TAM LIN
oh, i forbid you maidens allthat wear gold in your hair.
to come or go by carterhaugh
for young tam lin is there.
Maidens were warned against going to Carterhaugh because a notorious young man called Tam Lin lived there.
if you go by carterhaugh
you must leave him a wad.
either your rings or green mantle
or else your maidenhead.
If they went through Carterhaugh, they must leave him a token of their jewelery or clothing or else he will take their virginity.
she's away o'er gravel green
and o'er the gravel brown.
she's away to carterhaugh
to flower herself a gown.
A young lady (Janet) did not heed the warnings and traveled to Carterhaugh to pick flowers for her gown.
she had not pulled a rosy rose
a rose but barely one.
when by came this brisk young man
says, lady let alone.
She has barely plucked a single rose when Tam Lin appeared and forbade her to pluck anymore.
how dare you pull my rose, madam?
how dare you break my tree?
how dare you come to carterhaugh
without the leave of me?
He asks her why has she entered his domain and is ruining his home without his permission.
well may i pull the rose, she said
well may i break the tree.
for carterhaugh it my father's
i'll ask no leave of thee.
She replies that she has every right to pluck a rose from Carterhaugh because this place belongs to her father and her father gave Carterhaugh to her.
he's taken her by the milk-white hand
and there he's laid her down.
and there he asked no leave of her
as she lay on the ground.
He then proceeded to rape her. (But i guess they do not use such brazen words in the olden days. Instead they made it sound romantic. Go figure....=.=)
oh tell me, tell me, then she said
oh tell me who art thee.
my name it is tam lin, he said
and this is my story.
Afterwards, she asked him who he was. He then proceeded to tell her his story.
as it fell out upon a day
a-hunting i did ride.
there came a wind out of the north
and pulled me betide.
He was hunting one day and a wind caused him to fall off his horse.
and drowsy, drowsy as i was
the sleep upon me fell.
the queen of fairies she was there
and took me to herself.
The Queen of Fairies saved him from death and he has belonged to her ever since.
at the end of every seven years
they pay a tithe to hell.
and i'm so fair and full of flesh
i'm feared 'twill be myself.
Every 7 years, the Fairies pay a tithe (something like a tax) to hell (in the form of a human soul) and he is afraid it's his turn.
tonight it is good halloween
the fairy court will ride.
and if you would your true love win
at miles cross, you must bide.
Tonight is the night the tithe is due and if Janet wants to save him and win him for herself, she must hide in Miles Cross.
gloomy was the night
and eerie was the way.
this lady in her green mantle
to miles cross she did go.
So although the night was gloomy and eerie, Janet went to Miles Cross all the same.
with the holy water in her hand
she cast the compass round.
at twelve o'clock the fairy court
came riding o'er the mound.
Armed with Holy Water, she waited for them. At 12 o'clock, the Fairy Court came.
first came by the black steed
and then came by the brown.
then tam lin on the milk-white steed
with a gold star in his crown.
The first horse was black, the second was brown, Tam Lin sat on the third horse which was white with a golden star on its forehead.
she's pulled him down into her arms
and let the bridle fall.
the queen of fairies she cried out
young tam lin is away.
She pulled him off the horse and into her arms and the Queen of Fairies cried out in alarm.
they've shaped him in her arms
an adder or a snake.
she's held him fast and feared him not
to be her earthly mate.
The Fairies turned Tam Lin into a snake in Janet's arms, but she held on to him.
they've shaped him in her arms again
fire burning bold.
she's held him fast and feared him not
till he was iron cold.
They turned him into a lump of burning coal, but she held on.
they've shaped him in her arms
to a wood black dog so wild.
she's held him fast and feared him not
the father of her child.
They turned him into a ferocious dog, but she held on.
they've shaped him in her arms at last
into a naked man.
she's wrapped him in the green mantle
and knew that she had him won.
At last, they turned him into a naked man and she wrapped him in her mantle, and she knew she had won.
the queen of fairies she cried out
young tam lin is away.
had i known, had i known, tam lin
long before, long before you came from home.
had i known, i would have taken out your heart
and put in a heart of stone.
The Queen of Fairies was aghast and said "If I had known you would leave me, I would have replaced your beating heart with stone before I sent you back to earth."
had i known, had i known, tam lin
that a lady, a lady would steal thee.
had i known, i would have taken out your eyes
and put in two from a tree.
"If I had known a woman was going to steal you from me, I would have taken out your eyes and replaced them with wood."
had i known, had i known, tam lin
that i would lose, that i would lose the day.
had i known, i would have paid my tithe to hell
before you'd been won away.
"If I had known i would lose you, I would have sacrificed myself rather than to lose you." (I think..not sure bout this last sentence.)
