{"collection":"Northern European Mythology","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/neu/eng/child/ch190.htm","path":"neu/eng/child/ch190.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/neu/eng/child/ch190.htm","text":"Sacred Texts\u00a0\n Legends & Sagas\u00a0\n England\u00a0\n Index\u00a0\n Previous\u00a0\n Next\u00a0\n \n \n \n 190A: Jamie Telfer of the Fair Dodhead\n \n \n 190A.1 IT fell about the Martinmas tyde,\n Whan our Border steeds get corn and hay,\n The Captain of Bewcastle hath bound him to ryde,\n And he\u2019s ower to Tividale to drive a prey.\n 190A.2 The first ae guide that they met wi,\n It was high up in Hardhaughswire;\n The second guide that they met wi,\n It was laigh down in Borthwick water.\n 190A.3 \u2018What tidings, what tidings, my trusty guide?\u2019\n \u2018Nae tidings, nae tidings, I hae to thee;\n But gin ye\u2019ll gae to the Fair Dodhead,\n Mony a cow\u2019s cauf I\u2019ll let thee see.\u2019\n 190A.4 And when they cam to the Fair Dodhead,\n Right hastily they clam the peel;\n They loosed the kye out, ane and a\u2019,\n And ranshakled the house right weel.\n 190A.5 Now Jamie Telfer\u2019s heart was sair,\n The tear aye rowing in his ee;\n He pled wi the Captain to hae his gear,\n Or else revenged he wad be.\n 190A.6 The Captain turned him round and leugh;\n Said, Man, there\u2019s naething in thy house\n But ae auld sword without a sheath,\n That hardly now wad fell a mouse.\n 190A.7 The sun was na up, but the moon was down,\n It was the gryming of a new-fa\u2019n snaw;\n Jamie Telfer has run ten myles a-foot,\n Between the Dodhead and the Stobs\u2019s Ha.\n 190A.8 And when he cam to the fair tower-yate,\n He shouted loud, and cried weel hie,\n Till out bespak auld Gibby Elliot,\n \u2018Whae\u2019s this that brings the fray to me?\u2019\n 190A.9 \u2018It\u2019s I, Jamie Telfer o the Fair Dodhead,\n And a harried man I think I be;\n There\u2019s naething left at the Fair Dodhead\n But a waefu wife and bairnies three.\u2019\n 190A.10 \u2018Gae seek your succour at Branksome Ha,\n For succour ye\u2019se get nane frae me;\n Gae seek your succour where ye paid blackmail,\n For, man, ye neer paid money to me.\u2019\n 190A.11 Jamie has turned him round about,\n I wat the tear blinded his ee:\n \u2018I\u2019ll neer pay mail to Elliot again,\n And the Fair Dodhead I\u2019ll never see.\n 190A.12 \u2018My hounds may a\u2019 rin masterless,\n My hawks may fly frae tree to tree,\n My lord may grip my vassal-lands,\n For there again maun I never be!\u2019\n 190A.13 He has turned him to the Tiviot-side,\n Een as fast as he could drie,\n Till he cam to the Coultart Cleugh,\n And there he shouted baith loud and hie.\n 190A.14 Then up bespak him auld Jock Grieve:\n \u2018Whae\u2019s this that brings the fray to me?\u2019\n \u2018It\u2019s I, Jamie Telfer o the Fair Dodhead,\n A harried man I trew I be.\n 190A.15 \u2018There\u2019s naething left in the Fair Dodhead\n But a greeting wife and bairnies three,\n And sax poor ca\u2019s stand in the sta,\n A\u2019 routing loud for their minnie.\u2019\n 190A.16 \u2018Alack a wae!\u2019 quo auld Jock Grieve,\n \u2018Alack, my heart is sair for thee!\n For I was married on the elder sister,\n And you on the youngest of a\u2019 the three.\u2019\n 190A.17 Then he has taen out a bonny black,\n Was right weel fed wi corn and hay,\n And he\u2019s set Jamie Telfer on his back,\n To the Catslockhill to tak the fray.\n 190A.18 And whan he cam to the Catslockhill,\n He shouted loud and cried weel hie,\n Till out and spak him William\u2019s Wat,\n \u2018O whae\u2019s this brings the fray to me?\u2019\n 190A.19 \u2018It\u2019s I, Jamie Telfer o the Fair Dodhead,\n A harried man I think I be;\n The Captain o Bewcastle has driven my gear;\n For God\u2019s sake, rise and succour me!\u2019\n 190A.20 \u2018Alas for wae!\u2019 quo William\u2019s Wat,\n \u2018Alack, for thee my heart is sair!\n I never cam bye the Fair Dodhead\n That ever I fand thy basket bare.\u2019\n 190A.21 He\u2019s set his twa sons on coal-black steeds,\n Himsel upon a freckled gray,\n And they are on wi Jamie Telfer,\n To Branksome Ha to tak the fray.\n 190A.22 And when they cam to Branksome Ha,\n They shouted a\u2019 baith loud and hie,\n Till up and spak him auld Buccleuch,\n Said, Whae\u2019s this brings the fray to me?\n 190A.23 \u2018It\u2019s I, Jamie Telfer o the Fair Dodhead,\n And a harried man I think I be;\n There\u2019s nought left in the Fair Dodhead\n But a greeting wife and bairnies three.\u2019\n 190A.24 \u2018Alack for wae!\u2019 quo the gude auld lord,\n \u2018And ever my heart is wae for thee!\n But fye, gar cry on Willie, my son,\n And see that he cum to me speedilie.\n 190A.25 \u2018Gar warn the water, braid and wide!\n Gar warn it sune and hastilie!\n They that winna ride for Telfer\u2019s dye,\n Let them never look in the face o me!\n 190A.26 \u2018Warn Wat o Harden and his sons,\n Wi them will Borthwick water ride;\n Warn Gaudilands, and Allanhaugh,\n And Gilmanscleugh, and Commonside.\n 190A.27 \u2018Ride by the gate at Priesthaughswire,\n And warn the Currors o the Lee;\n As ye cum down the Hermitage Slack,\n Warn doughty Willie o Gorrinberry.\u2019\n 190A.28 The Scotts they rade, the Scotts they ran,\n Sae starkly and sae steadilie,\n And aye the ower-word o the thrang\n Was, Rise for Branksome readilie!\n 190A.29 The gear was driven the Frostylee up,\n Frae the Frostylee unto the plain,\n Whan Willie has lookd his men before,\n And saw the kye right fast driving.\n 190A.30 \u2018Whae drives thir kye,\u2019 can Willie say,\n \u2018To make an outspeckle o me?\u2019\n \u2018It\u2019s I, the Captain o Bewcastle, Willie;\n I winna layne my name for thee.\u2019\n 190A.31 \u2018O will ye let Tefler\u2019s kye gae back?\n Or will ye do aught for regard o me?\n Or, by the faith of my body,\u2019 quo Willie Scott,\n \u2018I\u2019se ware my dame\u2019s cauf\u2019s skin on thee.\u2019\n 190A.32 \u2018I winna let the kye gae back,\n Neither for thy love nor yet thy fear;\n But I will drive Jamie Telfer\u2019s kye\n In spite of every Scott that\u2019s here.\u2019\n 190A.33 \u2018Set on them, lads!\u2019 quo Willie than;\n \u2018Fye, lads, set on them cruellie!\n For ere they win to the Ritterford,\n Mony a toom saddle there sall be!\u2019\n 190A.34 Then till\u2019t they gaed, wi heart and hand;\n The blows fell thick as bickering hail;\n And mony a horse ran masterless,\n And mony a comely cheek was pale.\n 190A.35 But Willie was stricken ower the head,\n And through the knapscap the sword has gane;\n And Harden grat for very rage,\n Whan Willie on the grund lay slane.\n 190A.36 But he\u2019s taen aff his gude steel cap,\n And thrice he\u2019s waved it in the air;\n The Dinlay snaw was neer mair white\n Nor the lyart locks of Harden\u2019s hair.\n 190A.37 \u2018Refenge! revenge!\u2019 auld Wat can cry;\n \u2018Fye, lads, lay on them cruellie!\n We\u2019ll neer see Tiviot side again,\n Or Willie\u2019s death revenged sall be.\u2019\n 190A.38 O mony a horse ran masterless,\n The splintered lances flew on hie;\n But or they wan to the Kershope ford,\n The Scotts had gotten the victory.\n 190A.39 John o Brigham there was slane,\n And John o Barlow, as I hear say,\n And thirty mae o the Captain\u2019s men\n Lay bleeding on the grund that day.\n 190A.40 The Captain was run through the thick of the thigh,\n And broken was his right leg-bane;\n If he had lived this hundred years,\n He had never been loved by woman again.\n 190A.41 \u2018Hae back the kye!\u2019 the Captain said;\n RR\u2019rrdear\tkye, I trow, to some they be;\n For gin I suld live a hundred years\n There will neer fair lady smile on me.\u2019\n 190A.42 Then word is gane to the Captain\u2019s bride,\n Even in the bower where that she lay,\n That her lord was prisoner in enemy\u2019s land,\n Since into Tividale he had led the way.\n 190A.43 \u2018I wad lourd have had a winding-sheet,\n And helped to put it ower his head,\n Ere he had been disgraced by the border Scot,\n Whan he ower Liddel his men did lead!\u2019\n 190A.44 There was a wild gallant amang us a\u2019,\n His name was Watty wi the Wudspurs,\n Cried, On for his house in Stanegirthside,\n If ony man will ride with us!\n 190A.45 When they cam to the Stanegirthside,\n They dang wi trees and burst the door;\n They loosed out a\u2019 the Captain\u2019s kye,\n And set them forth our lads before.\n 190A.46 There was an auld wyfe ayont the fire,\n A wee bit o the Captain\u2019s kin:\n \u2018Whae dar loose out the Captain\u2019s kye,\n Or answer to him and his men?\u2019\n 190A.47 \u2018It\u2019s I, Watty Wudspurs, loose the kye,\n I winna layne my name frae thee;\n And I will loose out the Captain\u2019s kye\n In scorn of a\u2019 his men and he.\u2019\n 190A.48 Whan they cam to the Fair Dodhead,\n they were a wellcum sight to see,\n For instead of his ain ten milk-kye,\n Jamie Telfer has gotten thirty and three.\n 190A.49 And he has paid the rescue-shot,\n Baith wi gowd and white monie,\n And at the burial o Willie Scott\n I wat was mony a weeping ee.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n Next: 191. Hughie Graham","title":"The Child Ballads: 190. Jamie Telfer of the Fair Dodhead","type":"page"}