AULD SCOTS BALLADS

Maoriland Worker, Volume 10, Issue 447, 1 October 1919, Page 1

AULD SCOTS BALLADS

l<o oonntry in tho wctM ro.-refsrcs a **liad lore morn wonderful unit eh-ir-__eristic than thai: of Scotland. Tho alliic. is ono of tho oldest forms c-f oetic utterance; rudo in structure, imple and artless in expression, popn- *? iv style. Thte ballad, of Scotland re the rude outpourings of a people, imple, sensuous and passionate, as Hilton said poetry should be. They had .11 the raw materials of romance and tfilgedy in their lives. The wonders ■frid mystery.of Nature surrounded them j md coloured their -imagination.* and jhoughts, and lent a mystery, a glamour and a haunting dread to their bailads. These dealt with love in all its protean forms, but ch-otly of love's tragedy; with feud aud foray and the rude life of days when passion burst the bounds of law and life was held cheap. The ballad lore of Scotland attracted little attention amongst scholars until Sir Walter Scott drew attention to its wealth and beauty. The ballade were, many of them, preserved in the memory alone, having- been handed down like the traditions of a primitive folk, from generation to generation. The Scots people were trained in this rough school, and their literature' has be*n strongly affected by the ballads of bygone days. Burns was influenced by th c old ballads, *nd wrote some fine pieces in imitation of them. He also preserved some of the best of th© early lyrics and gave them a touch of his own genius which made them pure poetic gold. Scott did more; he made a search for the ballads that had not been reduced to writing, »nd published the famous Border ballads, revealing to the world the source and ©_ig_flj» of the national literature. Ever since then mor c or less interest has been evinced in these old fragments, the work of unknown bards •VJ-O wrote of "old unnappy far-off things and battles long; ago." Many

books have b-ien written round the ballads, which have Ix-t-n odiied and co;nmei;ted upon by many writers, so that those interested can find easy access to thi. someu-Tit neglected corner in bookland. Tho ballads of Scotland have a qualify •-(' their own in comparison with tho-* of England. Tlicr c is a mysticism and a fat-'iiism in the balla.k that took .hap. norta ol' the iliac are absent from the more mailer of fact ballads of the If n bin Hood srhool. Ther f . is also an infinitely higher decree of poetic merit. John 1.v.1.vi, ii:iiuself a !>c-ot-ina-i!> altliouyh bm n iv England, was of. opinion that many of the old bill I ads'sis were superior 10 Burn-. '.l.'Jiis may ..sound like- heresy, (,u r tin- .riilh is that scm c ~'j:' Ue baJb'-'il •. v rittc.i by unknown predecessors oi the ,XatiO--al .Baiul,' who uin.i-, be as J.c"tiand's greatest, poei, in virtue of his wcrk, iii'» not--htifpus-ed. if .bey are equalled by-tiie wm-k >>( Huriis. But of cours?.-it 'would ho wronsj to a poet on ni.e u'ork alone, and tiie ricli-"ne-s t ,nrl variety of t!"o sonss of Burny ■lives him oi pia.o as the lirnrtit p.utii Milnr -tar in tho !Sci.dU«h poetic j iiriuaiu*_Lt. .hi any ca-o. to ii lv : irate con- ! temion, let us read critically a rare ! old ballad i vi-rily )ielir\e in be the i l>-st oi its bind ov.r wrilten, and which j 111-; iiu( fteeiwd {he ni |<. n; n.'ii it sinm.u I from win.' . t tr is tiip. i.'ail i.. a. ! ..i_k-:-.i-in.ai teu ■iiu.inui, ttcst-ri 'd oy iivr jluvir. ('a this jnPTi.e Burns was no ! novice, but in my opinion he never retiched the standard of the older bard. This is (he sad sons of a forsaken lady— O waly. waly up the bank, O waly, waly doon the brae, And waly. waly yon burn-sido, Where I aud my Jove were won. to jae! I.' leaned my back unto an .aik, I. ihoclit it was a. tru-ti*' trco. But iiist it !>o".ve--t ai.d r.yue it br(;k'tfae my true love did lichtlie mo O waly, waly, but love be bennie A little timo while it is new! But when it's auld it waxetii cauld And fades awu' like the morniu' dew. O wherefore shiould I bu-k my he-id, O wherefore should 1 kanio my hair. For my true lav* has m c forsook, Ami says he'll i-ov.r he v... mair. -\oo Arthur's Seat shall be my bed, Tho sheet.s sail neer be pressed by mc; Saint Anton's well shall bo* my drink fciincs my true love", forsaken mc. Martinmas wind, when wilt thou blaw. And shake the green leaves off tho tre. ? O sentle Beath. when wilt thou come? For of my life la m wearie. 'Tis net the frost that freezes fell, Nor blawiu snaw's inclemencie, 'Tis not sic cauld .hat maks in e cry, But my love's hear, grown cauld to mc When wo cam in by Glasgow town, We were a comely sieht to see; My love was clad in the black velvet, An' 1 myss'l' in cramasie. But had I wist before I kissed, That l->ve had been sa c ill to win, I'd locked my heart iv v case o' gowd And pinned it wi' a sill-er pin.

Oh, oh! gill my youug T>al»e were born, Aud set upon t-ip nurse's kuee, Aa' 1 ui.-tl' wrro do ad ami gaiK\ And tke ..rwii gvas* growing over iri-l This is the natural language of a brokHM heiir.. 'J"li_. trag«.ly is told in .he sir_.p_es-;- way, yet villi wonderful art. Tin. art tbiit conceals art. This old btillad is supposed to- date from tv« lime <~£ Queen Alary, but <_ course nothing- definite is known of the c-ir-oumslancp- that gave rise to the ballad, or the iil-i'ab'd woman wlio.--e tragic late it so powerfully laments, whin may have been Ihe writer. On a like theme IJuriis wrot e Ye Banks and Braes o' Bonnie Doon, which in its original lonn had much) of th,e strength and simplicity ... I' ihe old ballad, but, I think H must be conceded tbat, th© older p<>e(. is the master of the threat; l.yi'i.t of Scotland. Tli-o work of Itui-us ;s a. jiert'cc! gem ot lyric ail, but is i_-« poirnaia and l*ss pa tin-tic, in.tii ni.'p v.onderl'ut efforts to body l'ortli vhe Jeeiins.s of a broker! heart. For tli. purpose of comparison here i- Burns' ?.njr j u iis original and best form— Ye :.nv.-ery banks c' bourn. Doon iloiv caii ye blunie s-ae fair? .low can. j* f , chant, vg little birds Ai.d i. sue iv o' cave. Thou'lt break mr heart, thou boD-i'o bir.i, Ilia, sinfs upon the bough; Thou minds mo «' tho happy day-. Whrij my l'au=e hive was trno. bri.ik my heart, thou boimio bii-u Tlia! sin.-si l.e-idf. thy mate, T' v ...i- i -at, and pan 1 sans And wist- na o" my fate. i.lft hae 1 rovcl by bouuio Doon 'i*o sty tho vioodijiiit (.wine And iIKU i.ird s.:iup: o' his lnv-e, And _-t> did I »>' mine. Wi' )U:h. .-.■>><> .>»:•._< I p'i'd a ro-ze {-'>..-. ,!V ir : ih.ri'.y 're-' ._.ll'i )• ■■■>■ i .-!.!•-■(> fever ;iiiv my ro="-o but left th:' I liiii'u wi' mc. . . is int-er-stinj; io l.uciw that Bums had wad and appreciated Waly, Waly, whick l_e refers to in iiis notes On old Scots ballails. It is an undoubted -fact that Burns' work t.ttfs much to thw older poets, whom lie would not have disdain, d to regard as bis masters in many resjit'cf s. The art shown in tho old ballads is -Kmi'etimcs very ..nlci'iitr aud was. .the ijj-odiu-i. or !.ir.i.'i'r\ >■-- i.H'i.y of a - h.ig n order, o..pressiu^ r itself in a rude form. Ther. is a ballad which has an English and a Sects version, called The Twa Corbies which I take leave to regard a.-, being the wo. It of a Scot, so strong and vigorous is it, and so in neb. in la.ping with, the character of the Scots ballad. Nothing liner of its kind can be lound in the ballad lore. ■\ s I was wai 1: ill •- a.! a 1 a! :.. ■ L hoard t-wa corbies making a mane The tane unto the tither did say Whar sail we gang and din € the day? In behind yon auld fail dyke, I wot there lies a new-slain knight, And na-ebody ken.? that he lies- there But his hawk, his hound and hfis lady fair. His hound is to th e hunting gane. His hawk to fetch the wild-fowl Jin mc, His lady's taen an-ther mate, Sac we may mak' oor diiiJier sweet. Y-'ll sit on his .vhite hause-bane And I'll pike out Wis bonny blue een; W'i. #f. leek o" hi. gowden hair We'll tbeek oor nest when it grows bare. Moi.y's the ane for him maks mane, But nan. sull ken whar he is gane, Owl© his white . banes, when they are bare The wind sail blaw for evermair. •niii' 'i-iir""'"' iH ""'''"* > "'' , T*' LJ -^ ML ''ff'iM_riim»-_w___nn_TTirin-_ni^^