True True Thomas

Thomas the Rhymer

a ferlie or ferlie is a wonder;

a strange

sight

"ilka tet," every lock of hair

TOM LINN

This fragment was taken down from the recitation of an old woman. Maidment's New Book of Old Ballads, p. 54.

Makes me wonder the stories my great grandmothers

could (or did) tell.

Thomas was no dummy;

he louted low, bowed to his knee

TRUE THOMAS lay on Huntlie bank;

A ferlie he spied wi’ his ee;

And there he saw a ladye bright,

Come riding down by the Eildon Tree.

Her shirt was o’ the grass-green silk,

Her mantle o’ the velvet fyne;

At ilka tett of her horse’s mane,

Hung fifty siller bells and nine.

True Thomas, he pull’d aff his cap,

And louted low down to his knee: 10

“All hail, thou mighty Queen of Heaven!

For thy peer on earth I never did see.”----

“O no, no, Thomas,” she said,

“That name does not belang to me;

I am but the Queen of fair Elfland,

That am hither come to visit thee.

“Harp and carp, Thomas,” she said;

“Harp and carp along wi’ me;

And if ye dare to kiss my lips,

Sure of your bodie I will be.” 20

The lady blush'd and sourly frown'd,

And she did think great shame; 30

Says, "If you are a gentleman,

You will tell me your name."

"First they call me Jack," he said,"

And then they call'd me John;

But since I liv'd in the Fairy court,

Tomlinn has always been my name.

"So do not pluck that flower, lady,

That has these pimples gray;

They would destroy the bonny babe

That we've gotten in our play." 40

"O tell to me, Tomlinn," she said,"

And tell it to me soon;

Was you ever at a good church door,

Or got you Christendom?"

"O I have been at good church door,

And oft her yetts within;

I was the Laird of Foulis's son,

The heir of all his land.

"But it fell once upon a day,

As hunting I did ride, 50

As I rode east and west yon hill,

Then woe did me betide.

a leven, a meadow or lawn,

a magical space amidst the woods

Back in the days it was good to be a poet,

Thomas was just that, a bard.

The queen of Elfland is inviting

him to play the harp and recite

or sing to her

Fair Margaret sat in her bonny bower,

Sewing her silken seam,

And wished to be in Chaster's wood,

Among the leaves so green.

She let the seam fall to her foot,

The needle to her toe, 10

And she has gone to Chaster's wood,

As fast as she could go.

When she began to pull the flowers;

She pull'd both red and green;

Then by did come, and by did go,

Said, "Fair maid, let abene!

"O why pluck you the flowers, lady,

Or why climb you the tree?

Or why come ye to Chaster's wood,

Without the leave of me?" 20

"O I will pull the flowers," she said,

"Or I will break the tree;

For Chaster's wood it is my own,

I'll ask no leave at thee."

He took her by the milk-white hand,

And by the grass-green sleeve;

And laid her down upon the flowers,

At her he ask'd no leave.

fern covered hill

“O see ye not yon narrow road,

So thick beset with thorns and briers?

That is the path of righteousness,

Though after it but few enquires.

“And see ye not that braid braid road,

That lies across that lily leven?

That is the path of wickedness,

Though some call it the road to heaven.

“And see not ye that bonny road,

That winds about the fernie brae? 50

That is the road to fair-Elfland,

Where thou and I this night maun gae.

“But, Thomas, ye maun hold your tongue,

Whatever ye may hear or see;

For, if you speak word in Elfyn land,

Ye’ll ne’er get back to your ain countrie.”

O they rade on, and farther on,

And they waded through rivers aboon the knee,

And they saw neither sun nor moon,

But they heard the roaring of the sea. 60

a yett is a gate

a dark, dark night, and there were no stars

befall me well, befall me woe

a weird is a fateful , supernatural

being; Thomas won't be daunted,

won't be checked or terrified

It was mirk mirk night, and there was nae stern light,

And they waded through red blude to the knee;

For a’ the blude that’s shed on earth

Rins through the springs o’ that countrie.

Syne they came on to a garden green,

And she pu’d an apple frae a tree ---

“Take this for thy wages, true Thomas ;

It will give thee the tongue that can never lie.” ---

“My tongue is mine ain,” true Thomas said;

“A gudely gift ye wad gie to me! 70

I neither dought to buy nor sell,

At fair or tryst where I may be.

“I dought neither speak to prince or peer,

Nor ask of grace from fair ladye.”

“Now hold thy peace!“ the lady said,

“For as I say, so must it be.” ---

He has gotten a coat of the even cloth,

And a pair of shoes of velvet green;

And till seven years were gane and past,

True Thomas on earth was never seen. 80

dought, as a verb "to be able";

as a noun, "ability," "power," "a deed"

“Betide me weal, betide me woe,

That weird shall never daunton me.”

Syne he has kissed her rosy lips,

All underneath the Eildon Tree.

“Now, ye maun go wi’ me,” she said;

“True Thomas, ye maun go wi’ me;

And ye maun serve me seven years,

Thro’ weal or woe as may chance to be.”

She mounted on her milk-white steed;

She’s ta’en true Thomas up behind: 30

And aye, whene’er her bridle rung,

The steed flew swifter than the wind.

O they rade on, and farther on;

The steed gaed swifter than the wind;

Until they reach’d a desert wide,

And living land was left behind.

“Light down, light down, now, true Thomas,

And lean your head upon my knee;

Abide and rest a little space,

And I will shew you ferlies three. 40

"maik" is an equal, a match,

here close to mate

"O drowsy, drowsy as I was,

Dead sleep upon me fell;

The Queen of Fairies she was there,

And took me to hersel.

"The morn at even is Hallowe'en,

Our Fairy court will ride,

Through England and through Scotland both,

Through all the world wide; 60

And if that ye would me borrow,

At Rides Cross ye may bide.

"You may go into the Miles Moss,

Between twelve hours and one;

Take holy water in your hand,

And cast a compass round.

"The first court that comes along,

You'll let them all pass by;

The next court that comes along,

Salute them reverently. 70

"The next court that comes along,

Is clad in robes of green;

And it's the head court of them all,

For in it rides the Queen.

"And I upon a milk-white steed,

With a gold star in my crown;

Because I am an earthly man,

I'm next the Queen in renown.

"Then seize upon me with a spring,

Then to the ground I'll fa';

And then you'll hear a rueful cry,

That Tomlinn is awa'.

"Then I'll grow in your arms two,

Like to a savage wild;

But hold me fast, let me not go,

I'm father of your child.

"I'll grow into your arms two

Like an adder, or a snake;

But hold me fast, let me not go,

I'll be your earthly maik. 90

"I'll grow into your arms two

Like ice on frozen lake;

But hold me fast, let me not go,

Or from your goupen break.

"I'll grow into your arms two,

Like iron in strong fire;

But hold me fast, let me not go,

Then you'll have your desire."

And its next night into Miles Moss,

Fair Margaret has gone; 100

When lo she stands beside Rides Cross,

Between twelve hours and one.

There's holy water in her hand,

She casts a compass round;

And presently a Fairy band

Comes riding o'er the mound.

"goupen" is a hand ready

to grasp; think of gape

The Wee, Wee Man

a shathmoth: the measure of the fist

with thumb extended, say six inches

in Motherwell:

Between his een there was a span,

Betwixt his shoulders there were ells three.

a meikle stane, a great stone

even if I had been Wallace

I would not be able to lift it

bouir, probably a bourach,

a mound or cairne, a faery mound

As I was walking by my lane,

Atween a water and a wa,

There sune I spied a wee wee man,

He was the least that eir I saw.

His legs were scant a shathmont's length,

And sma and limber was his thie;

Atween his shoulders was ae span,

About his middle war but three.

He has tane up a meikle stane,

And flang't as far as I cold see; 10

Ein thouch I had been Wallace wicht,

I dought na lift it to my knie.

"O wee wee man, but ye be strang!

Tell me whar may thy dwelling be?"

"I dwell beneth that bonnie bouir,

O will ye gae wi me and see?"

On we lap, and awa we rade,

Till we cam to a bonny green;

We lichted syne to bait our steid,

And out there cam a lady sheen; 20

Wi four and twentie at her back,

A' comely cled in glistering green;

Thouch there the King of Scots had stude,

The warst micht weil hae been his queen.

On syne we past wi wondering cheir,

Till we cam to a bonny ha;

The roof was o the beaten gowd,

The flure was o the crystal a.

When we cam there, wi wee wee knichts

War ladies dancing, jimp and sma;

But in the twinkling of an eie,

Baith green and ha war clein awa.

syne, here it means "then";

sheen, shining, sparkling, gleaming

all comely clad

jimp and sma; slender and small

There were pipers playing in every neuk,

And ladies dancing, jimp and sma';

And aye the owreturn o' their tune

Was, "Our wee wee man has been lang awa!"

MOTHERWELL.