 'What like were your fishes, Lord Donald, my son?
What like were your fishes, my jollie young man?'
'Black backs and spreckld bellies; mither, mak my bed sune,
For I'm sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie doun.'
6 'O I fear ye are poisond, Lord Donald, my son!
O I fear ye are poisond, my jollie young man!'
'O yes! I am poisond; mither mak my bed sune,
For I'm sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie doun.'
7 'What will ye leave to your father, Lord Donald my son?
What will ye leave to your father, my jollie young man?'
'Baith my houses and land; mither, mak my bed sune,
For I'm sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie doun.'
8 'What will ye leave to your brither, Lord Donald, my son?
What will ye leave to your brither, my jollie young man?'
'My horse and the saddle; mither, mak my bed sune,
For I'm sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie doun.'
9 'What will ye leave to your sister, Lord Donald, my son?
What will ye leave to your sister, my jollie young man?'
'Baith my gold box and rings; mither, mak my bed sune,
For I'm sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie doun.'
10 'What will ye leave to your true-love, Lord Donald, my son?
What will ye leave to your true-love, my jollie young man?'
'The tow and the halter, for to hang on yon tree,
And lat her hang there for the poysoning o me.'
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LORD DONALD [From: Ancient Scottish Ballads, p. 110 by George Ritchie Kinloch - 1827]
This ballad seems to be of an ancient cast: one version of it, under the title of Lord Randal, has been published in the Border Minstrelsy, vol. 2, p. 291. This copy, which was procured in the north, differs in many respects from that of Lord Randal, and appears to be more complete in its detail.
Is the Editor of the Border Minstrelsy serious when he says that this ballad, because his version bore the title of Lord Randal, "may have originally regarded the death of Thomas Randolph or Randal, Earl of Murray, nephew to Robert Bruce, and governor of Scotland;" whose death is attributed by our historians to poison, said to have been administered to him by a friar, at the instigation of Edward III."
LORD DONALD
"O whare hae ye been a' day, Lord Donald, my son?
O wharehaeye been a' day, my jollie young man?"
"I've been awa courtin:—mither, mak my bedsune,
For I'm sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie doun."
"What wad ye hae for your supper, Lord Donald, my son?
What wad ye hae for your supper, my jollie young man?"
"I've gotten my supper:—mither, mak my bed sune,
For I'm sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie doun."
"What did ye get for your supper, Lord Donald, my son?
What did ye get for your supper, my jollie young man?
"A dish of sma' fishes:—mither, mak my bed sune,
For I'm sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie doun."
"Whare gat ye the fishes, Lord Donald, my son?
Whare gat ye the fishes, my jollie young man?"
"In my father's black ditches:—mither, mak my bed sune,
For I'm sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie doun."
"What like were your fishes, Lord Donald, my son?
What like were your fishes, my jollie young man?"
"Black backs and spreckl'd bellies:—mither, mak my bed sune,
For I'm sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie doun."
"O I fear ye are poison'd, Lord Donald, my son!
O I fear ye are poison'd, my jollie young man!"
"O yes! I am poison'd:—mither, mak my bed sune,
For I'm sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie doun."
"What will ye leave to your father, Lord Donald, my son?
What will ye leave to your father, my jollie young man?"
"Baith my houses and land:—mither, mak my bed sune,
For I'm sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie doun."
"What will ye leave to your brither, Lord Donald, my son?
What will ye leave to your brither, my jollie young man?"
"My horse and the saddle:—mither, mak my bed sune,
For I'm sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie doun."
"What will ye leave to your sister, Lord Donald, my son?
What will ye leave to your sister, my jollie young man?"
"Baith my gold box and rings:—mither, mak my bed sune,
For I'm sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie doun."
"What will ye leave to your true-love, Lord Donald, my son?
What will ye leave to your true-love, my jollie young man?"
"The tow and the halter, for to hang on yon tree,
And lat her hang there for the poysoning o' me."
NOTE ON LORD DONALD
What like were your fishes, my jollie young man?
Black backs and spreckled bellies p. Ill, v. 5.
It would seem that Lord Donald had been poisoned by eating toads prepared as a dish of fishes. Though the frog is in some countries considered a delicacy, the toad has always been viewed as a venomous animal. The reader is referred to the Border Minstrelsy, vol. 1, p. 262 for a curious extract, from a MS. Chronicle of England, relative to the death of king John, who is said to have been poisoned by drinking a cup of ale, in which the venom of a toad had, been infused.
Might not the Scots proverbial phrase "To gie one frogs instead offish," as meaning to substitute what is bad or disagreeable, for expected good, be viewed as allied to the idea of the venomous quality of the toad? This phrase occurs in the ballad of Katharine Janfarie:
"Now a' you lords of fair England,
Apd that dwell by the English border,
Come never here to seek a wife,
For fear of sic disorder.
They'll haik ye up, and settle ye bye,
Till on your wedding day;
Then gie ye frogs instead of fish,
And play ye foul, foul play."