Ballads of Robin Hood and other Outlaws: Popular Ballads of the Olden Times - Fourth Series — John Shaqi
Ballads of Robin Hood and other Outlaws: Popular Ballads of the Olden Times - Fourth SeriesSidgwick, Frank
General
Ballads of Robin Hood and other Outlaws: Popular Ballads of the Olden Times - Fourth Series
Sidgwick, Frank
Ballads, English -- England -- Texts; Outlaws -- Poetry; Robin Hood (Legendary character) -- Poetry
31.
The second shot Sir Guy shot,
He shot within the garland;
But Robin Hood shot it better than he,
For he clove the good prick-wand.
32.
‘God’s blessing on thy heart!’ says Guy,
‘Good fellow, thy shooting is good;
For an thy heart be as good as thy hands,
Thou were better than Robin Hood.
33.
‘Tell me thy name, good fellow,’ quoth Guy,
Under the leaves of lyne:
‘Nay, by my faith,’ quoth good Robin,
‘Till thou have told me thine.’
34.
‘I dwell by dale and down,’ quoth Guy,
‘And I have done many a curst turn;
And he that calls me by my right name
Calls me Guy of good Gisborne.’
35.
‘My dwelling is in the wood,’ says Robin;
‘By thee I set right nought;
My name is Robin Hood of Barnesdale,
A fellow thou hast long sought.’
36.
He that had neither been kith nor kin
Might have seen a full fair sight,
To see how together these yeomen went,
With blades both brown and bright;
37.
To have seen how these yeomen together fought
Two hours of a summer’s day;
It, was neither Guy nor Robin Hood
That fettled them to fly away.
38.
Robin was reckless on a root,
And stumbled at that tide,
And Guy was quick and nimble withal,
And hit him o’er the left side.
39.
‘Ah, dear Lady!’ said Robin Hood,
‘Thou art both mother and may!
I think it was never man’s destiny
To die before his day.’
40.
Robin thought on Our Lady dear,
And soon leapt up again,
And thus he came with an awkward stroke;
Good Sir Guy he has slain.
41.
He took Sir Guy’s head by the hair,
And sticked it on his bow’s end:
‘Thou hast been traitor all thy life,
Which thing must have an end.’
42.
Robin pulled forth an Irish knife,
And nicked Sir Guy in the face,
That he was never on a woman born
Could tell who Sir Guy was.
43.
Says, ‘Lie there, lie there, good Sir Guy,
And with me be not wroth;
If thou have had the worse strokes at my hand,
Thou shalt have the better cloth.’
44.
Robin did off his gown of green,
Sir Guy he did it throw;
And he put on that capul-hide
That clad him top to toe.
45.
‘The bow, the arrows, and little horn,
And with me now I’ll bear;
For now I will go to Barnësdale,
To see how my men do fare.’
46.
Robin set Guy’s horn to his mouth,
A loud blast in it he did blow;
That beheard the sheriff of Nottingham,
As he leaned under a low.
47.
‘Hearken! hearken!’ said the sheriff,
‘I heard no tidings but good;
For yonder I hear Sir Guy’s horn blow,
For he hath slain Robin Hood.’
48.
‘For yonder I hear Sir Guy’s horn blow,
It blows so well in tide,
For yonder comes that wighty yeoman,
Clad in his capul-hide.
49.
‘Come hither, thou good Sir Guy,
Ask of me what thou wilt have’:
‘I’ll none of thy gold,’ says Robin Hood,
‘Nor I’ll none of it have.’
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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