Classic Poem

Come listen a while, you gentlemen all,
With a hey down down a down down
That are in this bower within,
For a story of gallant bold Robin Hood
I purpose now to begin.

" What time of the day?" quoth Robin Hood then;
Quoth Little John, 'T is in the prime;
" Why then we will to the green wood gang,
For we have no vittles to dine."

As Robin Hood walkt the forrest along —
It was in the mid of the day —
There was he met of a deft young man
As ever walkt on the way.

His doublet it was of silk, he said,
His stockings like scarlet shone,
And he walkt on along the way,
To Robin Hood then unknown.

A herd of deer was in the bend,
All feeding before his face:
" Now the best of ye I 'le have to my dinner,
And that in a little space."

Now the stranger he made no mickle adoe,
But he bends and a right good bow,
And the best buck in the herd he slew,
Forty good yards him full froe.

" Well shot, well shot," quoth Robin Hood then,
" That shot it was shot in time;
And if thou wilt accept of the place,
Thou shalt be a bold yeoman of mine."

" Go play the chiven," the stranger said,
" Make haste and quickly go;
Or with my fist, be sure of this,
I 'le give thee buffets store."

" Thou hadst not best buffet me," quoth Robin Hood,
" For though I seem forlorn,
Yet I can have those that will take my part,
If I but blow my horn."

" Thou wast not best wind thy horn," the stranger said,
" Beest thou never so much in hast,
For I can draw out a good broad sword,
And quickly cut the blast."

Then Robin Hood bent a very good bow,
To shoot, and that he would fain;
The stranger he bent a very good bow,
To shoot at bold Robin again.

" O hold thy hand, hold thy hand," quoth Robin Hood,
" To shoot it would be in vain;
For if we should shoot the one at the other,
The one of us may be slain.

" But let 's take our swords and our broad bucklers,
And gang under yonder tree:"
" As I hope to be sav'd," the stranger said,
" One foot I will not flee."

Then Robin Hood lent the stranger a blow
Most scar'd him out of his wit;
" Thou never felt blow," the stranger he said,
" That shall be better quit."

The stranger he drew out a good broad sword,
And hit Robin on the crown,
That from every haire of bold Robins head
The blood ran trickling down.

" God a mercy, good fellow!" quoth Robin Hood then,
" And for this that thou hast done;
Tell me, good fellow, what thou art,
Tell me where thou doest woon."

The stranger then answered bold Robin Hood,
I 'le tell thee where I did dwell;
In Maxfield was I bred and born,
My name is Young Gamwell.

For killing of my own fathers steward,
I am forc'd to this English wood,
And for to seek an vncle of mine;
Some call him Robin Hood.

" But thou art a cousin of Robin Hoods then?
The sooner we should have done:"
" As I hope to be sav'd," the stranger then said,
" I am his own sisters son."

But, Lord! what kissing and courting was there,
When these two cousins did greet!
And they went all that summers day,
And Little John did meet.

But when they met with Little John,
He there unto [him] did say,
O master, where have you been,
You have tarried so long away?

" I met with a stranger," quoth Robin Hood then,
" Full sore he hath beaten me:"
" Then I 'le have a bout with him," quoth Little John,
" And try if he can beat me."

" Oh [no], oh no," quoth Robin Hood then,
" Little John, it may [not] be so;
For he 's my own dear sisters son,
And cousins I have no mo.

" But he shall be a bold yeoman of mine,
My chief man next to thee;
And I Robin Hood, and thou Little John,
And Scarlet he shall be:

" And wee 'l be three of the bravest outlaws
That is in the North Country."
If you will have any more of bold Robin Hood,
In his second part it will be.

It fell about the Martinmas,
When steads were fed wi corn and hay,
The Captain of Bewcastle said to his lads,
We 'll into Tiviotdale and seek a prey.

The first ae guide that they met with
Was high up in Hardhaugh swire,
The second guide that they met with
Was laigh down in Borthick water.

" What tidings, what tidings, my bonny guide?"
" Nae tidings, nae tidings I hae to thee;
But if ye 'll gae to the Fair Dodhead
Mony a cow's calf I 'll let ye see."

When they came to the Fair Dodhead,
Right hastily they clam the peel,
They loosd the nolt out, ane and a',
And raushakled the house right weel.

Now Jamie's heart it was right sair,
The tear ay rowing in his eye;
He pled wi the Captain to hae his gear,
Or else revengid he would be.

Bat the Captain turnd himsel about,
Said, Man, there 's naething in thy house
But an auld sword without a scabbard,
That scarcely now would fell a mouse.

The moon was up and the sun was down,
'T was the gryming of a new-fa'n snaw;
Jamie Telfer has run eight miles barefoot
Between Dodhead and Branxholm Ha.

And when he came to Branxholm Ha
He shouted loud and cry'd weel he,
Till up bespake then auld Buceleugh,
" Whae 's this that brings the fray to me?"

" It 's I, Jamie Telfer i the Fair Dodhead,
And a harried man I think I be;
There 's naething left i the Fair Dodhead
But only wife and children three."

" Gae seek your succour frae Martin Elliot,
For succour ye 's get nane frae me;
Gae seek your succour where ye paid blackmail,
For, man, ye never paid money to me."

Jamie he 's turnd him round about,
And ay the tear blinded his eye:
" I 'se never pay mail to Scott again,
Nor the Fair Dodhead I 'll ever see."

Now Jamie is up the water-gate,
Een as fast as he can drie,
Till he came to the Coultart Cleugh,
And there he shouted and cry'd weel he.

Then up bespake him auld Jock Grieve,
" Whae 's this that bring[s] the fray to me?"
" It 's I, Jamie Telfer i the Fair Dodhead,
And a harried man I think I be.

" There 's naething left i the Fair Dod-head
But only wife and children three,
And sax poor calves stand i the sta,
A' routing loud for their minnie."

" Alack, wae 's me!" co auld Jock Grieve,
" Alack, alack, and wae is me!
For ye was married t' the auld sister,
And I t' the younges[t] o the three."

Then he 's taen out a bonny black,
It was weel fed wi corn and hay,
And set Jamie Telfer on his back,
To the Catlock hill to take the fray.

When he came to the Catlock hill,
He shouted loud and cry'd weel he;
Whae 's that, whae 's that?" co Martin's Hab,
" Whae 's this that brings the fray to me?"

" It 's I, Jamie Telfer i the Fair Dodhead,
And a harried man I think I be;
There 's neathing left i the Fair Dodhead
But only wife and children three."

" Alack, wae 's me!" co Martin's Hab,
" Alack, awae, my heart is sair!
I never came bye the Fair Dodhead
That ever I faund thy basket bare."

Then he 's taen out a bonny black,
It was weel fed wi corn and hay,
And set Jamie Telfer on his back
To the Pricken haugh to take the fray

When he came to the Pricken haugh,
He shouted loud and cry'd weel he;
Up then bespake auld Martin Elliot,
" Whae 's this that brings the fray to me?"

" It 's I, Jamie Telfer i the Fair Dodhead,
And a harried man I think I be;
There 's naething left i the Fair Dodhead
But only wife and children three."

" Ever alack!" can Martin say,
" And ay my heart is sair for thee!
But fy, gar ca on Simmy my son,
And see that he come hastily.

" Fy, gar warn the water-side,
Gar warn it soon and hastily;
Them that winna ride for Telfer's kye,
Let them never look i the face o me.

" Gar warn the water, braid and wide,
And warn the Currers i the shaw;
When ye come in at the Hermitage slack,
Warn doughty Willie o Gorrenberry."

The gear was driven the Frostily up,
From the Frostily into the plain;
When Simmie lookid him afore,
He saw the kye right fast driving.

" Whae drives the kye," then Simmy can say,
" To make an outspeckle o me?"
" It 's I, the Captain o Bewcastle, Simmy,
I winna lain my name frae thee."

" O will ye let the gear gae back?
Or will ye do ony thing for me?"
" I winna let the gear gae back,
Nor naething, Simmy, I 'll do for the[e].

" But I 'll drive Jamie Telfer's kye
In spite o Jamie Telfer's teeth and thee;"
" Then by my sooth," can Simmy say,
" I 'll ware my dame's calfskin on thee.

" Fa on them, lads!" can Simmy say,
" Fy, fa on them cruelly!
For or they win to the Ritter ford
Mony toom saddle there shall be."

But Simmy was striken oer the head,
And thro the napskape it is gane,
And Moscrop made a dolefull rage
When Simmy on the ground lay slain

" Fy, lay on them!" co Martin Elliot,
" Fy, lay on them cruelly!
For ere they win to the Kershop ford
Mony toom saddle there shall be."

John o Biggam he was slain,
And John o Barlow, as I heard say,
And fifteen o the Captain's men
Lay bleeding on the ground that day.

The Captain was shot through the head,
And also through the left ba-stane;
Tho he had livd this hundred years,
He 'd neer been loed by woman again.

The word is gane unto his bride,
Een in the bower where she lay,
That her good lord was in 's enemy's land
Since into Tiviotdale he led the way.

" I loord a had a winding sheed
And helpd to put it oer his head,
Or he 'd been taen in 's enemy's lands,
Since he oer Liddle his men did lead."

There was a man in our company,
And his name was Willie Wudispurs:
" There is a house in the Stanegarside,
If any man will ride with us."

When they came to the Stanegarside,
They bangd wi trees and brake the door,
They loosd the kye out, ane and a',
And set them furth our lads before.

There was an auld wif ayont the fire,
A wee bit o the Captain's kin:
" Whae loo[s]es out the Captain's kye,
And sae mony o the Captain's men wi[t]hin?"

" I, Willie Wudispurs, let out the kye,
I winna lain my name frae thee,
And I 'll loose out the Captain's kye
In spite o the Captain's teeth and thee."

Now on they came to the Fair Dodhead,
They were a welcome sight to see,
And instead of his ain ten milk-kye
Jamie Telfer 's gotten thirty and three.