The Three Ravens And The Twa Corbies Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: A B C DEDEDDE F GG GH D GG GG IJ KK AA C LLC MGNN LKGG LLNN LLN

The Texts of these two variations on the same theme are taken from T Ravenscroft's Melismata and Scott's Minstrelsy respectively There are several other versions of the Scots ballad while Motherwell prints The Three Ravens changing only the burdenA
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Chappell Popular Music of the Olden Time says of the English version that he has been 'favored with a variety of copies of it written down from memory and all differing in some respects both as to words and tune but with sufficient resemblance to prove a similar origin ' Consciously or not the ballad as set by him to its traditional tune is to be sung without the threefold repetition shown by Ravenscroft thus compressing two verses of the ballad into each repetition of the tune and halving the length of the songB
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THE THREE RAVENSC
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There were three rauens sat on a treeD
Downe a downe hay down hay downeE
There were three rauens sat on a treeD
With a downeE
There were three rauens sat on a treeD
They were as blacke as they might beD
With a downe derrie derrie derrie downe downeE
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The one of them said to his mateF
'Where shall we our breakefast take '-
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'Downe in yonder greene fieldG
There lies a knight slain vnder his shieldG
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'His hounds they lie downe at his feeteG
So well they can their master keepeH
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'His haukes they flie so eagerlyD
There's no fowle dare him come nie '-
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Downe there comes a fallow doeG
As great with yong as she might goeG
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She lift vp his bloudy hedG
And kist his wounds that were so redG
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She got him vp vpon her backeI
And carried him to earthen lakeJ
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She buried him before the primeK
She was dead her selfe ere euen song timeK
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God send euery gentlemanA
Such haukes such hounds and such a lemanA
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The Twa CorbiesC
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As I was walking all alaneL
I heard twa corbies making a maneL
The tane unto the t'other sayC
'Where sall we gang and dine to day '-
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'In behint yon auld fail dykeM
I wot there lies a new slain knightG
And nae body kens that he lies thereN
But his hawk his hound and lady fairN
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'His hound is to the hunting ganeL
His hawk to fetch the wild fowl hameK
His lady's ta'en another mateG
So we may mak' our dinner sweetG
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'Ye'll sit on his white hause baneL
And I'll pike out his bonny blue eenL
Wi' ae lock o' his gowden hairN
We'll theek our nest when it grows bareN
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'Mony a one for him makes maneL
But nane sall ken whare he is ganeL
O'er his white banes when they are bareN
The wind sall blaw for evermair '-

Frank Sidgwick



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About The Three Ravens And The Twa Corbies

The Three Ravens And The Twa Corbies is a poem by Frank Sidgwick. This page includes the poem text, poet information, related topics, comments, and similar poems.



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