Popular Rhymes and Nursery Tales Part 43

What said you to the bonny bairn, My boy Tammy?

I praised her een sae lovely blue, Her dimpled cheek and cherry mou'; I preed it aft, as ye may trow- She said she'd tell her mammy.

I held her to my beating breast, My young, my smiling lammy; I held her to my beating breast, My young, my smiling lammy: I hae a house, it cost me dear, I've wealth o' plenishing and gear, Ye'se get it a', war't ten times mair, Gin ye will leave your mammy.

The smile gaed aff her bonny face, I maunna leave my mammy; The smile gaed aff her bonny face, I maunna leave my mammy: She's gi'en me meat, she's gi'en me claise, She's been my comfort a' my days; My father's death brought mony waes- I canna leave my mammy.

We'll tak' her hame, and mak' her fain, My ain kind-hearted lammy; We'll tak' her hame, and mak' her fain, My ain kind-hearted lammy: We'll gie her meat, we'll gie her claise, We'll be her comfort a' her days; The wee thing gi'es her han', and says- There! gang and ask my mammy.

Has she been to the kirk wi' thee, My boy Tammy?

Has she been to the kirk wi' thee, My boy Tammy?

She's been to kirk wi' me, And the tear was in her e'e; But, oh! she's but a young thing, Just come frae her mammy!

[Footnote 57: Another version was obtained from Yorkshire:

Where have you been all the day, My boy Billy?

Where have you been all the day, My boy Billy?

I have been all the day Courting of a lady gay; Although she is a young thing, And just come from her mammy!

Is she fit to be thy love, My boy Billy?

She is as fit to be my love, As my hand is for my glove, Although she is, &c.

Is she fit to be thy wife, My boy Billy?

She is as fit to be my wife, As my blade is for my knife; Although she is, &c.

How old may she be, My boy Billy?

Twice six, twice seven, Twice twenty and eleven; Although she is, &c.]

The ballad of Lord Randal, printed by Sir Walter Scott, may, after all, furnish the true solution to the meaning of our nursery rhyme, and I am therefore induced to insert a version of it still popular in Scotland, in which the hero of the song is styled Laird Rowland:

Ah! where have you been, Lairde Rowlande, my son?

Ah! where have you been, &c.

I've been in the wild-woods, Mither, mak my bed soon, For I'm weary wi' hunting, And faine would lie down.

Oh! you've been at your true love's, Lairde Rowlande, my son!

Oh! you've been at your true love's, &c.

I've been at my true love's, Mither, mak my bed soon, For I'm weary wi' hunting, And faine would lie down.

What got you to dinner, Lairde Rowlande, my son?

What got you to dinner, &c.

I got eels boil'd in brue, Mither, mak my bed soon, For I'm weary wi' hunting, And faine would lie down.

What's become of your Warden, Lairde Rowlande, my son?

What's become of your Warden, &c.

He died in the muirlands, Mither, mak my bed soon, For I'm weary wi' hunting, And faine would lie down.

What's become of your stag-hounds, Lairde Rowlande, my son?

What's become of your stag-hounds, &c.

They swelled and they died!

Mither, mak my bed soon, For I'm weary wi' hunting, And faine would lie down.

The fable or plot of this seems to be, that Lord Rowlande, upon a visit at the castle of his mistress, has been poisoned by the drugged viands at the table of her father, who was averse to her marriage with the lord. Finding himself weary, and conscious that he is poisoned, he returns to his home, and wishes to retire to his chamber without raising in his mother any suspicions of the state of his body and mind. This may be gathered from his short and evasive answers, and the importunate entreaties with which he requests his mother to prepare his chamber.

In Swedish there are two distinct versions: one, the Child's Last Wishes, in Geijer and Afzelius, iii. 13, beginning-

Hvar har du varit s lange, Dotter, liten kind?

Jag har varit hos min Amma, Kar styf-moder min!

For aj aj! ondt hafver jag-jag!

Where hast thou been so long now, My sweet wee little child?

Sure with my nurse I've tarried, My own step-mother mild!

For oh! oh! sore pains have I-I!

The second is in Afzelius, ii. 90, under the same t.i.tle, and beginning-

Hvar har du va't s lange, Lilla dotter kind?

Jag har va't i Banne, Hos broderen min!

Aj, aj, ondt hafver jag, jag!

Where hast thou been so long now, Wee little daughter fine?

In Banne have I tarried, With brother mine!

Oh! oh! sore pains have I-I!

Both are sung to exquisitely melancholy melodies.

Dr. Jamieson makes some very just observations on this ballad, and the importance of tracing this cla.s.s of tales. "That any of the Scotch, English, and German copies of the same tale have been borrowed or translated from another, seems very improbable; and it would now be in vain to attempt to ascertain what it originally was, or in what age it was produced. It has had the good fortune in every country to get possession of the nursery, a circ.u.mstance which, from the enthusiasm and curiosity of young imaginations, and the communicative volubility of little tongues, has insured its preservation. Indeed, many curious relics of past times are preserved in the games and rhymes found amongst children, which are on that account by no means beneath the notice of the curious traveller, who will be surprised to find, after the lapse of so many ages, and so many changes of place, language, and manners, how little these differ among different nations of the same original stock, who have been so long divided and estranged from each other."

MY c.o.c.k LILY-c.o.c.k.

An inferior version of the following, which was obtained from Ess.e.x, is printed in Mr. Chambers's Popular Rhymes of Scotland, ed. 1847, p. 190.

A Swedish version, or rather a variation, in Lilja, p. 17, commences as follows: "I served a farmer for four years, and he paid me with a hen.

'Skrock, skrock!' said my hen. I served a farmer for four years, and he paid me with a c.o.c.k. 'Kucklilo!' said my c.o.c.k. 'Skrock, skrock!' said my hen, &c."

I had a c.o.c.k, and a c.o.c.k lov'd me, And I fed my c.o.c.k under a hollow tree; My c.o.c.k cried-c.o.c.k-c.o.c.k-coo- Every body loves their c.o.c.k, and I love my c.o.c.k too!

I had a hen, and a hen lov'd me, And I fed my hen under a hollow tree; My hen went-chickle-chackle, chickle-chackle- My c.o.c.k cried-c.o.c.k-c.o.c.k-coo- Every body loves their c.o.c.k, and I love my c.o.c.k too!

I had a goose, and a goose lov'd me, And I fed my goose under a hollow tree; My goose went-qua'k, qua'k- My hen went-chickle-chackle, chickle-chackle- My c.o.c.k cried-c.o.c.k-c.o.c.k-coo- Every body loves their c.o.c.k, and I love my c.o.c.k too!

I had a duck, and a duck lov'd me, And I fed my duck under a hollow tree; My duck went-quack, quack, quack- My goose went-qua'k, qua'k- My hen went-chickle-chackle, chickle-chackle- My c.o.c.k cried-c.o.c.k-c.o.c.k-coo- Every body loves their c.o.c.k, and I love my c.o.c.k too!

I had a drake, and a drake lov'd me, And I fed my drake under a hollow tree; My drake went-ca-qua, ca-qua, ca-qua- My duck went-quack, quack, quack- My goose went-qua'k, qua'k, qua'k- My hen went-chickle-chackle, chickle-chackle- My c.o.c.k cried-c.o.c.k-c.o.c.k-coo- Every body loves their c.o.c.k, and I love my c.o.c.k too!

I had a cat, and a cat lov'd me, And I fed my cat under a hollow tree; My cat went-miow, miow, miow- My drake went-ca-qua, ca-qua, ca-qua- My duck went-quack, quack, quack- My goose went-qua'k, qua'k, qua'k- My hen went-chickle-chackle, chickle-chackle- My c.o.c.k cried-c.o.c.k-c.o.c.k-coo- Every body loves their c.o.c.k, and I love my c.o.c.k too!

I had a dog, &c. My dog went-bow, wow, wow- I had a cow, &c. My cow went-moo, moo, moo- I had a sheep, &c. My sheep went-baa, baa, baa- I had a donkey, &c. My donkey went-hi-haugh, hi-haugh- I had a horse, &c.; My horse went-whin-neigh-h-h-h-h-

I had a pig, and a pig lov'd me, And I fed my pig under a hollow tree; And my pig went-hoogh, hoogh, hoogh- My horse went-whin-neigh-h-h-h-h- My donkey went-hi-haugh, hi-haugh- My sheep went-baa, baa, baa- My cow went-moo, moo, moo- My dog went-bow, wow, wow- My cat went-miow, miow, miow- My drake went-ca-qua, ca-qua, ca-qua- My duck went-quack, quack, quack- My goose went-qua'k, qua'k, qua'k- My hen went-chickle-chackle, chickle-chackle- My c.o.c.k cried-c.o.c.k-c.o.c.k-coo- Every body loves their c.o.c.k, and I love my c.o.c.k too!