English and Scottish Ballads
Chapter 74 : THE CRUEL SISTER.The earliest printed copy of this ballad is the curious piece in _Wit

THE CRUEL SISTER.

The earliest printed copy of this ballad is the curious piece in _Wit Restor'd_, (1658,) called _The Miller and the King's Daughter_, improperly said to be a parody, by Jamieson and others. (See Appendix.) Pinkerton inserted in his _Tragic Ballads_, (p. 72,) a ballad on the subject, which preserves many genuine lines, but is half his own composition. Complete versions were published by Scott and Jamieson, and more recently a third has been furnished in Sharpe's _Ballad Book_, p. 30, and a fourth in Buchan's _Ballads of the North of Scotland_ (given at the end of this volume). The burden of Mr. Sharpe's copy is nearly the same as that of the _Cruel Mother_, _post_, p. 372. Jamieson's copy had also this burden, but he exchanged it for the more popular, and certainly more tasteful, _Binnorie_. No ballad furnishes a closer link than this between the popular poetry of England and that of the other nations of Northern Europe. The same story is found in Icelandic, Norse, Faroish, and Estnish ballads, as well as in the Swedish and Danish, and a nearly related one in many other ballads or tales, German, Polish, Lithuanian, etc., etc.--See _Svenska Folk-Visor_, iii. 16, i. 81, 86, Arwidsson, ii. 139, and especially _Den Talende Strengeleg_, Grundtvig, No. 95, and the notes to _Der Singende Knochen_, _K. u.

H. Marchen_, iii. 55, ed. 1856.

Of the edition in the _Border Minstrelsy_, Scott gives the following account, (iii. 287.)

"It is compiled from a copy in Mrs. Brown's MSS., intermixed with a beautiful fragment, of fourteen verses, transmitted to the Editor by J. C. Walker, Esq. the ingenious historian of the Irish bards. Mr.

Walker, at the same time, favored the Editor with the following note: 'I am indebted to my departed friend, Miss Brook, for the foregoing pathetic fragment. Her account of it was as follows: This song was trans-scribed, several years ago, from the memory of an old woman, who had no recollection of the concluding verses; probably the beginning may also be lost, as it seems to commence abruptly.'

The first verse and burden of the fragment ran thus:--

'O sister, sister, reach thy hand!

_Hey ho, my Nanny, O_; And you shall be heir of all my land, _While the swan swims bonney, O_.'"

There were two sisters sat in a bour; _Binnorie, O Binnorie_; There came a knight to be their wooer; _By the bonny milldams of Binnorie_.

He courted the eldest with glove and ring, 5 _Binnorie, O Binnorie_; But he lo'ed the youngest abune a' thing; _By the bonny milldams of Binnorie_.

He courted the eldest with broach and knife, _Binnorie, O Binnorie_; 10 But he lo'ed the youngest abune his life; _By the bonny milldams of Binnorie_.

The eldest she was vexed sair, _Binnorie, O Binnorie_; And sore envied her sister fair; 15 _By the bonny milldams of Binnorie_.

The eldest said to the youngest ane, _Binnorie, O Binnorie_; "Will ye go and see our father's s.h.i.+ps come in?"

_By the bonny milldams of Binnorie_. 20

She's ta'en her by the lily hand, _Binnorie, O Binnorie_; And led her down to the river strand; _By the bonny milldams of Binnorie_.

The youngest stude upon a stane, 25 _Binnorie, O Binnorie_; The eldest came and pushed her in; _By the bonny milldams of Binnorie_.

She took her by the middle sma', _Binnorie, O Binnorie_; 30 And dash'd her bonny back to the jaw; _By the bonny milldams of Binnorie_.

"O sister, sister, reach your hand, _Binnorie, O Binnorie_; And ye shall be heir of half my land."-- 35 _By the bonny milldams of Binnorie_.

"O sister, I'll not reach my hand, _Binnorie, O Binnorie_; And I'll be heir of all your land; _By the bonny milldams of Binnorie_. 40

"Shame fa' the hand that I should take, _Binnorie, O Binnorie_; It's twin'd me and my world's make."-- _By the bonny milldams of Binnorie_.

"O sister, reach me but your glove, 45 _Binnorie, O Binnorie_; And sweet William shall be your love."-- _By the bonny milldams of Binnorie_.

"Sink on, nor hope for hand or glove!

_Binnorie, O Binnorie_; 50 And sweet William shall better be my love, _By the bonny milldams of Binnorie_.

"Your cherry cheeks and your yellow hair, _Binnorie, O Binnorie_, Garr'd me gang maiden evermair."-- 55 _By the bonny milldams of Binnorie_.

Sometimes she sunk, and sometimes she swam, _Binnorie, O Binnorie_; Until she cam to the miller's dam; _By the bonny milldams of Binnorie_. 60

"O father, father, draw your dam!

_Binnorie, O Binnorie_; There's either a mermaid, or a milk-white swan."

_By the bonny milldams of Binnorie_.

The miller hasted and drew his dam, 65 _Binnorie, O Binnorie_; And there he found a drown'd woman; _By the bonny milldams of Binnorie_.

You could not see her yellow hair, _Binnorie, O Binnorie_; 70 For gowd and pearls that were so rare; _By the bonny milldams of Binnorie_.

You could not see her middle sma', _Binnorie, O Binnorie_; Her gowden girdle was sae bra'; 75 _By the bonny milldams of Binnorie_.

A famous harper pa.s.sing by, _Binnorie, O Binnorie_; The sweet pale face he chanced to spy; _By the bonny milldams of Binnorie_. 80

And when he looked that lady on, _Binnorie, O Binnorie_; He sigh'd and made a heavy moan; _By the bonny milldams of Binnorie_.

He made a harp of her breast-bone, 85 _Binnorie, O Binnorie_; Whose sounds would melt a heart of stone; _By the bonny milldams of Binnorie_.

The strings he framed of her yellow hair, _Binnorie, O Binnorie_; 90 Whose notes made sad the listening ear; _By the bonny milldams of Binnorie_.

He brought it to her father's hall, _Binnorie, O Binnorie_; And there was the court a.s.sembled all; 95 _By the bonny milldams of Binnorie_.

He laid his harp upon a stone, _Binnorie, O Binnorie_; And straight it began to play alone; _By the bonny milldams of Binnorie_. 100

"O yonder sits my father, the king, _Binnorie, O Binnorie_; And yonder sits my mother, the queen;"

_By the bonny milldams of Binnorie_.

"And yonder stands my brother Hugh, 105 _Binnorie, O Binnorie_; And by him my William, sweet and true."

_By the bonny milldams of Binnorie_.

But the last tune that the harp play'd then, _Binnorie, O Binnorie_; 110 Was--"Woe to my sister, false Helen!"

_By the bonny milldams of Binnorie_.

THE TWA SISTERS.

_Verbatim_ (with one interpolated stanza) from the recitation of Mrs. Brown. Jamieson's _Popular Ballads_, i. 50.

There was twa sisters liv'd in a bower, _Binnorie, O Binnorie_!

There came a knight to be their wooer, _By the bonny mill-dams o' Binnorie_.

He courted the eldest wi' glove and ring, 5 _Binnorie, O Binnorie_!

But he loved the youngest aboon a' thing, _By the bonny mill-dams o' Binnorie_.

He courted the eldest wi' broach and knife, _Binnorie, O Binnorie_! 10 But he loved the youngest as his life, _By the bonny mill-dams o' Binnorie_.

The eldest she was vexed sair, _Binnorie, O Binnorie_!

And sair envied her sister fair, 15 _By the bonny mill-dams o' Binnorie_.