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قراءة كتاب English and Scottish Ballads, Volume 4 (of 8)
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Bearwell
YOUNG BEICHAN AND SUSIE PYE.
An inspection of the first hundred lines of Robert of Gloucester's Life and Martyrdom of Thomas Beket, (edited for the Percy Society by W. H. Black, vol. xix,) will leave no doubt that the hero of this ancient and beautiful tale is veritably Gilbert Becket, father of the renowned Saint Thomas of Canterbury. Robert of Gloucester's story coincides in all essential particulars with the traditionary legend, but Susie Pye is, unfortunately, spoken of in the chronicle by no other name than the daughter of the Saracen Prince Admiraud.
We have thought it well to present the three best versions of so popular and interesting a ballad. The two which are given in the body of this work are Jamieson's, from Popular Ballads, ii. 117, and ii. 127. In the Appendix is Kinloch's, from Ancient Scottish Ballads, p. 260. Other printed copies are Lord Beichan, in Richardson's Borderer's Table Book, vii. 20, communicated by J. H. Dixon, who has inserted the same in Ancient Poems, Ballads, and Songs, Percy Society, vol. xvii. p. 85; Lord Bateman, the common
English broadside (at p. 95 of the collection just cited); and Young Bondwell, published from Buchan's MS. in Scottish Traditionary Versions of Ancient Ballads, p. 1, (Percy Soc. vol. xvii.) identical, we suppose, with the copy referred to by Motherwell in Scarce Ancient Ballads, Peterhead, 1819. There is a well-known burlesque of the ordinary English ballad, called The Loving Ballad of Lord Bateman, with comical illustrations by Cruikshank. On this was founded a burlesque drama, produced some years ago at the Strand Theatre, London, with great applause.
"This ballad, and that which succeeds it in this collection, (both on the same subject,) are given from copies taken from Mrs. Brown's recitation, collated with two other copies procured from Scotland, one in MS., another very good one printed for the stalls; a third, in the possession of the late Reverend Jonathan Boucher of Epsom, taken from recitation in the North of England; and a fourth, about one third as long as the others, which the Editor picked off an old wall in Piccadilly."
Jamieson's interpolations have been omitted.
He longed strange countries for to see;
But he was taen by a savage moor,
Who handled him right cruellie;
Their way of worship viewed he;
But to Mahound, or Termagant,
Would Beichan never bend a knee.
In every bore they've putten a tree;10
And they have made him trail the wine
And spices on his fair bodie.
Where he could neither hear nor see;
For seven years they kept him there,15
Till he for hunger's like to die.
Her name was called Susie Pye;
And every day as she took the air,
Near Beichan's prison she passed by.20
She heard young Beichan sadly sing;
"My hounds they all go masterless;
My hawks they flee from tree to tree;
My younger brother will heir my land;25
Fair England again I'll never see!"
Young Beichan's song for thinking on;
She's stown the keys from her father's head,
And to the prison strong is gone.30
I wot she open'd two or three,
Ere she could come young Beichan at,
He was locked up so curiouslie.
Sore wonder'd he that may to see;
He took her for some fair captive;—
"Fair Lady, I pray, of what countrie?"
"Or castles in your own countrie,40
That ye could give to a lady fair,
From prison strong to set you free?"
With other castles two or three;
I'll give them all to the lady fair45
That out of prison will set me free."
The truth of it give unto me,
That for seven years ye'll no lady wed,
Unless it be along with me."50