Tam Lin version - Maureen S. O'Brien
Below the cut is my first rough-pass transcription of the version of Tam Lin found a internet archive.
The site attributes it to Maureen S. O'Brien. I've found a likely website for the author (hey, geez, she's geeky and fannish and a filker, someone here has to know her. And yes, I looked for an lj associated with her email address, none found.), so I should confirm that it's her and ask if it's okay to put her version up on the site before I put it up.
In the meantime, anyone want to check my transcription and poke at the errors?
(bits where I'm particularly uncertain are in bold, but feel free to point out errors, misspellings, typos, bad grammar, and general poor transcription. Also, I'm not certain about Carterhaugh vs. Carterhall and several pu'd vs. pulled, so feel free to weigh in on those as well.)
Tam Lin
O I forbid ye maidens all
that wear gold on your hair
to come or go by Carterhaugh
For young Tam Lin is there
Oh Janet's kilted up her skirt
A little aboon her knee
and she has gone to Carterhaugh
as fast as she can hie
She had not pu'd a rose, a rose,
a rose but barely one
When up'n started young Tam Lin
says "Lady, let alone."
"What makes you pu' the rose, Janet,
What makes you break the tree?
What makes you come to Carterhaugh
Without the leave of me?"
"Oh Carterhaugh, it is my own,
My daddy gave it me,
And I'll come and go by Carterhaugh
And ask no leave of thee."
Janet has kilted her green kirtle
a lil aboon her knee
and she is back to her father's hall
as fast as she can hie.
But when she came to her father's hall
she looked so wan and pale
they thought the lady had gotten a fright
or with sickness did ail.
Oh four and twenty ladies fair
Were playing at the ball
And out there came the fair Janet
Once the flower among them all
Four and twenty ladies fair
Were playing at the chess
And out then there came fair Janet
As green as any glass
Out then spake an old grey knight
Lay o'er the castle wall
And says "Alas for fair Janet,
For thee we'll be blamed all'
"Oh hold your tongue, you old-faced knight
Some ill death may ye die.
I'll father my bairn on whom I will
I'll father none on thee.
"And if my knight were an earthly knight
As he's an elfin grey,
I would nae gie my ain true love
for nae laird that ye hae.
"The steed my true love rides upon
Is swifter than the wind.
With silver he is shod before,
wi' burning gold behind.
Out then spake her brother dear
He meant to do her harm
"There grows an herb in Carterhaugh
will twine you and the bairn."
Janet has kilted her green kirtle
A little aboon her knee,
And she's away to Carterhaugh
As fast as she can hie.
She had nae pu'd a leaf, a leaf,
a leaf but only twa,
when up'n started young Tam Lin
says "Lady, thou'll pu' nae mae."
"'How dare you pull the leaf," he says
"How dare you break the tree?
How dare you hurt the babe, " he says,
"That's between you and me."
"Oh tell me, tell me, Tam," she says
"For sake that died on tree,
If you were ever in the holy chapel
or sained in Christentie?"
"The truth I'll tell to you, Janet,
A word I will nae lie.
A knight me got, a lady me bore,
As well as they did thee."
"Roxborough, he was my grandfather
took me with him to bide
and once a day that fell to woe
as hunting I did ride
"There came a wind out of the north
a sharp wind and a snell
a dead sleep it came over me
and frae my horse I fell.
And the Queen of Fairies she took me
in yon green hill to dwell.
"And pleasant is the fairie land
for those that in it dwell
but at the end of seven years
they pay a tiend to hell
I am so fair and full of flesh
I'm feared 'twill be myself.
"The night is Halloween, Janet
The morn is Hallowday
Then win me, win me, if you will,
And weel I what ye may
The night it is good Halloween
The fairie folk do ride
And they that would their true love win
At Miles Cross they maun bide."
"But how should I you ken, Tam Lin
How should I borrow you,
Among a pack of uncouth knights
The like I never saw?"
"O first let past the black, lady,
and then let pass the brown,
but quickly run to the milk-white steed
and pull his rider down.
I ride on a milk-white steed
They give me that renown.
Because I was an earthly knight
I ride closest to the town.
"They'll turn me in your arms, lady,
To beasts both fierce and wild,
But hold me fast and fear me not
I'm the father of your child."
Janet has kilted her green kirtle
A little aboon her knee
And she is on to Miles Cross
As fast as she can hie.
Gloomy, gloomy was the night,
And eerie was the way,
As Janet in her green mantle
to Miles Cross she did gae.
About the dead hour of the night
She heard their bridles ring,
And Janet was as glad at that
As any earthly thing.
And she let pass the black, black steed
And she let pass the brown,
But fast she gripped the milk-white steed
And pulled the rider down.
She pulled him from the milk-white steed
And let the bridle fall,
And up there rose an eldritch cry
"Tam Lin, his is awa'!'
And then they turned him into her arms
Into an esk and adder,
But she held him fast, she feared him not,
For he was her own bairn's father.
They turned him to a bear so grim,
Into a deer so wild,
But she held him fast and feared him not,
He's the father of her child.
And then they turned him in her arms
To a hot iron in the fire,
But she held him fast and she feared him not,
For he was her heart's desire.
They turned him in her arms at last
Into a naked knight.
She cast her mantle over him
And hid him out of sight.
And then the queen of Elfin lands
Spoke out of a thorny tree,
"Oh who has gotten young Tam Lin
has taen my life from me.
"For at the end of seven years
We pay a tiend to hell,
And I'm so fair and full of flesh
I fear it will be myself.
"If I had know, Tam Lin," she said
When first I took ye hame,
I would ha torn out your heart of flesh
and put in a heart of stane.
"and if I had known then, O Tam Lin,
A lady would borrow thee,
I would ha torn out your two grey eyes,
put in two eyes of tree."
The site attributes it to Maureen S. O'Brien. I've found a likely website for the author (hey, geez, she's geeky and fannish and a filker, someone here has to know her. And yes, I looked for an lj associated with her email address, none found.), so I should confirm that it's her and ask if it's okay to put her version up on the site before I put it up.
In the meantime, anyone want to check my transcription and poke at the errors?
(bits where I'm particularly uncertain are in bold, but feel free to point out errors, misspellings, typos, bad grammar, and general poor transcription. Also, I'm not certain about Carterhaugh vs. Carterhall and several pu'd vs. pulled, so feel free to weigh in on those as well.)
Tam Lin
O I forbid ye maidens all
that wear gold on your hair
to come or go by Carterhaugh
For young Tam Lin is there
Oh Janet's kilted up her skirt
A little aboon her knee
and she has gone to Carterhaugh
as fast as she can hie
She had not pu'd a rose, a rose,
a rose but barely one
When up'n started young Tam Lin
says "Lady, let alone."
"What makes you pu' the rose, Janet,
What makes you break the tree?
What makes you come to Carterhaugh
Without the leave of me?"
"Oh Carterhaugh, it is my own,
My daddy gave it me,
And I'll come and go by Carterhaugh
And ask no leave of thee."
Janet has kilted her green kirtle
a lil aboon her knee
and she is back to her father's hall
as fast as she can hie.
But when she came to her father's hall
she looked so wan and pale
they thought the lady had gotten a fright
or with sickness did ail.
Oh four and twenty ladies fair
Were playing at the ball
And out there came the fair Janet
Once the flower among them all
Four and twenty ladies fair
Were playing at the chess
And out then there came fair Janet
As green as any glass
Out then spake an old grey knight
Lay o'er the castle wall
And says "Alas for fair Janet,
For thee we'll be blamed all'
"Oh hold your tongue, you old-faced knight
Some ill death may ye die.
I'll father my bairn on whom I will
I'll father none on thee.
"And if my knight were an earthly knight
As he's an elfin grey,
I would nae gie my ain true love
for nae laird that ye hae.
"The steed my true love rides upon
Is swifter than the wind.
With silver he is shod before,
wi' burning gold behind.
Out then spake her brother dear
He meant to do her harm
"There grows an herb in Carterhaugh
will twine you and the bairn."
Janet has kilted her green kirtle
A little aboon her knee,
And she's away to Carterhaugh
As fast as she can hie.
She had nae pu'd a leaf, a leaf,
a leaf but only twa,
when up'n started young Tam Lin
says "Lady, thou'll pu' nae mae."
"'How dare you pull the leaf," he says
"How dare you break the tree?
How dare you hurt the babe, " he says,
"That's between you and me."
"Oh tell me, tell me, Tam," she says
"For sake that died on tree,
If you were ever in the holy chapel
or sained in Christentie?"
"The truth I'll tell to you, Janet,
A word I will nae lie.
A knight me got, a lady me bore,
As well as they did thee."
"Roxborough, he was my grandfather
took me with him to bide
and once a day that fell to woe
as hunting I did ride
"There came a wind out of the north
a sharp wind and a snell
a dead sleep it came over me
and frae my horse I fell.
And the Queen of Fairies she took me
in yon green hill to dwell.
"And pleasant is the fairie land
for those that in it dwell
but at the end of seven years
they pay a tiend to hell
I am so fair and full of flesh
I'm feared 'twill be myself.
"The night is Halloween, Janet
The morn is Hallowday
Then win me, win me, if you will,
And weel I what ye may
The night it is good Halloween
The fairie folk do ride
And they that would their true love win
At Miles Cross they maun bide."
"But how should I you ken, Tam Lin
How should I borrow you,
Among a pack of uncouth knights
The like I never saw?"
"O first let past the black, lady,
and then let pass the brown,
but quickly run to the milk-white steed
and pull his rider down.
I ride on a milk-white steed
They give me that renown.
Because I was an earthly knight
I ride closest to the town.
"They'll turn me in your arms, lady,
To beasts both fierce and wild,
But hold me fast and fear me not
I'm the father of your child."
Janet has kilted her green kirtle
A little aboon her knee
And she is on to Miles Cross
As fast as she can hie.
Gloomy, gloomy was the night,
And eerie was the way,
As Janet in her green mantle
to Miles Cross she did gae.
About the dead hour of the night
She heard their bridles ring,
And Janet was as glad at that
As any earthly thing.
And she let pass the black, black steed
And she let pass the brown,
But fast she gripped the milk-white steed
And pulled the rider down.
She pulled him from the milk-white steed
And let the bridle fall,
And up there rose an eldritch cry
"Tam Lin, his is awa'!'
And then they turned him into her arms
Into an esk and adder,
But she held him fast, she feared him not,
For he was her own bairn's father.
They turned him to a bear so grim,
Into a deer so wild,
But she held him fast and feared him not,
He's the father of her child.
And then they turned him in her arms
To a hot iron in the fire,
But she held him fast and she feared him not,
For he was her heart's desire.
They turned him in her arms at last
Into a naked knight.
She cast her mantle over him
And hid him out of sight.
And then the queen of Elfin lands
Spoke out of a thorny tree,
"Oh who has gotten young Tam Lin
has taen my life from me.
"For at the end of seven years
We pay a tiend to hell,
And I'm so fair and full of flesh
I fear it will be myself.
"If I had know, Tam Lin," she said
When first I took ye hame,
I would ha torn out your heart of flesh
and put in a heart of stane.
"and if I had known then, O Tam Lin,
A lady would borrow thee,
I would ha torn out your two grey eyes,
put in two eyes of tree."