Child Ballads
|
|
The Child Ballads are a collection of 305 ballads from England and Scotland, and their American variants, collected by Francis James Child. While the ballads themselves are hundreds of years old, it was only in the later 19th century that Child put them to print.
The Child Ballads deal with subjects typical to many ballads: romance, supernatural experiences, historical events, morality, riddles, murder, and folk heroes (there are an inordinate number about Robin Hood). Some of the ballads are rather bawdy.
The Child Ballads
- Riddles Widely Expounded
- The Elfin Knight
- The Fause Knight Upon the Road
- Lady Isebel and the Elf-Knight
- Gil Brenton
- Willie's Lady
- Earl Brand
- Erlinton
- The Fair Flower of Northumberland
- The Twa Sisters [or Minnorie or Binnorie]
- The Cruel Brother
- Lord Randall
- Edward
- Babylon; or, The Bonnie Banks o Fordie
- Leesome Brand
- Sheath and Knife
- Hind Horn
- Sir Lionel
- King Orfeo
- The Cruel Mother
- The Maid and the Palmer (The Samaritan Woman)
- St. Stephen and Herod
- Judas
- Bonnie Annie
- Willie's Lyke-Wake
- The Three Ravens [or Twa Corbies]
- The Whummil Bore
- Burd Ellen and Young Tamlane
- The Boy and the Mantle
- King Arthur and King Cornwall
- The Marriage of Sir Gawain
- King Henry
- Kempy Kay
- Kemp Owyne
- Allison Gross
- The Laily Worm and the Machrel of the Sea
- Thomas Rymer
- The Wee Wee Man
- Tam Lin
- The Queen of Elfan's Nourice
- Hind Etin
- Clerk Corvill
- The Broomfield Hill
- The Twa Magicians
- King John and the Bishop
- Captain Wedderburn's Courtship
- Proud Lady Margaret
- Young Andrew
- The Twa Brothers
- The Bonny Hind
- Lizie Wan
- The King's Dochter Lady Jean
- Young Beichan
- The Cherry-Tree Carol
- The Carnal and the Crane
- Dives and Lazarus
- Brown Robyn's Confession
- Sir Patrick Spens
- Sir Aldingar
- King Estmere
- Sir Cawline
- Fair Annie
- Child Waters
- Fair Janet
- Lady Mairsey
- Lord Ingram and Chiel Wyet
- Glasgerion
- Young Hunting
- Clerk Saunders
- Willie and Lady Maisry
- The Bent Sae Brown
- The Clerk's Twa Sons O Owsenford
- Lord Thomas and Fair Annet
- Fair Margaret and Sweet William
- Lord Lovel
- The Lass of Roch Royal
- Sweet William's Ghost
- The Unquiet Grave
- The Wife of Usher's Well
- Old Robin of Portingale
- Little Musgrave and Lady Barnard
- The Bonny Birdy
- Child Maurice
- Bonny Barbara Allen
- Lady Alice
- Young Benjie
- Prince Robert
- Young Johnstone
- Fause Foodrage
- Jellon Grame
- Fair Lady of Wallington
- Bonny Bee Hom
- Lamkin
- Young Waters
- The Maid Freed from the Gallows
- The Gay Goshawk
- Brown Robin
- Brown Adam
- Johnie Scot
- Willie O Winsbury
- Willie O Douglas Dale
- Willie and the Earl Richard's Daughter
- Rose Red and the White Lily
- Prince Heathen
- The Bailiff's Daughter of Islington
- The Famous Flower of Serving-Men
- Will Stewart and John
- Christopher White
- Tom Potts
- The Knight and Shepherd's Daughter
- Crow and Pie
- The Baffled Knight
- The Great Silkie of Sule Skerry
- Johnie Cock [or Johnnie O'Breadesley]
- Robyn and Gandeleyn
- Adam Bell, Clim of the Clough, and William of Cloudesly
- A Gest of Robyn Hode
- Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne
- Robin Hood and the Monk
- Robin Hood's Death
- Robin Hood and the Potter
- Robin Hood and the Butcher
- Robin Hood and the Curtal Friar
- The Jolly Pinder of Wakefield
- Robin Hood and Little John
- Robin Hood and the Tanner
- Robin Hood and the Tinker
- Robin Hood Nely Revived
- Robin Hood and the Prince of Aragon
- Robin Hood and the Scotchman
- Robin Hood and the Ranger
- The Bold Pedlar and Robin Hood
- Robin Hood and the Beggar, I
- Robin Hood and the Beggar II
- Robin Hood and the Shepherd
- Robin Hood's Delight
- Robin Hood and the Pedlars
- Robin Hood and Allen A Dale
- Robin Hood's Progress to Nottingham
- Robin Hood Rescuing Three Squires
- Robin Hood Rescuing Will Stutly
- Little John A Begging
- Robin Hood and the Bishop
- Robin Hood and the Bishop of Hereford
- Robin Hood and Queen Katherine
- Robin Hood's Chase
- Robin Hood's Golden Prize
- The Noble Fisherman, or, Robin Hood's Preferment
- Robin Hood's Birth, Breeding, Valor and Marriage
- Robin Hood and Maid Marian
- The King's Disguise, and Friendship with Robin Hood
- Robin Hood and the Golden Arrow
- Robin Hood and the Valiant Knight
- A True Tale of Robin Hood
- Sir Hugh, or, The Jew's Daughter
- Queen Elanor's Confession
- Gude Wallace
- Hugh Spencer's Feats in France
- Durham Ford
- The Knight of Liddesdale
- The Battle of Otterburn
- The Hunting of Cheviot (The Ballad of Chevy Chase)
- The Battle of Harlaw
- King Henry Fifth's Conquest of France
- Sir John Butler
- The Rose of England
- Sir Andrew Barton
- Flodden Field (describes the Battle of Flodden Field)
- Johnie Armstrong
- The Death of Queen Jane
- Thomas Cromwell (concerning Thomas Cromwell)
- Musselburgh Field
- Mary Hamilton
- Earl Bothwell
- The Rising of the North
- Northunberland Betrayed By Douglas
- The Earl of Westmoreland
- Captain Car, or, Edom O Gordon
- Rookhope Ryde
- King James and Brown
- The Bonny Earl of Murray
- The Laird O Logie
- Willie MacIntosh
- The Lads of Wamphray
- Dick o the Cow
- Kinmont Willie
- Jock o the Side
- Archie o Cawfield
- Hoble Noble
- Jamis Telfer of the Fair Dodhead
- Hughie Grame
- The Lochmaben Harper
- The Death of Parcy Reed
- The Laird of Wairston
- Lord Maxwell's Last Goodnight
- The Fire of Frendraught
- James Grant
- Bonny John Seton
- The Bonnie House o Airlie
- The Gypsy Laddie
- Bessy Bell and Mary Gray
- The Battle of Philiphaugh
- The Baron of Brackley
- Jamie Douglas
- Loudon Hill, or, Drumclog
- Bothwell Bridge
- Lord Delamere
- Lord Derwentwater
- Geordie
- Bonnie James Campbell
- Bewick and Graham
- The Duke of Athole's Nurse
- Sir James the Rose
- The Braes o Yarrow
- Rare Willie Drowned in Yarrow, or, the Water o Gamrie
- The Mother's Malison, or, Clyde's Water
- The Broom of Cowdenknows
- The False Lover Won Back
- The Gardener
- The Bonny Lass of Anglesey
- Katharine Jaffray
- Bonny Baby Livingstone
- Eppie Morrie
- The Lady of Arngosk
- Rob Roy
- Lizie Lindsay
- Bonny Lizie Baillie
- Glasgow Peggie
- Earl Crawford
- The Slaughter of the Laird of Mellerstain
- The Earl of Errol
- Richie Story
- Andrew Lammie
- Charlie MacPherson
- The Earl of Aboyne
- The Laird o Drum
- The Duke of Gordon's Daughter
- Glenlogie, or, Jean o Bethelnie
- Lord Saltoun and Auchanachie
- The Rantin Laddie
- The Baron o Leys
- The Coble o Cargill
- James Harris (The Daemon Lover)
- James Hatley
- Young Allan
- Redesdale and Wise William
- Lady Elspat
- The Grey Cock, or, Saw You My Father?
- Auld Matrons
- Henry Martyn
- Lang Johnny More
- The Kitchie-Boy
- Thomas o Yonderdale
- Lord William, or, Lord Lundy
- Willie's Fatal Visit
- Alison and Willie
- Burd Isabel and Earl Patrick
- Broughty Wa's
- Lord Thomas Stuart
- Lord Thomas and Ladt Margaret
- Lady Isabel
- Lord Livingstone
- The New-Slain Knight
- The White Fisher
- The Knight's Ghost
- John Thomson and the Turk
- The Heir of Linne
- The Twa Knights
- Lady Diamond
- The Earl of Mar's Daughter
- The Lord of Lorn and the Flas Steward
- The Suffolk Miracle
- King Edward the Fourth and a Tanner of Tamworth
- Our Goodman
- Get Up and Bar the Door
- The Friar in the Well
- The Wife Wrapt in Wether's Skin
- The Farmer's Curst Wife
- The Jolly Beggar
- The Beggar-Laddie
- The Keach i the Creel
- Jock the Leg and the Merry Merchant
- The Crafty Farmer
- John Dory
- The George Aloe and the Sweepstake
- The Sweet Trinity (The Golden Vanity)
- Captain Ward and the Rainbow
- The Young Earl of Essex's Victory over the Emperor of Germany
- The Mermaid
- The Wylie Wife of the Hie Toun Hie
- Child Owlet
- The West Country Damosel's Complaint
- John of Hazelgreen
- Dugall Quin
- The Brown Girl
- Walter Lesly
- Earl Rothes
- Young Peggy
- Trooper and Maid
- Blancheflour and Jollyflorice
- The Queen of Scotland
- Young Bearwell
- The Holy Nunnery
- Young Ronald
- The Outlaw Murray
Media
External links
- http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/eng/child/ - Text of the collection.
- Child Ballads translated in italian (http://utenti.lycos.it/Balladven/index.html) by Riccardo Venturi