The Turkish Lady- Caldwell (NC) 1913 Perrow ; Brown B
[From: Songs and Rhymes from the South by E. C. Perrow; The Journal of American Folklore, Vol. 28, No. 108 (Apr. - Jun., 1915), pp. 129-190. Cf. Sharp A.
This is also Brown B. Here are the notes: B. 'The Turkish Lady.' Contributed in 1913 by Miss Edith B. Fish from her collection at White Rock, Madison county. The same, verbatim et literatim, as Perrow's text published in JAFL XXVIII 149-51 and therefore not printed here. Perrow says his text is from a manuscript "lent E. N. Caldwell, 1913," which may mean that Miss Fish lent the manuscript to Caldwell at that time.
Perrow or an editor mislabels this Child 52 when it should be Child 53. In 1908 Perrow received a PhD from Harvard University in English Philology. He was aware of the Harvard Library collections and Kittredge, who quotes this version in 1917.
R. Matteson 2012, 2014]
5. THE TURKISH LADY [1] (Child, 52).
(From North Carolina; mountain whites; MS. lent E. N. Caldwell; 1913.)
Lord Bacon was a nobleman,
As fair one as you should see,
He gathered all his silks and rubies;
The Turkish land he'd go and see.
He first blowed east and then blowed west
And he blowed down to the Turkish land
The Turks they got him and so sadly used him
To love his life he was quite wearied.
They bored a hole in his left shoulder
And nailed him down unto a tree
They gave him nothing but bread and water
And bread and water but once a day.
The Turks they had but one fair daughter,
As fair a one as you should see;
She stole the keys of the prison strong
And vowed Lord Bacon she would set free.
She said, "Have you got any land or living,
Or have you any dwelling free?
Would you give it all to a Prince's daughter
If she would set you at liberty?"
Then he says, "I've got a land and living,
And I have got a dwelling free;
And I'll give it all to you, pretty creature,
If you will do that thing for me."
She went on to her Master's cellar,
And from her father stole a jail key.
She opened the dungeon both deep and wide,
And vowed Lord Bacon she would set free.
Then she took him to her master's cellar
And drawed some of the best port wine,
And, "Drink a health to you, pretty creature!"
"I wish, Lord Bacon, that you were mine!"
And then they drawed each other's notes of love,
And seven years they were to stand;
He vowed he'd marry no other woman
Unless she married some other man.
Then she took him on to the sea-side
And left him sailing over the main.
"Fare ye well! Fare ye well! you pretty creature!
Oh, when shall I see you again!"
When seven years were past and gone
And seven months and almost three,
She gathered all her silks and rubies
And vowed Lord Bacon she'd go and see.
When she got to Lord Bacon's hall
She knocked so far below the ring,
"Oh, yes! oh, yes!" said the bold proud porter,
"She knocks so hard, fain would she come in."
"Is this Lord Bacon's hall?" she said;
"Or is there any man within?"
"Oh, yes! oh, yes!" said the bold proud porter,
This day has fetched him a young bride in."
[Stanza missing here.]
She says, "Now you've married some other woman
And I have married no other man;
I wish I had my notes of love,
Straight back to the Turkish land I'd go."
Then up spoke the young bride's mother,
An angry spoken old thing was she,
Saying, "Would you quit my own fair daughter
And take up with a Turkish ladye?"
He said, "You may take your daughter home with you,
For I'm sure she's none the worse for me,
For the prettiest thing stands here awaiting
That ever my two eyes did see.
She's got a ring on every finger,
And on her middle one she's got three,
And gold around her neck a-plenty
To buy all Cumberland of thee."
He took her by the lily-white hand
And took her to his master's cellar
And drawed some of the best port wine
Saying, "Drink a health, pretty creature,
Who freed me from such a prison strong."
He took her by the lyly-white hand
And gently led her to his hall
And changed her name from Pretty Nancy
And called her name, it was noble Jane.
1 Compare this Journal, vol. xviii, p. 209; vol. xx, p. 251; vol. xxii, p. 68; vol. xxiii, p. 450; see also Harvard College Library 25254.12.10.