Child Ballads - Appendix

Richie Story

Appendix

Aytoun, II, 239, says of 'Richie Storie,' The words, recast in a romantic form and applied to a more interesting subject, have been set to music by a noble lady, and are now very popular under the title of 'Huntingtower.' The history of 'Huntingtower' is not so well known as might be expected. I have not been able to ascertain the authorship or the date of its first appearance (which was very probably in society rather than in print). 'Richie Storie' is not carried by our texts further back than 1802-3 (B, H). Kinloch published in 1827 a ballad from recitation, 'The Duke of Athol,' which is 'Huntingtower' passed through the popular mouth; for 'Huntingtower' became, and has continued to be, a favorite with the people. Christie, Traditional Ballad Airs, I, 166, says that he had often heard 'The Duke of Athol' in his early years, and he gives eight stanzas which do not differ remarkably from Kinloch's ballad.

The marks of the derivation of 'Huntingtower' are the terminations of lines 1, 2, 4 of each stanza, and substantial agreements in the last two stanzas with A, B, E, 5, D, F, G, 4, and with B 6, C 7, H, respectively. The name Huntingtower occurs only in B 6 of 'Richie Storie.' The author of 'Huntingtower' was no doubt possessed of a version of 'Richie Storie' which had its own peculiarities.

'Huntingtower' is too well known to require citing. It has been often printed; as, for example, in Mr. G.F. Graham's Popular Songs of Scotland, revised by J. Muir Wood, Balmoral Editiou, Glas- gow, 1887, p. 152; The Songs of Scotland, the words revised by Dr. Charles Mackay, p. 5, London, Boosey & Co. (Altered by the Baroness Nairne, and very little left of it, Life and Songs of the Baroness Nairne, edited by the Rev. Charles Rogers, 1872, p. 177.) The pleasing air strongly resembles, says Mr. Wood, one in D'Urfey's Pills to Purge Melancholy, V, 42, ed. 1719.

'The Duke of Athol' may be given for the interest it has as a popular rifacimento.

The Duke of Athol

"Taken down from the recitation of an idiot boy in Wishaw;" Kinloch's Ancient Scottish Ballads, p. 170.

1	'I am gaing awa, Jeanie, I am gaing awa; I am gaing ayont the saut seas, I'm gaing sae far awa.'
2	'What will ye buy to me, Jamie? What will ye buy to me?' 'I'll buy to you a silken plaid, And send it wi vanitie.'
3	That's na love at a', Jamie, That's na love at a'; All I want is love for love, And that's the best ava.
4	'Whan will ye marry me, Jamie? Whan will ye marry me? Will ye tak me to your countrie, Or will ye marry me?'
5	'How can I marry thee, Jeanie? How can I marry thee, Whan I've a wife and bairns three? Twa wad na weill agree.'
6	'Wae be to your fause tongue, Jamie, Wae be to your fause tongue; Ye promised for to marry me, And has a wife at hame!
7	'But if your wife wad dee, Jamie, And sae your bairns three, Wad ye tak me to your countrie, Or wad ye marry me?
8	'But sin they 're all alive, Jamie, But sin they 're all alive, We'll tak a glass in ilka hand, And drink, Weill may they thrive!'
9	'If my wife wad dee, Jeanie, And sae my bairns three, I wad tak ye to my ain countrie, And married we wad be.'
10	'O an your head war sair, Jamie, an your head war sair, I 'd tak the napkin frae my neck And tie doun your yellow hair.'
11	'I hae na wife at a', Jeanie, I hae na wife at a'; I hae neither wife nor bairns three; I said it to try thee.'
12	'Licht are ye to loup, Jamie, Licht are ye to loup; Licht are ye to loup the dyke, Whan I maun wale a slap.'
13	'Licht am I to loup, Jeanie, Licht am I to loup; But the hiest dyke that we come to I'll turn and tak you up.
14	'Blair in Athol is mine, Jeanie, Blair in Athol is mine; Bonnie Dunkel is whare I dwell, And the boats o Garry's mine.
15	'Huntingtower is mine, Jeanie, Huntingtower is mine, Huntingtower, and bonnie Belford, And a' Balquhither's mine.'

This page most recently updated on 22-Apr-2011, 05:31:29.
Return to main index