Love Gregor- Brown (Falkland) 1800 Child E
[See the following articles in Recordings & Info: An Accused Queen in "The Lass of Roch Royal" and Mrs. Brown's "Lass of Roch Royal" and the Golden Age of Scottish Balladry. This is the second of two versions collected from Anna Brown. At the bottom of the page are the text and notes from Scott in 1802. Scott's version, Child E b., is different made up of several versions. ]
Child: Jamieson printed, in 1806, D, a version written down from Mrs. Brown's recitation in 1783, giving it not quite verbatim, as he says (he changes, for instance, Rochroyal to Lochroyan), but in general adhering to his text.
From Mrs. Brown's "Lass of Roch Royal" and the Golden Age of Scottish Balladry:
The bulk of Mrs. Brown's ballads survive in three manuscript collections, all of which provided major contributions to the important early ballad anthologies.
1. The Jamieson-Brown MS, compiled in 1783 by Robert (later Professor) Scott, Mrs. Brown's nephew, from her recitation, at the request of the musicologist William Tytler. It contains twenty texts of 19 ballads (there being two distinct versions of "Young Beichan"). It was never sent to Tytler, but was later given to Robert Jamieson, who used it for his Popular Ballads and Songs, 1806. All the texts appear in Child's English and Scottish Popular Ballads. The manuscripits now in the Library of the University of Edinburgh.
2. The Tytler-Brown MS, compiled for William Tytler later in 1783 to replacet he first MS, which did not give the tunes. This time Robert Scott noted both words and tunes from Mrs. Brown's recitation. The fifteen ballads in this MS are selected from among those in the Jamieson-Brown MS, which it is clear Mrs. Brown had before her during the compilation of the new collection. The Tytler-Brown MS was leant to Sir Walter Scott, who used it, after his own fashion, in compiling his Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border. It could not be traced when Child was compiling his collection, so he had to make do with two derivative manuscripts, one containing the complete texts of two ballads, the other giving the first stanza of each of the ballads. Since 1920 scholars have had available the complete transcript of the MS made by Joseph Ritson before it was misplaced, and the MS itself recently turned up among the papers of the Tytler family at Aldourie Castle, Inverness, and photographic copies are gradually being acquired by academicc entres.
3. The Fraser Tytler-Brown MS was compiled in 1800 for Sir Walter Scott, who was in quest of more material for his Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border. Mrs. Brown providedn ine ballads (without music), which she apparently wrote down herself. Two of them duplicate ballads already recorded in the Jamieson-Brown MS of 1783. Child printed all nine texts. The MS is now at Aldourie Castle.
Love Gregor- Version E a. ; The Lass of Roch Royal Child 76 [second version from Mrs. Brown]
a. Alexander Fraser Tytler's Brown Manuscript, No 2, written down from Mrs. Brown's recitation in 1800.
b. "The Lass of Rochroyan" Scott's Minstrelsy, II, 49, 1802.
1 'O wha will shoe my fu fair foot?
And wha will glove my hand?
And wha will lace my middle jimp,
Wi the new made London band?
2 'And wha will kaim my yellow hair,
Wi the new made silver kaim?
And wha will father my young son,
Till Love Gregor come hame?'
3 'Your father will shoe your fu fair foot,
Your mother will glove your hand;
Your sister will lace your middle jimp
Wi the new made London band.
4 'Your brother will kaim your yellow hair,
Wi the new made silver kaim;
And the king of heaven will father your bairn,
Till Love Gregor come haim.'
5 'But I will get a bonny boat,
And I will sail the sea,
For I maun gang to Love Gregor,
Since he canno come hame to me.'
6 O she has gotten a bonny boat,
And sailld the sa't sea fame;
She langd to see her ain true-love,
Since he could no come hame.
7 'O row your boat, my mariners,
And bring me to the land,
For yonder I see my love's castle,
Closs by the sa't sea strand.'
8 She has taen her young son in her arms,
And to the door she's gone,
And lang she's knocked and sair she ca'd,
But answer got she none.
9 'O open the door, Love Gregor,' she says,
'O open, and let me in;
For the wind blaws thro my yellow hair,
And the rain draps oer my chin.'
10 'Awa, awa, ye ill woman,
You'r nae come here for good;
You'r but some witch, or wile warlock,
Or mer-maid of the flood.'
11 'I am neither a witch nor a wile warlock,
Nor mer-maid of the sea,
I am Fair Annie of Rough Royal;
O open the door to me.'
12 'Gin ye be Annie of Rough Royal,
And I trust ye are not she;
Now tell me some of the love-tokens
That past between you and me.'
13 'O dinna you mind now, Love Gregor,
When we sat at the wine,
How we changed the rings frae our fingers?
And I can show thee thine.
14 'O yours was good, and good enneugh,
But ay the best was mine;
For yours was o the good red goud,
But mine o the dimonds fine.
15 'But open the door now, Love Gregor,
O open the door I pray,
For your young son that is in my arms
Will be dead ere it be day.'
16 'Awa, awa, ye ill woman,
For here ye shanno win in;
Gae drown ye in the raging sea,
Or hang on the gallows-pin.'
17 When the cock had crawn, and day did dawn,
And the sun began to peep,
Then it raise him Love Gregor,
And sair, sair did he weep.
18 'O I dreamd a dream, my mother dear,
The thoughts o it gars me greet,
That Fair Annie of Rough Royal
Lay cauld dead at my feet.'
19 'Gin it be for Annie of Rough Royal
That ye make a' this din,
She stood a' last night at this door,
But I trow she was no in.'
20 'O wae betide ye, ill woman,
An ill dead may ye die!
That ye woudno open the door to her,
Nor yet woud waken me.'
21 O he has gone down to yon shore-side,
As fast as he could fare;
He saw Fair Annie in her boat,
But the wind it tossd her sair.
22 'Hey, Annie!' and 'How, Annie!
O Annie, winna ye bide?'
But ay the mair that he cried Annie,
The braider grew the tide.
23 And 'Hey, Annie!' and 'How, Annie!
Dear Annie, speak to me!'
But ay the louder he cried Annie,
The louder roard the sea.
24 The wind blew loud, the sea grew rough,
And dashd the boat on shore;
Fair Annie floats on the raging sea,
But her young son raise no more.
25 Love Gregor tare his yellow hair,
And made a heavy moan;
Fair Annie's corpse lay at his feet,
But his bonny young son was gone.
26 O cherry, cherry was her cheek,
And gowden was her hair,
But clay cold were her rosey lips,
Nae spark of life was there.
27 And first he's kissd her cherry cheek,
And neist he's kissed her chin;
And saftly pressd her rosey lips,
But there was nae breath within.
28 'O wae betide my cruel mother,
And an ill dead may she die!
For she turnd my true-love frae my door,
When she came sae far to me.'
________________
Scott's Minstrelsy, II, p. 423, 1802.
THE LASS OF LOCHROYAN
NOW
FIRST PUBLISHED IN A PERFECT STATE
LOCHROYAN, whence this ballad probably derives its name, lies in Galloway. The lover, who, if the story be real, may be supposed to have been detained by sickness, is represented, in the legend, as confined by Fairy charms in an enchanted castle situated in the sea. The ruins of ancient edifices are still visible on the summits of most of those small islands, or rather insulated rocks, which lie along the coast of Ayrshire and Galloway; as Ailsa and Big Scaur.
This edition of the ballad obtained, is composed of verses selected from three MS. copies, and two from recitation. Two of the copies are in Herd’s MSS.; the third in that of Mrs Brown of Falkland.
A fragment of the original song, which is sometimes denominated Lord Gregory, or Love Gregory, was published in Mr Herds' Collection, 1774- and, still more fully, in that of Laurie and Symington, 1792. The story has been celebrated both by Burns and Dr Wolcott.
THE LASS OF LOCHROYAN
"O wha will shoe my bonny foot?
"And wha will glove my hand?
"And wha will lace my middle jimp,
Wi' a lang lang London band?
“O wha will kame my yellow hair
“With a new made silver kame?
“And wha will father my young son
“Till Lord Gregory come hame?”
“Thy father will shoe thy bonny foot,
“Thy mother will glove thy hand,
“Thy sister will lace thy middle jimp,
“Till Lord Gregory come to land.
“Thy brother will kame thy yellow hair
“With a new made silver kame,
“And God will be thy bairn’s father
“Till Lord Gregory come hame.”
“But I will get a bonny boat,
“And I will sail the sea;
“And I will gang to Lord Gregory,
“Since he canna come hame to me.”
Syne she’s gar’d build a bonny boat,
To sail the salt salt sea:
The sails were o’ the light green silk,
The tows [1] o’ taffety.
She hadna sailed but twenty leagues,
But twenty leagues and three,
When she met wi’ a rank robber,
And a’ his company.
"Now whether are ye the queen hersell,
"(For so ye weel might be)
"Or are ye the lass of Rochroyan,
"Seekin' Lord Gregory?"
“O I am neither the queen,” she said,
“Nor sic I seem to be;
“But I am the lass of Lochroyan,
“Seekin’ Lord Gregory.”
“O see na thou yon bonny bower,
“Its a’ covered o’er wi’ tin? '
“When thou hast sailed it round about,
“Lord Gregory is within.”
And when she saw the stately tower
Shining sae clear and bright,
Whilk stood aboon the jawing [2] wave,
Built on a rock of height;
Says—“Row the boat, my mariners,
“And bring me to the land!
“For yonder I see my love’s castle
"Close by the salt sea strand.”
She sailed it round, and sailed it round,
And loud, loud, cried she-
“Now break, now break, ye Fairy charms,
“And set my true love free!”
She's ta’en her young son in her arms,
And to the door she’s gane;
And long she knocked, and sair she ea’d,
But answer got she mane.
“O open the door, Lord Gregory!
“O open, and let me in!
“For the wind blaws through my yellow hair,
“And the rain draps o'er my chin.”
"Awa, awa, ye ill woman!
Ye're no come here for good!
Ye're but some witch or wil warlock,
Or mermaid o' the flood." -
"I am neither witch, nor wil warlock,
"Nor mermaid o' the sea;
"But I am Annie of Lochroyan;
"O open the door to me!"
“Gin thou be Annie of Lochroyan,
“(As I trow thou binna she)
"Now tell ‘me some o’ the love tokens
“That past between thee and me.”
“O dinna ye mind, Lord Gregory,
“As we sat at the wine,
"We chang’d the rings frae our fingers,
“And I can shew thee thine?"
"O yours was gude, and gude enough,
"But ay the best was mine;
"For yours was o' the gude red gowd,
"But mine o' the diamond fine."
"And has na thou mind, Lord Gregory,
"As we sat on the hill,
"Thou twin'd me o' my maidenheid
"Right sair against my will?"
"Now, open the door, Lord Gregory!
"Open the door, I pray!
"For thy young son is in my arms,
"And will be dead ere day." -
"If thou be the lass of Lochroyan,
"(As I kenna thou be,)
"Tell me some mair o' the love tokens
"Past between me and thee."
Fair Annie turn'd her round about -
"Weel! since that it be sae,
"May never a woman that has borne a son,
"Haw a heart sae fou o'wae!"
"Take down, take down, that mast o' gowd!
"Set up a mast o' tree!
"It disna become a forsaken lady
"To sail sae royallie."
When the cock had crawn, and the day did dawn,
And the sun began to peep,
Then up and raise him Lord Gregory,
And sair, sair did he weep.
"O I hae dream'd a dream, mother,
"I wish it may prove true!
"That the bonny Lass of Lochroyan
"Was at the yate e'en now."
"O I hae dream'd a dream, mother,
"The thought o't gars me greet!
"That fair Annie o' Lochroyan
"Lay cauld dead at my feet." -
"Gin it be for Annie of Lochroyan
"That ye make a' this din,
"She stood a' last night at your door,
"But I true she wan na in." -
"O wae betide ye, ill woman!
"An ill deid may ye die!
"That wadna open the door to her,
"Nor yet wad waken me."
O he's gane down to yon shore side
As fast as he could fare;
He saw fair Annie in the boat,
But the wind it toss'd her sair.
"And hey, Annie, and how, Annie!
O Annie, winna ye bide!"
But aye the mair he cried Annie,
The braider grew the tide.
"And hey, Annie, and how, Annie!
Dear Annie, speak to me!"
But aye the louder he cried Annie,
The louder roar'd the sea.
The wind blew loud, the sea grew rough,
And dash'd the boat on shore;
Fair Annie floated through the faem,
But the babie rose no more.
Lord Gregory tore his yellow hair,
And made a heavy moan;
Fair Annie's corpse lay at his feet,
Her bonny young son was gone.
O cherry, cherry was her cheek,
And gowden was her hair;
But clay-cold were her rosy lips -
Nae spark o' life was there.
And first he kiss'd her cherry cheek,
And syne he kiss'd her chin,
And syne he kiss'd her rosy lips -
There was nae breath within.
"O wae betide my cruel mother!
"An ill death may she die!
"She turn'd my true love frae my door,
"Wha came sae far to me."
"O wae betide my cruel mother!
"An ill death may she die!
"She turn'd fair Annie frae my door,
"Wha died for love o' me."
Footnotes:
1. tows= ropes
2. jawing= dashing