ELFINLAND WUD.

"but

FORTUNATELY a glossary is appended to this curious ballad, or it would, otherwise, be difficult to comprehend it. Mr. Motherwell, it's author, wrote it avowedly as an imitation of the "old style,"

we think he has overshot his mark, and in giving it too much quaintness, he has sacrificed the charming simplicity, which characterizes his original. We know not on what tradition his subject is founded.

ERL WILLIAM has muntit his gude grai The ladie's handis were quhyte als milk, stede,

(Merrie lemis munelicht on the sea,) And graithit him in ane cumli weid. (Swa bonnilie blumis the hawthorn tree.)

Erl William rade, Erl William ran

(Fast they ryde quha luve trewlie,) Quhyll the Elfinland wun that gude Erl

wan

(Blink ower the burn, sweit may, to mee.)

Elfinland wud is dern and dreir,

(Merrie is the grai goukis sang,) Bot ilk ane leafis quhyt as silver cleir, (Licht makis schoirt the road swa lang.)

It is undirneth ane braid aik tree,

(Hey and a lo, as the leavis grow grein,) Thair is kythit ane bricht ladie,

(Many flowris blume quhilk ar nocht
seen.)

Around hir slepis the quhyte muneschyne,
(Meik is mayden undir kell,)
Her lips bin lyke the blude reid wyne;
(The rois of flowris hes sweitest smell.)

It was al bricht quhare that ladie stude,
(Far my luve, fure ower the sea.)
Bot dern is the lave of Elfinland wud,
(The knicht pruvit false that ance
luvit me.)

(Ringis my luve wore mair nor ane.) Her skin was safter nor the silk; (Lilly bricht schinis my luvis halse bane.)

Save you, save you, fayr ladie,

(Gentil hert schawis gentil deed.) Standand alane undir this auld tree; (Deir till knicht is nobil steid.)

Burdalane, if ye dwall here,

(My hert is layed upon this land.) I wuld like to live your fere;

(The schippis cum sailin to the strand.)

Nevir ane word that ladie sayd;

(Shortest rede hes least to mend.} Bot on hir harp she evir playd; (Thare nevir was mirth that had nocht end.)

Gang ye eist, or fare ye wast,

(Ilka stern blinkis blythe for thee,) Or tak ye the road that ye like best,

(Al trew feeris ryde in cumpanie.)

Erl William loutit doun full lowe;
(Luvis first seid bin curtesie.)
And swung hir owir his saddil bow,

(Ryde quha listis, ye'll link with mee.)

GLOSSARY.-Muntit, mounted. Gude, good. Lemis, gleims, scintillates. Graithit, dressed. hidden, secret, dark. Swa, so. Quha, who. Quhyll, while. Grai goukis sang, song of the "cuckoo-grey." Ilk ane, each, every one. Ilka has the same signification. Quhyt, white. Schoirt, lang, short, long. Braid aik tree, broad oak tree. Kythit, discovered. Quhilk, nocht, which, not. Kell, a

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GLOSSARY.

149

dress. The rois, the rose. Stude, stood. Fure, fared. Bot dern is the lave, but dark, or hidden, is the remainder. Als, as. Mair nor ane, more than one. Schinis, halse bane, shines, collar bone. Hert, schawis, heart, shows. Standand alane, standing alone. Till, to. Burdalane, a term used to denote one who is the only child left in a family; bird alone, or solitary, Layed, “lay," means basis, or foundation, and the signification of "layed," here, is fixed, I think, or set. Fere, a companion. Schortest rede hes least to mend, shortest counsel has least to expiate. Nocht, not. Gang, eist, wast, go, east, west. Stern, star. Loutit, stooped. Seid, bin, offspring, is. Scho, she. Its leeful lane, by itself alone. Furth by firth, forth, abroad by frith. Blyth be hertes quhilkis luve ilk uthur, blithe be hearts which love each other. Flaucht, gust, and also flake. Bairnis, mither, children, mother. Mim, affectedly modest or coy, prim. Nicher, neigh. Quhan thai lyke, when they choose. Bauld, sheuch, bold, a furrow or ditch. Syke, a rill, or rivulet, usually dry in summer. Hairt, heart. Ald, pairt, old, part. Nae lett, no obstruction, no hinderance. Nocht woman is scho that laikis ane tung, she who lacks a tongue, is not a woman. Sangis, songs. Haif, have. Qnhan dawis the day, when breaks the day. Braid mune, broad moon. Lift, the fir mament. Glentin, glancing, gleaming. Brennand, burning. Fra ane peelit skull, from a peeled skull. Ugsomlyk, very loathsome; disgusting. Rawis, rows. Boysteous, boisterous, blustering, Donkir, damper,danker. Maun fa', must fall. The merlis sang, the blackbird's song. Flude, flood. Mudy, moody » Blude, blood. A seamless shrowd weird schaipis for me! a seamless shroud fate, or destiny, prepares for me. To rede aright my spell, to explain aright my tale, Eerilie, awfully, drearily. Sal, shall, Quhil fleand Hevin and raikand Hell, while avoiding Heaven and ranging Hell. Ghaist, ghost. Luvand, loving, affectionate.

*0

THIS curious fragment is taken from the "Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border." Another ballad, almost it's counterpart, and entitled "The Three Ravens," was published by Ritson in his "Ancient Songs." The latter, however has a more pleasant moral than that conveyed in our version, inasmuch as "the hawk, the hound, and the lady fair," are therein pourtrayed guarding instead of deserting the body of the slain knight.

As I was walking all alane,'

I heard twa corbies making a mane;
The tane unto the t'other say,

Where sall we gang and dine to-day ?'

In behint yon auld fail dyke,
I wot their lies a new-slain knight;
And naebody kens that he lies there,
But his hawk, his hound, and lady fair.
His hound is to the hunting gane;
His hawk to fetch the wild fowl hame,

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His lady has ta'en another mate,
So we may mak our dinner sweet.

Ye'll sit on his white hause-bane,
And I'll pick out his bonny blue een ;
Wi' ae lock o' his gowden hair,

We'll theek our nest when it grows bare.

Mony a one for him makes mane,

But nane shall ken where he is gane;

O'er his white banes, when they are bare,

The wind shall blaw for evermair.'

HENGIST AND MEY.

THE author of this ballad was William Julius Mickle, who translated into English the Lusiad of Camo

ens, with much credit to himself. The names that occur, point to the early period of English history, when the incidents may be supposed to have occurred.