The Outlandish Knight

I saw this in a now-defunct poetry corner on the Web and immediately had to have it. I couldn't, however, find a tune for it, so I wrote one. It was my first real foray into composition and still one of my best. c is middle C. c' is the C above middle C. C is the C below middle C. Case changes occur at the C's like this: C D E F G A B c d e f g a b c' d' e' f' g' a' b' Note values are E (eighth), Q (quarter), H (half) and DH (dotted half). DH H is a dotted half note tied to a half note. Measures are separated with a | .The song is in 3/4 time in the key of C major...or maybe it's in A minor...I was never sure how to tell. I'm having trouble getting the HTML to put in extra spaces to separate things more clearly...I'll work on it and try to improve the coherence here.

An out - lan - dish knight came from the north lands Qe | Qe -QB --Qe | He Qe | Qe Qf Qe | Hd And he came a - cour - ting me Qd | Qe Qe Qf | He Qf | DHe | He He told me he'd take me un - to the north lands Qe | Qe Qe Qe | Qe Qe Qe | Qg Qf Qe | Hd And there he would ma -- a --- rry me Qd | Qd Qe Qd | Qc Qd QB | DHA | HA "Come, fetch me some of your father's gold And some of your mother's fee And two of the best nags out of the stable Where they stand thirty and three." I fetched him some of my father's gold And some of my mother's fee And two of the best nags out of the stable Where they stand thirty and three I mounted me on my milk-white steed And he on the dapple grey We rode til we came to the sea-side Three hours before it was day "Light off, light off, your milk-white steed And deliver it it to me Six pretty maids have I drowned here And you the seventh shall be" "Cast off, cast off thy silken gown And deliver it to me Methinks it looks to fine and gay To rot in the salt sea." "Cast off, cast off thy silken stays And deliever them to me Methinks they look too rich and gay To rot in the salt sea" "Cast off, cast off thy Holland smock And deliver it to me Methinks it looks to fine and gay To rot in the salt sea" "If I must take off my Holland smock Pray turn thy back to me For it is not fitting that such a ruffian A naked woman should see." He turned his back towards me And viewed the leaves so green I caught him round the middle so small And tumbled him into the stream He dropp-ed high and he dropp-ed low Until he came to the side "Catch hold of my hand, my pretty maiden And I will make you my bride." "Lie there, lie there, you false-hearted man Lie there instead of me Six pretty maids have you drwoned here..... And the seventh hath drowned thee!"

If you're familiar with "Lady Isabel," you might be wondering where the parrot verses are. In the original, she returns home and has to bribe the family parrot not to squawk, waking her father and ruining her reputation. I killed the parrot. Frankly, I thought it was too much of an anticlimax after the finale of the vengeful woman standing over the drowning traitor in the thrashing sea in the cold moonlight.

Last updated 06/10/99 Email me: sca_bard@yahoo.com