The English and Scottish popular ballads, volume 1 (of 5)
General
The English and Scottish popular ballads, volume 1 (of 5)
Ballads, English -- England -- Texts; Ballads, Scots -- Scotland -- Texts
#Swedish.# Three Swedish versions of this ballad were given by Afzelius:
#A#, 'Riddar Olle' in 50 two-line stanzas, II, 217; #B#, 19 two-line
stanzas, II, 59; #C#, 19 two-line stanzas, II, 56: No 33, I, 175-182 of
Bergström's edition. Besides these, there are two fragments in Cavallius
and Stephens's unprinted collection: #D#, 6 stanzas; #E#, 7 stanzas, the
latter printed in Grundtvig, V, 307.[96] All these were obtained from
recitation in the present century. #A# comes nearest to our #A#, #B#.
Like Scottish #B#, it seems to have been compounded from several copies.
Sir Olof betrothed Ingalilla, and carried her home for the spousal,
wearing a red gold crown and a wan cheek. Ingalilla gave birth to
twin-boys. Olof had a maid who resembled Ingalilla completely, and who,
upon Ingalilla's entreaty, consented to play the part of bride on the
morrow. Dressed in Ingalilla's clothes, blue kirtle, green jacket, etc.,
and wearing five gold rings and a gold crown, the maid rode to church,
with Ingalilla at her back, and her beauty was admired by all as she
came and went. But outside of the church were a good many musicians; and
one of these piped out, "God-a-mercy, Ingalilla, no maid art thou!"
Ingalilla threw into the piper's hand something which made him change
his tune. He was an old drunken fellow, and no one need mind what he
sang. After five days of drinking, they took the bride to her chamber,
not without force. Ingalilla bore the light before her, and helped put
her to bed; then lay down herself. Olof had over him a fur rug, which
could talk as well as he, and it called out,
'Hear me, Sir Olof, hear what I say;
Thou hast taken a strumpet, and missed a may.'
And Olof,
'Hear, little Inga, sweetheart,' he said;
'What didst thou get for thy maidenhead?'[97]
Inga explained. Her father was a strange sort of man, and built her
bower by the sea-strand, where all the king's courtiers took ship. Nine
had broken in, and one had robbed her of her honor. He had given her an
embroidered sark, a blue kirtle, green jacket, black mantle, gloves,
five gold rings, a red gold crown, a golden harp, and a silver-mounted
knife, which she now wishes in the youngster's body. The conclusion is
abruptly told in two stanzas. Olof bids Inga not to talk so, for he is
father of her children. He embraces her and gives her a queen's crown
and name. #B# has the same story, omitting the incident of the musician.
#C# has preserved this circumstance, but has lost both the substitution
of the waiting-woman for the bride and the magical coverlet. #D# has
also lost these important features of the original story; #E# has
retained them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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