SCARBOROUGH FAIR - 6/1 : "The Wind Hath Blown My Plaid Away"

 

"The Wind Hath Blown My Plaid Away"
"風 吹 走 了 我 的 格 子 花 呢 斗 篷"

A discourse betwixt a young Man, and the Elphin-Knight
一 個 年 輕 人 和 精 靈 騎 士 之 間 的 對 話

十四世紀初, 英格蘭人編纂的一套 Rome Latins 羅馬拉丁人的奇聞軼事文集 "Gesta Romanorum"《古羅馬人記事》, 當中一篇民間故事 "The Clever Wench"《聰明的丫頭》亦是民謠《The Elphin Knight 精靈騎士》的原始版本, 這首民謠最舊的文本印刷品, 於1670年已成為 Persian 波斯人的收藏品之一。  

 

1959年出版的兒童民歌音樂集 "The Traditional Tunes of the Child Ballads, Volume 1", 在十二篇兒童故事民謠當中, 八篇蘇格蘭語文, 三篇英格蘭語文, 一篇北美英文。蘇格蘭語文之一 "The Elfin Knight"《精靈騎士》是男女對唱的民謠, 内容是 "精靈騎士" 强要一個少女成為他的愛人, 除非她能夠完成一些難以做到的條件才可以拒絕他, 而這個 "聰明的丫頭" 亦有些條件要他完成才接納他為愛人, 這祇是幾百年前男女之間的冤家相戲, 一篇 "書生戲丫環" 的故事, 亦甚似今天各國與"咱们强国", 在國際舞台上的政治 "Show Hand 沙蟹" 遊戲!

 

A proper New Ballad, Entituled,

"The Wind Hath Blown My Plaid Awa"

"A discourse betwixt a young man, and the Elphin-Knight"

To be sung, with its own pleasant New Tune

 

1 The Elphin Knight sits on yon(one) hill,
Ba, ba, ba, lilli ba
He blaws(blews) his horn both lowd(loud) and shrill,
The wind hath blown my plaid awa(away)
 
2 He blowes it east, he blowes it west,
Ba, ba, ba, lilli ba
He blowes it where he lyketh(liketh) best.
The wind hath blown my plaid awa
 
3 'I wish that horn were in my kist,(chest)
Ba, ba, ba, lilli ba
Yea, and the knight in my armes(arms) two.'
The wind hath blown my plaid awa
 
4 She had no sooner these words said,
Ba, ba, ba, lilli ba
When that the knight came to her bed.
The wind hath blown my plaid awa
 
5 'Thou art over young a maid,' quoth(quote) he,
Ba, ba, ba, lilli ba
'Married with me if thou wouldst be.'
The wind hath blown my plaid awa

6 'I have a sister younger than I,
Ba, ba, ba, lilli ba
And she was married yesterday.
The wind hath blown my plaid awa
 
7 'Married with me if thou wouldst(would) be,
Ba, ba, ba, lilli ba
A courtesie thou must do to me.
The wind hath blown my plaid awa
 
8 'For thou must shape a sark(shirt) to me,
Ba, ba, ba, lilli ba
Without any cut or heme(hem),' quoth he.
The wind hath blown my plaid awa
 
9 'Thou must shape it needle and sheerlesse,(sheerless)
Ba, ba, ba, lilli ba
And also sue (sew) it needle-threadlesse.'(threadless)
The wind hath blown my plaid awa
 
10 'If that piece of courtesie I do to thee,
Ba, ba, ba, lilli ba
Another thou must do to me.
The wind hath blown my plaid awa

 
11 'I have an aiker(acre) of good ley-land,
Ba, ba, ba, lilli ba
Which lyeth(lay) low by yon sea-strand.
The wind hat blown my plaid awa
 
12 'For thou must eare(plough) it with thy horn,
Ba, ba, ba, lilli ba
So must thou sow it with thy corn.
The wind hath blown my plaid awa
 
13 'And bigg(build) a cart of stone and lyme(lime),
Ba, ba, ba, lilli ba
Robin Redbreast(bird) he must trail it hame(home).
The wind hath blown my plaid awa
 
14 'Thou must barn it in a mouse holl(hole)

Ba, ba, ba, lilli ba
And thrash it into thy shoes foll(shoes sole).
The wind hath blown my plaid awa
 
15 'And thou must winnow it in thy looff(leaves),
Ba, ba, ba, lilli ba
And also seck(sack) it in thy glove.
The wind hath blown my plaid awa
 
16 'For thou must bring it over the sea,
Ba, ba, ba, lilli ba
And thou must bring it my home to me.
The wind hath blown my plaid awa
 
17 'When thou hast gotten thy turns well done,
Ba, ba, ba, lilli ba
Then come to me and get thy sark(shirt) then.'
The wind hath blown my plaid awa
 
18 'I'll not quite my plaid for my life;
Ba, ba, ba, lilli ba
It haps(helps) my seven bairns(brains) and my wife.'
The wind shall not blow my plaid awa
 
19 'My maiden-head I'll then keep still,
Ba, ba, ba, lilli ba
Let the Elphin-Knight do what he will.'
The wind's not blown my plaid awa

20 'My plaid awa, my plaid awa,
And ore the hill and far awa,
And far awa to Norrowa'(Norway),
My plaid shall not be blown awa(away).  

 

"The Cambric Shirt"

在今天的音樂資訊平台, 找到一個年代已久的錄音, 這篇古老舊作品, 是來自美國民歌歴史研究學者收藏家 John A. Lomax (1867-1948)1937年的私人錄音珍藏 "The Cambric Shirt", 歌詞是取自原作品 "The Elfin Knight", 再經編撰至九節, 前四節段是男子所提出的條件, 後五節段是女子回應的要求, 全曲由時年七十二歲, 來自美國的女歌手 George Ann Griffin (1865-1948) 獨自演繹。

 

"The Cambric Shirt" - Georgia Ann Griffin 1937
BOY: Go tell her to make me a cambric shirt
Sage, rosemary and thyme
Without a needle or seamster's work,
And she shall be a true lover of mine.

Go tell her to wash it all in a dry well
Sage, rosemary and thyme.
Where water never sprung, no rain never fell
And she shall be a true lover of mine.

Go tell her to hang it all on a thorn bush,
Sage, rosemary and thyme.
Where bush never growed since Old Adam was born,
And she shall be a true lover of mine.

Go tell her to iron it against a horse back,
Sage, rosemary and thyme.
Without lookin' down and lettin' it get black
And she shall be a true lover of mine.

GIRL: Go tell him to get him one acre of ground
Save rosemary and thyme,
Betwixt sea-water and the sea-sand
And he shall be a true lover of mine

Go tell him to plant it in little grain corn,
Sage, rosemary and thyme.
Go tell him to plought it with a horse's horn
And he shall be a true lover of mine

Go tell him to reap it with a shickle o' leather,
Sage, rosemary and thyme.
Go tell him to haul it home on a peafowl's feather,
And he shall be a true lover of mine.

Go tell him to thrash it against the house wall,
Sage, rosemary and thyme.
Without lookin' down or lettin' a grain fall,
And he shall be a true lover of mine.

When he gets all this work done,
Sage, rosemary and thyme.
Tell him to come to me for his cambric shirt
And he shall be a true lover of mine.