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
#Magyar.# Five versions from recent traditions, all of them interesting,
are given in Arany and Gyulai's collection of Hungarian popular poetry,
'Molnár Anna,' I, 137 ff, Nos 1-5.[71]--#A#, p. 141, No 3. A man,
nameless here, but called in the other versions Martin Ajgó, or Martin
Sajgó, invites Anna Miller to go off with him. She refuses; she has a
young child and a kind husband. "Come," he says; "I have six palaces,
and will put you in the seventh," and persists so long that he prevails
at last. They went a long way, till they came to the middle of a green
wood. He asked her to sit down in the shade of a branchy tree (so all);
he would lie in her lap, and she was to look into his head (a point
found in all the copies). But look not up into the tree, he said. He
went to sleep (so #B#, #D#); she looked up into the tree, and saw six
fair maids hanging there (so all but #E#). She thought to herself, He
will make me the seventh! (also #B#, #D#). A tear fell on the face of
the "brave sir," and waked him. You have looked up into the tree, he
said. "No, but three orphans passed, and I thought of my child." He bade
her go up into the tree. She was not used to go first, she said. He led
the way. She seized the opportunity, tore his sword from its sheath (so
=C#), and hewed off his head. She then wrapped herself in his cloak,
sprang upon his horse, and returned home, where (in all the copies, as
in this) she effected a reconcilement with her husband. #B#, p. 138, No
2, agrees closely with the foregoing. Martin Ajgó calls to Anna Miller
to come with him a long way into the wilderness (so #D#, #E#). He boasts
of no palaces in this version. He calls Anna a long time, tempts her a
long time, drags her on to his horse, and carries her off. The scene
under the tree is repeated. Anna pretends (so #D#, #E#) that the tear
which drops on Martin's face is dew from the tree, and he retorts, How
can it be dew from the tree, when the time is high noon? His sword falls
out of its sheath as he is mounting the tree, and he asks her to hand it
to him. She throws it up (so #E#), and it cuts his throat in two.
Rightly served, Martin Ajgó, she says: why did you lure me from home?
#C#, p. 144, No 4. Martin Sajgó tells Anna Miller that he has six stone
castles, and is building a seventh. It is not said that he goes to
sleep. As in #A#, Anna pulls his sword from the scabbard. #D#, p. 146,
No 5. Here reappears the very important feature of the wonderland:
"Come, let us go, Anna Miller, a long journey into the wilderness, to a
place that flows with milk and honey." Anna insists, as before, that
Martin shall go up the tree first. He puts down his sword; she seizes
it, and strikes off his head with one blow. #E#, p. 137, No 1, is
somewhat defective, but agrees essentially with the others. Martin Ajgó
calls Anna; she will not come; he carries her off. He lets his sword
fall as he is climbing, and asks Anna to hand it up to him. She throws
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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