Volume I Part 42 The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland

Volume I Part 42

Fair maid, pretty maid; Give your hand to me, And you shall see a blackbird, A blackbird on the tree; All sorts of colours Lying by his side, Take me, dearest [--], For to be my bride-

Will you come?

No!

Naughty old maid, she won't come out, She won't come out, To help us with our dancing-

Will you come?

Yes!

Now we've got the bonny la.s.s, Now we've got the bonny la.s.s, To help us with our dancing.

-Liphook, Hants (Miss Fowler).

XIII. Trip trap over the gra.s.s, If you please, will you let one of your [eldest] daughters come, Come and dance with me?

I will give you pots and pans, I will give you bra.s.s, I will give you anything For a pretty la.s.s-

No!

I will give you gold and silver, I will give you pearl, I will give you anything For a pretty girl.

Take one, take one, the fairest you may see.

The fairest one that I can see Is pretty [Nancy], come to me;

You shall have a duck, my dear, And you shall have a drake, And you shall have a young man, Apprentice for your sake.

If this young man should happen to die, And leave this poor woman a widow, The bells shall all ring and the birds shall all sing, And we'll clap hands together.

-Halliwell's _Popular Nursery Rhymes_, cccx.x.xii.

XIV. Will you take gold and silver, or will you take bra.s.s, Will you take anything for a pretty la.s.s?

No! we'll not take gold and silver, no! we'll not take bra.s.s; We'll not take anything for a pretty la.s.s.

Will you take the keys of school, or will you take bra.s.s?

Will you take anything for a pretty la.s.s?

Yes! we'll take the keys of school; yes! we will take bra.s.s; We will take anything for a pretty la.s.s.

Come, my dear [Mary Anne], and give me your right hand,

And you shall have a duck, my dear, You shall have a drake; You shall have a nice young man To fiddle for your sake.

The birds will sing, the bells will ring, And we'll all clap hands together.

-Congleton Workhouse School (Miss A. E. Tremlow).

(_c_) The popular version of this game is played by the greater number of the children forming a line on one side with joined hands, and one child (sometimes two or more) facing them, advancing and retiring while singing the verses. When he asks the question, "Will you come?" one girl on the opposite side answers "No!" and afterwards "Yes!" When this is said, she goes to the opposite side, and the two dance round together while singing the next verse. The game begins again by the two singing the verses, and thus getting a third child to join them, when the game proceeds for a fourth, and so on.

The Congleton and London versions are played by two lines of children of about equal numbers. In the Lincolnshire version the above description answers, except that when the last line is sung every one claps hands.

In the Suss.e.x version the child at the end of the line is taken over by the child who sings the verses, and they lock their little fingers together while singing the remainder.

Addy (_Sheffield Glossary_) says:-"Two children advance and retire on one side. When the opposite side says 'Yes!' the two take the first child in the row and dance round with her, singing the remaining verse.

This is called 'the wedding.'"

The Lanarkshire version is quite a different one, and contains rather remarkable features. Mr. Black says that the game was played entirely by girls, never by boys, and generally in the months of May or June, about forty years ago. The children sang with rather mincing and refined voices, evidently making an effort in this direction. They walked, with their hands clasped behind their backs, up and down the road. Each child was crowned with rushes, and also had sashes or girdles of rushes.

Mr. Ballantyne says in his boyhood it was played by a row of boys on one side and another of girls opposite. The boys selected a girl when singing the third verse.

In the Roxton version, one child at the end of the line of children acts as "mother." One child advances as "suitor," and says the three first verses. The "mother" replies with the next line. The "suitor" chooses a girl and says the next verse, and then all the children sing the last verse. This is the same action as in Halliwell's version.

(_d_) The a.n.a.lysis of the game-rhymes is on pp. 164-67. This a.n.a.lysis presents us with a very good example of the changes caused by the game-rhymes being handed down by tradition among people who have forgotten the original meaning of the game. The first line in the Scotch version contains the word "dis," which is not known to the ordinary vocabulary. Another word, of similar import, is "dik-ma-day" in the Lanarkshire version. Two other words occur, namely, "thegan" in the Lanarkshire, and "maycanameecan" in the Suss.e.x versions, which are also not to be found in ordinary vocabularies. The two last words appear only once, and cannot, therefore, be used for the purpose of tracing out an original form of the game-rhyme, because on the system of a.n.a.lysis adopted they may be arbitrary introductions and totally unconnected with the original rhymes. This, however, is not the case with the two first-mentioned words, and I am inclined to consider them as forming part of the earliest version. The word "dis" is carried through no less than ten out of the fourteen variants, the gradation in the forms being as follows:-

dis da.s.s dish diss[y]-duss dossy this-thus -dust -dust[y]

What the meaning of this word is it may be impossible to ascertain, though probably Mr. Newell may be correct in his suggestion that it represents the old English word "adist," the opposite of "ayont,"

meaning "this way," "come hither" (_Games of American Children_, p. 51).

But the point really is, that the version which contains the oldest word-forms would probably be the purest in other respects. The a.n.a.lysis of the whole game confirms this view, as the Scottish and Yorkshire versions are nearly parallel, while the discrepancies begin to creep in with the Shropshire version, reaching their last stage in the versions recorded by Halliwell and from Congleton. Following this line of argument, "dik-ma-day" becomes first "duke, my dear," and then "duck, my dear." Turning next to the import of the rhymes, apart from special words used, it is curious to note that "dis" is only converted into "dusty," and hence into "dusty day," in two versions out of the fourteen. The Lincolnshire version agrees with Halliwell's version in making some curious offers for a pretty la.s.s, but these rhymes are probably an innovation. In the same way the incidents numbered 39-40, occurring in the Suss.e.x version, and 43-46 occurring in the London and Hants versions, are borrowings from other games, and not original portions of this. The Congleton version is evidently incomplete.

+----+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+

No.

Scotland (Chambers).

Lanarkshire.

Biggar.

+----+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+

A-dis, a-dis, a green

A dish, a dish, a

gra.s.s.

green gra.s.s.

A-dis, a-dis, a-das.

A-dis, a-dis, a-da.s.s.

A dish, a dish,

a dish.

Come all ye pretty

Come my pretty fair

Come all ye pretty

maids.

maid.

maids.

And dance along with

And walk along with

And dance along with

us.

For we are going a-

For we are lads a

roving.

We'll take this maid

We'll take this pretty

by the hand.

fair maid by the

hand.

10.

11.

12.

You shall have a duke,

You shall have a dik-

Ye sall get a duke.

my dear.

ma-day.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

You shall have a

Ye sall get a drake.

drake.

dragon.

21.

22.

23.

[8.]

24.

And ye shall get a

You shall have a nice

Ye sall get a bonny

young prince.

young man.

prince.

25.

26.

27.

A young prince for

For your ain sake.

your sake.

28.

29.

30.

If this young prince

If they all should

should die.

die.

31.

32.

Ye shall get another.

Ye sall get anither.

33.

34.

35.

Bells will ring and

The bells will ring,

birds sing.

birds will sing.

36.

37.

We'll all clap hands

We'll clap hands

together.

38.

With princes for his

thegan.

39.

40.

41.

42.

43.

44.

45.

46.

+----+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+

No.

Yorkshire.

Roxton.

Shropshire.

+----+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+

Dissy, dissy, green

Dossy, dossy, green

gra.s.s.

Walking up the green

gra.s.s.

Dissy, dissy, duss.

Dossy, dossy, doss.

A dust, a dust, a

dust.

Come all ye pretty

We want a pretty

maids.

maiden.

And dance along with

Dance upon the gra.s.s.

To walk along with us.

us.

We'll take her by the

hand.

10.

11.

She shall go to Derby.

12.

You shall have a duck.

She shall have a duck,

(after No. 19)

my dear.

13.

I will give pots and

pans.

14.

..... bra.s.s.

15.

..... gold and silver.

16.

..... pearl.

17.

..... anything.

18.

19.

For a pretty la.s.s.

20.

You shall have a

She shall have a

drake.

21.

22.

23.

[8.]

24.

You shall have a nice

You shall have a young

She shall have a nice

young man.

man.

young man.

25.

26.

27.

To love you for your

A fighting for her

sake.

28.

Apprentice for your

sake.

29.

30.

If this young man

Suppose this young man

should chance to die.

was to die.

31.

If this young man

should wealthy grow.

32.

33.

And leave the girl a

widow.

34.

And give his wife a

feather.

35.

Birds shall sing and

Bells shall ring and

Bells ring and we

bells ring.

birds sing.

shall sing.

36.

37.

Clap all your hands

We'll all clap hands

And all clap hands

together.

38.

39.

40.

41.

42.

43.

44.

45.

46.

+----+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+

No.

Lincolnshire,

Suss.e.x, Hurstmonceux.

Middles.e.x.

Frodingham.

+----+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+

Stepping up the green

Up and down the green

Tripping up the green

gra.s.s.

Thus, and thus, and

This, and that, and

thus.

Dusty, dusty day.

Please may we have a

Come all ye fair

Come all ye pretty

pretty la.s.s.

maids.

To come and play with

And walk along with

Come and with us play.

us.

10.

11.

12.

You shall have a duck.

13.

We will give you pots

and pans.

14.

..... bra.s.s.

15.

..... gold and silver.

Some will give us

silver ..... gold.

16.

..... pearl.

17.

..... anything.

18.

19.

For a pretty la.s.s.

20.

You shall have a goose

You shall have a swan.

for dinner.

21.

Take hold of my

finger.

22.

Maycanameecan.

23.

[8.]

24.

You shall have a nice

young man.

25.

Pray tell me the name

of your young man.

26.

27.

A waiting for to come.

28.

29.

To take you up the

garden.

30.

Suppose this young man

Suppose he were to

was to die.

die.

31.

32.

33.

And leave the girl a

And leave his wife a

widow.

34.

35.

Bells would ring, cats

would sing.

36.

Come all ye pretty

fair maids.

37.

So we'll all clap

Come clap your hands

hands together.

together.

38.

39.

Don't you think [ ]

a nice young man?

40.

Don't you think [ ]

as handsome as he?

41.

Then off with the

glove, on with the

ring.

42.

You shall be married

when you can agree.

43.

44.

45.

46.

+----+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+

No.

London.

Hants, Liphook.

Halliwell.

+----+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+

Here we come up the

Here we go up the

Trip, trap, over the

green gra.s.s.

gra.s.s.

On a dusty, dusty day.

So early in the

morning.

Fair maid, pretty

Please let one of your

maid.

daughters come.

Come and dance with

me.

[See below.]

Give your hand to me.

Take one, take the

fairest you can see.

10.

Pretty [ ] come to

me.

11.

12.

You shall have a duck,

my dear.

13.

I will give you pots

and pans.

14.

..... bra.s.s.

15.

..... gold and silver.

16.

..... pearl.

17.

..... anything.

18.

I'll show you a

You shall see a

blackbird.

19.

For a pretty girl.

20.

You shall have a

drake.

21.

22.

23.

All sorts of colours

lying by his side.

[8.]

We'll all go roving.

24.

You shall have a young

man.

25.

26.

I'll take [ ] for my

Take [ ] for my

bride.

27.

28.

Apprentice for your

sake.

29.

30.

If this young man

should happen to die.

31.

32.

33.

And leave the poor

woman a widow.

34.

35.

Bells shall ring,

birds shall sing.

36.

37.

We'll all clap hands

together.

38.

39.

40.

41.

42.

43.

Naughty miss, she

Naughty old maid, she

won't come out.

44.

To help us with our

dancing.

45.

Now we've got our

Now we'll get our

bonny la.s.s.

46.

To help us with our

dancing.

+----+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+

+----+----------------------+

No.

Sheffield.

+----+----------------------+

Stepping up the green

gra.s.s.

Thus, and thus, and

thus.

Will you let one of

your fair maids.

Come and play with us.

10.

11.

12.

13.

We will give you pots

and pans.

14.

..... bra.s.s.

15.

..... gold and silver.

16.

..... pearl.

17.

..... anything.

18.

19.

For a pretty la.s.s.

20.

21.

22.

23.

[8.]

24.

You shall have a nice

young man.

25.

26.

27.

28.

Born for your sake.

29.

30.

31.

32.

33.

34.

35.

Bells shall ring, cats

shall sing.

36.

37.

We'll all clap hands

together.

38.

39.

40.

41.

42.

43.

44.

45.

46.

+----+----------------------+

(_e_) Henderson, in describing the curious rites accompanying the saining or blessing of a corpse in the Scottish Lowlands, states that empty dishes are arranged on the hearth as near as possible to the fire, and after certain ceremonies in connection therewith have been performed, the company join hands and dance round the dishes, singing this burden:-

A dis, a dis, a dis, A green griss; A dis, a dis, a dis.

-_Folk-lore of Northern Counties_, p. 54.

This rhyme is, it will be seen, the same as the first two lines of the game, the word "griss" in the burial-rhyme becoming "gra.s.s" in the game-rhyme, "grisse" being the old form for "gra.s.s" or herb (Halliwell, _Provincial Glossary_, quotes a MS. authority for this). This identification of the game-rhyme would suggest that the game originally was a child's dramatic imitation of an old burial ceremony, and it remains to be seen whether the signification of the words would carry out this idea.

In the first place, the idea of death is a prominent incident in the game, appearing in seven out of the fourteen versions. In all these cases the death is followed by the clapping of hands and bell-ringing, and in five cases by the singing of birds. Clapping of hands occurs in two other cases, and bell-ringing in one other case, not accompanied by the death incident. Now it is singular that the burial-rite which has just been quoted is called Dish-a-loof; and a reference to the game of "Dish-a-loof" [under that t.i.tle], will show that it derives its name from the clapping of hands. In the ceremony, as described by Henderson, although songs and games are part of the burial-ceremony, there is no specific mention of hand-clapping; but it is conceivable that the action at one time formed part of the ceremony, and hence the name "Dish-a-loof." This would not account for the promise of a duck, drake, &c., as in incidents Nos. 12 and 20; nor for the promise of a young prince or young man; but these incidents might very well be variants of some earlier forms which are not now discoverable, especially as love-games were played at funerals, and as the tendency, in the less complete forms of the game as they have come down to us, is in the direction of transposing the game into a complete love-game. The use of rushes in the Lanarkshire game might indicate the funeral garland (Aubrey's _Remaines_, pp. 109, 139). For clapping of hands to indicate bell-tolling or bell-ringing at times of death see Napier's _Folklore_, p. 66. Henderson (p. 63) says the "pa.s.sing bell" was supposed in former times to serve two purposes: it called on all good Christians within hearing to pray for the departing spirit, and it scared away the evil spirits who were watching to seize it, or at least to scare and terrify it.

On the whole evidence from the rhymes, therefore, I should be disposed to cla.s.s this game as originally belonging to burial, and not love, rites.

Green Gravel

[Music]

-Madeley, Shropshire (Miss Burne).

[Music]

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