The Knight And The Shepherd's Daughter Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: A BCAC ABAD A C E F G GHBH AAGB CBG ABA AAIA J J GAK LLGL GGG AAAA ABLB A A ACA GCA BCG ABA ACG BCBC ACA J J AMJ NCC AGA NCC KJBJ OAN GBG GBP LQ LJR GBG GBPB SGG

The Text is given here from Kinloch's MSS He gives also three other versions and various fragments The tale is also found amongst the Roxburghe Ballads as The Beautifull Shepherdesse of Arcadia in two broadsides printed about and This is the only English version extant But earlier than any text of the ballad is a quotation from it in John Fletcher's The Pilgrim iv The Scots versions about a dozen in number are far more lively than the broadside Buchan printed two of sixty and sixty three stanzas respectively Another text is delightfully inconsequentA
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' Some ca' me Jack some ca' me JohnB
Some ca' me Jing ga leeC
But when I am in the queen's courtA
Earl Hitchcock they ca' meC
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Hitchcock Hitchcock Jo Janet she saidA
An' spelled it ower aganeB
Hitchcock it's a Latin wordA
Earl Richard is your nameD
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But when he saw she was book learnedA
Fast to his horse hied he '-
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Both this version from the Gibb MS and one of Buchan's introduce the domestic genius known as the 'Billy Blin ' for whom see Young Bekie First Series p ff Willie's Lady p of this volume and Cospatrick pC
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The Story The King of France's auld dochter disguised as a shepherdess is accosted by Sweet William brother to the Queen of Scotland who gives his name as Wilfu' Will varied by Jack and John He attempts to escape but she follows him to court and claims him in marriage from the king He tries to avoid discovery by pretending to be a cripple but she knows him refuses to be bribed marries him and finally reveals herself to himE
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The d nouement of the story is reminiscent of The Marriage of Sir Gawain First Series pp A Danish ballad Ebbe Galt has similar incidentsF
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THE KNIGHT AND THE SHEPHERD'S DAUGHTERG
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There was a shepherd's dochterG
Kept sheep upon yon hillH
And by cam a gay braw gentlemanB
And wad hae had his willH
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He took her by the milk white handA
And laid her on the groundA
And whan he got his will o' herG
He lift her up againB
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'O syne ye've got your will o' meC
Your will o' me ye've taenB
'Tis all I ask o' you kind sirG
Is to tell to me your name '-
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'Sometimes they call me Jack ' he saidA
'Sometimes they call me JohnB
But whan I am in the king's courtA
My name is Wilfu' Will '-
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Than he loup on his milk white steedA
And straught away he radeA
And she did kilt her petticoatsI
And after him she gaedA
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He never was sae kind as sayJ
'O lassie will ye ride '-
Nor ever had she the courage to sayJ
'O laddie will ye bide '-
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Until they cam to a wan waterG
Which was called ClydeA
And then he turned about his horseK
Said 'Lassie will ye ride '-
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'I learned it in my father's hallL
I learned it for my weelL
That whan I come to deep waterG
I can swim as it were an eelL
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'I learned it in my mother's bowerG
I learned it for my betterG
That whan I come to broad waterG
I can swim like any otter '-
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He plunged his steed into the fordA
And straught way thro' he radeA
And she set in her lilly feetA
And thro' the water wadeA
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And whan she cam to the king's courtA
She tirled on the pinB
And wha sae ready's the king himsel'L
To let the fair maid inB
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'What is your will wi' me fair maidA
What is your will wi' me '-
'There is a man into your courtA
This day has robbed me '-
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'O has he taen your gold ' he saidA
'Or has he taen your feeC
Or has he stown your maidenheadA
The flower of your bodye '-
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'He has na taen my gold kind sirG
Nor as little has he taen my feeC
But he has taen my maidenheadA
The flower of my bodye '-
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'O gif he be a married manB
High hangit shall he beC
But gif he be a bachelorG
His body I'll grant thee '-
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'Sometimes they call him Jack ' she saidA
'Sometimes they call him JohnB
But when he's in the king's courtA
His name is Sweet William '-
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'There's not a William in a' my courtA
Never a one but threeC
And one of them is the Queen's brotherG
I wad laugh gif it war he '-
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The king called on his merry menB
By thirty and by threeC
Sweet Willie wha used to be foremost manB
Was the hindmost a' but threeC
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O he cam cripple and he cam blindA
Cam twa fald o'er a treeC
'O be he cripple or be he blindA
This very same man is he '-
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'O whether will ye marry the bonny mayJ
Or hang on the gallows tree '-
'O I will rather marry the bonny mayJ
Afore that I do die '-
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But he took out a purse of goldA
Weel locked in a gloveM
'O tak ye that my bonny mayJ
And seek anither love '-
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'O I will hae none o' your gold ' she saysN
'Nor as little ony of your feeC
But I will hae your ain bodyC
The king has granted me '-
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O he took out a purse of goldA
A purse of gold and storeG
'O tak ye that fair may ' he saidA
'Frae me ye'll ne'er get mair '-
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'O haud your tongue young man ' she saysN
'And I pray you let me beC
For I will hae your ain bodyC
The king has granted me '-
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He mounted her on a bonny bay horseK
Himsel' on the silver greyJ
He drew his bonnet out o'er his eenB
He whipt and rade awayJ
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O whan they cam to yon nettle bushO
The nettles they war spreadA
'O an my mither war but here ' she saysN
'These nettles she wad sned '-
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'O an I had drank the wan waterG
Whan I did drink the wineB
That e'er a shepherd's dochterG
Should hae been a love o' mine '-
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'O may be I'm a shepherd's dochterG
And may be I am naneB
But you might hae ridden on your waysP
And hae let me alane '-
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O whan they cam unto yon millL
She heard the mill clapQ
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'Clap on clap on thou bonny millL
Weel may thou I sayJ
For mony a time thou's filled my pockR
Wi' baith oat meal and grey '-
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'O an I had drank the wan waterG
Whan I did drink the wineB
That e'er a shepherd's dochterG
Should hae been a love o' mine '-
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'O may be I'm a shepherd's dochterG
And may be I am naneB
But you might hae ridden on your waysP
And hae let me alaneB
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'But yet I think a fitter matchS
Could scarcely gang thegitherG
Than the King of France's auld dochterG
And the Queen of Scotland's brither '-

Frank Sidgwick



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The Knight And The Shepherd's Daughter is a poem by Frank Sidgwick. This page includes the poem text, poet information, related topics, comments, and similar poems.



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