Summary
Janet travels to Gordon's woods to pick flowers for her hat, and encounters Tam Blain, who questions her. She asserts that the garden is her fathers, and counters that she must give her mantle or her maidenhead. He rolls her over the green, and she tries to determine his name, but he disappears. She returns later to pluck flowers again, and Tam Blain confronts her over her pregnancy. At home again, a knight observes her condition, and Janet praises Tam Blain. He instructs her that to win him, she must remain in the woods all night on Halloween, and pull him from his horse. He tells her how to recognize him, ad the transformations he will undergo. She takes him home and bears her child the next day.
Janet and Tam Blain
- It fell upon a certain day
Or leif a certain nicht
That Janet gade to Gordon's wud
Aw for to flouir her hart - She hadna puit a rose a rose
A rose but onlie three
Till upon jampit her ain Tam Blain
Just at fair Janet's knee - How dare ye pu the rose he said
How daur ye bow the tree
How daur ye pou the redd, red rose
And but the leive o me - The garden is my ain father's
Sae also is the tree
An I will pu the red red rose
An speir nae leive o thee - Tho the garden is your ain father's
O maun pay to me
Your mantle or your maidenhead
The tane o thaim maun be - Manteils can I mak she said
And manteils can I spin
But gin I tine my maidenhead
I'll neir get ane again - But ay he rowit her owr the grein
An ay she speirit his name
But sune he vanished out o sicht
And she gade dowie hame - It fell upon a certain day
Or leif a certain nicht
That Janet gade to Gordon's wud
Aw for to flouir her hart - She hadna puit a rose a rose
A rose but onlie ane
Till up and jamped her ain Tam Blain
Just at fair Janet's haund - How daur ye wauk alane he said
Amang your father's tries
For spoiling o the bonnie babe
That we gat merrilie - The ladies aw gae jimp and neit
Aw up and doun they rin
The ladies aw gae jimp and neit
But Janet she gaes round - Out and spak an auld facit knicht
Out owr yon castle wa
Sayand, Janet she gaes big wi bairn
And we'll be wytit aw - O haud your tung ye auld facit knicht
It matters na to thee
Altho that I gae big wi bairn
Ye'se neir be wytit be me - The sark that my trew luve has on
Is o the holland fine
An a brawer lad in aw London
Than him ye wad get nane - The steid that my trew luve rydes on
Is fleiter than the win
His feet ar sillar shod afore
An the shynand gowd ahin - The nicht is Hollowein he said
The morn is hallowday
And she that wad her trew luver win
She aw nicht here maun stay - But how will I you ken she said
Or how will I you ken
Amang sae monie gay gude lords
Buskit aw lyke gentilmen - My richt hand will be gluvit he said
My left haun will be bare
My bonnet will be cockit up
An kames into my hair - Ye'll first pass by the bonnie black
And syne the bonnie brown
But haud fast by the milk whyte steid
And pou the ryder doun - Thay'll first cast me into your airms
Like to a flash of fire
But haud me fast and feir nae skaith
I am your hart's desire - They'll neist cast me into your airms
Like a red gaud o airn
But haud me fast and feir nae skaith
I'm the father o your bairn - Thay'll cast me into your airms
Like to a naked man
Syne sane me wi the halie rude
An than ye'll hae me won - Now wasna this fair youthfu ladie
Weil wurth a pair of shune
She won her luve as 'twar the nicht
And bure her son the morn
Version Notes
This version omits any explicit mention of Faeries, other than the indirect 'gay gude lords', and there is no indication Tam Lin is under threat of sacrifice. It also omits any response from the Faerie Queen.
Added to site: May 2015