November 21st, 2008
Part 1: King Robin, Cock Robin, and Robin Hood
Published on November 21st, 2008 @ 01:37:32 pm , using 445 words, 751 views
You’re reading Part 1: King Robin from Manx legend
Just recently, I found a fascinating song from the Isle of Man concerning Robin Hood’s wooing, and reminiscent to the extreme of Robin and Jenny Wren rhymes. This is not the first time I have found survivals of the Robin Hood legend in Manx. Manx is a type of Gaelic which is practically the same as normal Irish and Scotch Gaelic, only unfortunately (Manx, forgive me) misspelled.
The difference between Irish spelling and Manx spelling would be closest to the distinction between
English spelled as I am here spelling it, (with all the accumulated sounds in each word which we have stopped pronouncing, but which used to be pronounced, so that “enough” was originally pronounced “enouc")
and
English spelled phonetically, so “of” would be “uv”
I therefore have been bucked by Manx before. This time, however, I was able to translate it into proper Gaelic and improve the English translation, both of which you may read here:
Fhaigh thu toppeachann deirge
Is riobainnan “green”
Mo Bhetsidh bheag dhilis
Ma bhios thu leam fheinRobin y righ
Robin y righ
Ridlan, abuth, aban, fal dy ridlan
Robin y righ
Robin y righFollow up:
Fhaigh thu toppeachann deirge
Is riobainnan dubh
Bi thu Bhan Righan y Bhealtain
Sin faodaidh thu lughRobin y righ
Robin y righ
Ridlan, abuth, aban, fal dy ridlan
Robin y righ
Robin y righOh! Bhetsidh bheag dhilis
Robin y righ
Ni thu bhriste mo chriodh
Ta iad ag radh do eil thu toiruid
Leis Robin y righ
Robin y righ
Ridlan, abuth, aban, fal dy ridlan
Robin y righ
Robin y righ
And the English:
You will get red top-knots,
And green ribbons,
My sweet little Betsey,
If you will be mine.Robin the king, Robin the king,
Ridlan, aboo, aban, fal dy ridlan,
Robin the king, Robin the king.You will get red top-knots,
And dark ribbons
You will be Queen of the May, (of Bealtain)
So you can wed/swearRobin the king, Robin the king,
Ridlan, aboo, aban, fal dy ridlan,
Robin the king, Robin the king.Oh! sweet small Betsey,
You will break my heart;
They say you are pursued
By King Robin.Robin the king, Robin the king,
Ridlan, aboo, aban, fal dy ridlan,
Robin the king, Robin the king.
Now a word or so of explanation!
This song is similar to English nursery rhymes about Robin Redbreast and Jenny Wren. Robin Redbreast rhymes reflect the folklore about Robin Hood and Jenny. She was not a wren, and he was not a bird, but it was convenient as a rhyme.
Follow to Part 2: Cock Robin’s similarities to King Robin
Permalink2 comments
Evan, I am about to do a post on the origins of wren-hunting, so I won't spoil everything yet. (check back soon) But the million-dollar secret is, it doesn't have to be a wren, just a symbolical bird. (Because it's a very symbolic event) And even in the Gaelic of the Wren Songs, 'wren' does not resemble the word used. In Welsh it's 'dryw bach', which means little wren. In Gaelic it's dreathen, which sounds like 'dree-hen'. So the *original* word used for whatever they're hunting does not sound even faintly like Bernard/Arnold/Renold/Wrennok.
And the Jenny Wren tradition is a fairly low-key event which is centered in the Scottish and English nursery-rhyme tradition ... probably just for fun. Now that's not to say there may not be parallels in Welsh nursery rhymes, but I don't know Welsh, so until I find someone to help me or learn it myself, it's pretty hard to say. However it looks like bird-hunting has little to do with Jenny.
Smiles from Sherwood,
Adele : )
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