“The Knight in Green”
Description
A knight pledges a fortune to win a beautiful girl. To raise this money he must borrow from a Jew, offering his own flesh as collateral. When the bill comes, he cannot pay, and flees. And on it goes, till they all live happily ever after
Supplemental text
Knight in Green, The
Partial text(s)
*** A ***
Night in Green
From Helen Hartness Flanders and Marguerite Olney, Ballads
Migrant in New England, pp. 184-191. From the "Grandey
Blankbook," seen by Flanders in 1939.
A northern Lord of high renown
Two daughters had the elder brown
The younger beautiful and fare
A noble knight came riding there
Their Father said kind sir I have
Two daughters here which do you crave
She that is beautiful he cry'd
The noble Lord he then Reply'd
(49 additional stanzas)
Notes
The theme here was, of course, used in Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice." The text here shows no direct knowledge of that play, but the two probably derive from a common ancestor.
The notes in Flanders/Olney state that there is a broadside version in the Folger Shakespeate Library. Unfortunately, they give no other details.
It's worth noting that this very long item comes from manuscript, not singing. And, yes, the title listed by Flanders is "Night," not "Knight." - RBW
References
- Flanders/Olney, pp. 184-191, "Night in Green" (sic) (1 text)
- ST FO184 (Partial)
- Roud #303
- BI, FO184