Medieval ballad
Eppie Morrie
“Eppie Morrie” is one of the Child Ballads (No. 223), and is of Scottish origin. The author and date are unknown. It was printed in James Maidment's anthology A North Country Garland in 1824. That version is reprinted in James Kinsley's The Oxford Book of Ballads, 1969. Although the lyrics were transcribed by Francis James Child, it is uncertain if the original melody has been retained. The earliest recordings are from the performances of Jimmy MacBeath in 1951 and later Ewan MacColl.
The ballad describes a young woman being forcefully taken from her home by a man named Willie and his companions. Willie's goal is to force Eppie to marry him. She refuses: in some versions because she already has a suitor, and in others because she considers Willie to be unworthy of her. First, Willie takes her to a priest whom he tries to force at gunpoint to perform the marriage ceremony. When the priest refuses, Eppie is locked in a room with Willie, where he tries to rape her. After a prolonged struggle, Willie finally gives up. Eppie, having retained her virginity and avoided the forced marriage, haughtily asks Willie to provide her with a horse to return home on.
Placenames mentioned suggest that the events happened in Aberdeenshire.
Four-and-twenty Highland men
Came a' from Carrie side,
To steal awa Eppie Morrie
'Cause she would not be a bride.
Out it's came her mother,
It was a moonlight night,
She could not see her daughter,
Their swords they shin'd so bright.
Haud far awa frae me, mother,
Haud far awa frae me;
There's not a man in a' Strathdon
Shall wedded be with me.
They have taken Eppie Morrie
And horseback bound her on,
And then awa to the minister
As fast as horse could gang.
He's taken out a pistol
And set it to the minister's breast;
Marry me, marry me, minister,
Or else I'll be your priest.
Haud far awa frae me, good sir,
Haud far awa frae me;
For there's not a man in all Strathdon
That shall married be with me.
Haud far awa frae me, Willie,
Haud far awa frae me;
For I darna vow to marry you
Except she's a willing as ye,
They have taken Eppie Morrie
Since better could nae be,
And they're awa to Carrie side
As fast as horse could flee.
When mass was sung and bells were rung
And all were bound for bed,
Then Willie an' Eppie Morrie
In one bed they were laid.
Haud far awa frae me Willie,
Haud far awa frae me;
Before I'll lose my maidenhead
I'll try my strength with thee.
She took the cap from off her head
And threw it to the way,
Differences of the ballads
Analisi e differenza tra due ballate medievale e moderna in lingua inglese Eppie Morie a At the beginning. In questo allegato è presente quindi l'analisi di queste due ballate. Vengono riportati i testi delle due ballate e un commento sulle opere degli autori che li hanno prodotti.
The author of the medieval ballad (Eppie Morrie) is more or less unknown, we don't know their date of origin, they were everybody's property and their text changed during the time. The author of the modern ballads (At the beginning) is always known, we can date them, their texts never changed.
The second difference which we can see between the ballads is their structure. The old one has a very simple structure: they are composed of short stanzas of two or four lines and they usually rhyme in some way. The modern ballads do not have any particular form, they are composed very freely and they are highly individual work. They can have refrains (repetition of words) like the old ballads, but it is not always the case. The old ballads were written for the unschooled and illiterate people, the modern ones are written for educated public, for the intellectuals, and this fact makes a great difference between them.
The language of the old ballads is therefore very clear and simple, but the language of the modern ballads can be very complicated and not easy to remember and to understand.
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