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A Young
Man, a Maiden, and the Fairy Queen
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O I forbid you, maidens all
That
wear gold
on your hair
To
come or go by Carterhaugh,
For young
Tam Lin is there.
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“Roxburgh he was my grandfather,
Took me with him to bide,
And once it
fell upon a day
That
woe
did me betide. |
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There’s
none that go by Carterhaugh
But they leave him a pledge,
Either their rings, or green mantles,
Or else their
virginity.
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“And once it fell upon a day,
A cold day and
windy,
When we were from the hunting come
That from my horse I fell;
The
Queen of Fairies, she caught me,
In yonder green hill to
dwell. |
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Janet
has tucked her
green skirt
A
little above
her knee,
And she has braided
her yellow hair
A little above her brow,
And she’s away to Carterhaugh,
As fast as she can speed.
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“And pleasant is the fairy land,
But, an eerie tale to
tell,
Yes at the end of seven years
We pay a tithe
to hell;
I am so fair and full of flesh,
I’m afraid it
will be
myself. |
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When she came to Carterhaugh,
Tam
Lin was at the well,
And there she found his steed
standing,
But away was himself.
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“But the night is Halloween, lady,
The morn is Hallowday;
Then
win me, win me, and ye will,
For well I wat you may. |
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She had not pulled a double rose,
A rose but only two,
Till
up then started young Tam
Lin,
Says, “Lady, pull no more."
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“Just at the dark
and midnight
hour
The fairy
folk will ride,
And they that would their true-love win,
At Miles Cross
they must bide.” |
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“Why pull you the rose, Janet,
And why break you the
branch,
Or why
do you come to Carterhaugh
Without my command?"
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“But how shall I know you, Tam
Lin,
Or how my true-love know,
Among so many strange
knights
The
like of which I never saw?” |
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“Carterhaugh, it is my own,
My daddie
gave it to me;
I’ll come and go by Carterhaugh,
And ask
no leave at thee.”
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“O first let pass the black, lady,
And
then
let pass the brown,
But quickly run to the milk-white
steed,
Pull you his rider down. |
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Janet
has tucked her green skirt
A little above her knee,
And she has braided her yellow
hair
A little above her brow,
And she is to her
father’s hall
As fast as she can speed.
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“For I’ll ride on the milk-white steed,
And yes, nearest
the town;
Because I was an earthly knight
They give me that renown. |
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Four and twenty ladies fair
Were
playing at the ball,
And out then came the fair Janet,
Once the flower among
them all.
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“My right hand will be gloved, lady,
My left hand will be
bare,
Cocked up
shall my bonnet be,
And combd
down shall be my hair,
And those are the tokens I give thee,
No doubt I will be there. |
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Four and twenty ladies fair
Were
playing at the chess,
And out then came the fair Janet,
Looking very ill.
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“They’ll turn me in your arms, lady,
Into a newt
and adder;
But hold me fast, and
fear me not,
I am your baby’s father. |
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Out then spoke an old grey knight,
Lay
over the castle wall,
And said, “Alas! fair
Janet, for thee
But
we’ll be blamed all."
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“They’ll turn me to a bear so grim,
And then a lion
bold;
But hold me fast, and fear me not,
As you shall
love your child. |
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“Hold your tongue, ye old faced knight,
Some ill death may you die!
Father my babe on whom I
will,
I’ll father none on you.”
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“Again they’ll turn me in your arms
To
a red hot rod of iron;
But hold me fast, and fear me not,
I’ll do to you no
harm.
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Out then spoke her father dear,
And he spoke meek and mild;
“And ever alas, sweet Janet”,
he says,
“I think you go with child.”
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“And last they’ll turn me in your arms
Into the burning wand;
Then
throw me into well water,
O throw me in with speed.
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“If that I go with child, father,
Myself must
bear the
blame;
There’s
not a lord about your hall
Shall get the baby’s name.
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“And then I’ll be your own true-love,
I’ll turn a naked
knight;
Then
cover me with your green mantle,
And hide me out of sight.”
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“If my love were an earthly knight,
As he’s an elfen
grey,
I would not give my own true-love
For any lord that
you have.
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So gloomy, gloomy was the night,
And eerie was the way,
As fair Jenny in her green mantle
To Miles Cross she did go.
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“The steed that my true-love rides on
Is lighter than the
wind;
With silver
he is shod before,
With burning gold behind.”
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About the middle of the night
She heard the bridles sing;
This
lady was as glad at that
As any earthly thing.
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Janet
has tucked
her green skirt
A little above her knee,
And she has braided her yellow
hair
A little above her brow,
And she’s awat to
Carterhaugh
As fast as she can speed.
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First she let the black pass by,
And then she let the
brown;
But quickly
she
ran
to
the
milk-white
steed,
And pulled the
rider down.
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When she came to Carterhaugh,
Tam
Lin was at the well,
And there she found his steed
standing,
But away was himself.
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So well
she minded what he did say,
And young
Tam Lin did win;
Then covered him with her
green mantle,
As blythe as a bird in spring.
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She had not pulled a double rose,
A rose but only two,
Till
up then started young Tam
Lin,
Saying
“Lady, you'll pull no more.”
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Out then spoke the Queen of Fairies,
Out of a bush of broom1:
“Them that has gotten young
Tam Lin
Has gotten a stately groom.” |
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“Why pull you the rose, Janet,
Among the groves so
green,
And all to kill the bonnie babe
That we gat us between?”
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Out then spoke the Queen of Fairies,
And an angry woman was
she:
“Shame betide her ill-far’d [?] face,
And an ill
death may she die,
For she’s taken away the bonniest knight
In all my company. |
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“Oh tell me, tell me,
Tam Lin”, she says,
“For His sake that
died on tree,
If ever you were in holy chapel,
Or
Christendom did see?”
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“But had I known,
Tam Lin”, she says,
“What now this night I see,
I'd have taken out thy two
grey eyes,
And put in two eyes of wood.
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