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ROBIN HOOD AND MAID MARIAN
No. 150
From The English and Scottish Popular Ballads
by Francis James
Child, 1888.
Maid
Marian was not in the earliest of the Robin Hood ballads, and she's not
in many of the later ones. This ballad is from the 17th century and explains
how Marian joined the band. It's much like ballads depicting how Little
John, Will Scarlet and many tradesmen joined the Merry Men. I decided to
include it because it shows that having Marian as a fighter on par with
Robin Hood is not a recent development. It is also one of the few ballads
to make Robin Hood an earl.
Marian's male disguise is often used in film and television versions of the legend, including the 1952 film The Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men (with Joan Rice as Marian), the "Maid Marian" episode of the 1950s TV series The Adventures of Robin Hood and both 1991 films. In the 2006 TV series Marian disguises herself as a sort-of superhero named The Nightwatchman.
For further information on Marian, check out the article on my Beginner's Guide to Robin Hood section. I also describe the semi-legendary nature of Matilda, one of Marian's supposed names, on my Search for a Real Robin Hood section. The links take you directly to the Marian segments. Also, I have posted a review of the The Forestwife, a young adult novel that focuses on Marian and gives the character a new purpose. This site also features interviews with Theresa Tomlinson, author of the Forestwife trilogy, and Elsa Watson, author of Maid Marian.
See an image of an original edition of this ballad at the Broadside Ballads Online website hosted by the University of Oxford's Bodleian Libraries.
1
A bonny fine maid of a noble degree,
With
a hey down down a down down
Maid
Marian calld by name,
Did live in the North, of excellent worth,
For
she was a gallant dame.
2
For favour and face, and beauty most rare,
Queen
Hellen shee did excell;
For Marian then was praisd of all men
That
did in the country dwell.
3
'Twas neither Rosamond nor Jane Shore,
Whose
beauty was clear and bright,
That could surpass this country lass,
Beloved
of lord and knight.
4
The Earl of Huntington, nobly born,
That
came of noble blood,
To Marian went, with a good intent,
By
the name of Robin Hood.
5
With kisses sweet their red lips meet,
For
shee and the earl did agree;
In every place, they kindly imbrace,
With
love and sweet unity.
6
But fortune bearing these lovers a spight,
That
soon they were forced to part,
To the merry green wood then went Robin Hood,
With
a sad and sorrowfull heart.
7
And Marian, poor soul, was troubled in mind,
For
the absence of her friend;
With finger in eye, shee often did cry,
And
his person did much comend.
8
Perplexed and vexed, and troubled in mind,
Shee
drest her self like a page,
And ranged the wood to find Robin Hood,
The
bravest of men in that age.
9
With quiver and bow, sword, buckler and all,
Thus
armed was Marian most bold,
Still wandering about to find Robin out,
Whose
person was better then gold.
10 But
Robin Hood, hee himself had disguised,
And
Marian was strangly attir'd,
That they provd foes, and so fell to blowes,
Whose
vallour bold Robin admir'd,
11 They
drew out their swords, and to cutting they
At least
an hour or more,
That the blood ran apace from bold Robins face,
And
Marian was wounded sore.
12 'O
hold thy hand, hold thy hand,' said Robin
'And
thou shalt be one of my string,
To range in the wood with bold Robin Hood,
To
hear the sweet nightingall sing.'
13 When
Marian did hear the voice of her love,
Her
self shee did quickly discover,
And with kisses sweet she did him greet,
Like
to a most loyall lover.
14 When
bold Robin Hood his Marian did see,
Good
lord, what clipping was there!
With kind imbraces, and jobbing of faces,
Providing
of gallant cheer.
15 For
Little John took his bow in his hand,
And
wandring in the wood,
To kill the deer, and make good chear,
For
Marian and Robin Hood.
16 A
stately banquet the[y] had full soon,
Where venison sweet they had to eat,
And
were merry that present hour.
17 Great
flaggons of wine were set on the board,
And
merrily they drunk round
Their boules of sack, to strengthen the back,
Whilst
their knees did touch the ground.
18 First
Robin Hood began a health
To
Marian his onely dear,
And his yeomen all, both comely and tall,
Did
quickly bring up the rear.
19 For
in a brave veine they tost off the[ir] bouls,
Whilst
thus they did remain,
And every cup, as they drunk up,
They
filled with speed again.
20 At
last they ended their merryment,
And
went to walk in the wood,
Where Little John and Maid Marian
Attended
on bold Robin Hood.
21 In
sollid content together they livd,
With
all their yeomen gay;
They livd by their hands, without any lands,
And
so they did many a day.
22 But
now to conclude, an end I will make
In
time, as I think it good,
For the people that dwell in the North can tell
Of
Marian and bold Robin Hood.
NEXT: Robin Hood and the Golden Arrow
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