[Page
141]
Kate and Her Horns.
(1)
You that in merriment delight,
Pray listen
now to what I write,
So shall you satisfaction find,
Will cure a melancholy mind.
(2)
A damsel sweet in
Colchester1,
And there a
clothier
2 courted her,
For
six months space, both night and day,
But yet the damsel still
said nay
3.
(3)
She said, "Were I to love inclined,
Perhaps you soon
might change your mind,
And court some other damsel
fair,
For men are false, I do declare."
(4)
He many propositions made,
And like a
loyal lover said,
"There's none but you shall be my wife,
The joy and
comfort of my life."
(5)
At length this
maid gave her consent
To marry him, and straight they
went
Unto their parents then, and lo
4!
Both gave their
leave and liking too.
[Page 142]
(6)
But see the cursed fruits of
gold,
He left his loyal love behind,
With grief and love encompassed
round,
Whilst he a greater fortune found.
(7)
A lawyer's daughter, fair and bright,
Her parents' joy and whole delight,
He was resolved to make his
spouse,
Denying all his former vows.
(8)
And when poor Kate she came to
hear
That she must lose her only dear,
All
for the lawyer's daughter's sake,
Some sport of him, Kate thought she'd make.
(9)
Kate knew when every night he came
true
From his new love, Nancy
by name,
Sometimes at ten o'clock or more.
Kate to a tanner went therefore,
(10)
And borrowed there an old cowhide,
With crooked horns both large and wide,
And when she wrapped
herself therein,
Her new intrigue she did begin.
[Page 143]
(11)
Kate to a lonesome field did stray
At length the
clothier came that way,
And he was sore a-scared at
her
She looked so like old
Lucifer5.
(12)
A
hairy hide, horns on her head,
At length two
Which near three feet asunder spread,
At
length
With that he saw a long black tail.
tried
He strove to run, but his feet did
fail.
(13)
doleful
And with a groan and mournful note,
She quickly
seized him by the throat,
And said, "You have left poor Kate, I hear,
And won a lawyer's
daughter dear.”
(14)
"Now, since you’ve
been so false to her,
You perjured knave
6 of
Colchester,
You shall, whether you will or
no,
Into ray gloomy regions go."
[Page 144]
(15)
This voice did so affrighten him,
He, kneeling on a
trembling limb,
Cried "Master Devil, spare me now,
duty
And I'll perform my former
vow."
(16)
"I'll make young Kate my lawful bride."
"See that you do"
the Devil cried.
"If Kate again of you
complain,
You soon shall hear from me again."
(17)
It's home he went though very late,
He
little thought that it was Kate,
That
put him into such a fright.
Therefore next day, by morning
light
(18)
He went to Kate and married
her,
For fear of that old Lucifer.
Kate's friends and
parents thought it strange,
That there was such a sudden
change.
(19)
Kate
never let her parents know,
Nor any other, friend or
foe,
Till they a year had married been,
She
told it at her lying in
7.
[Page 145]
(20)
It pleased
the women to the heart.
They said they'd fairly plead her
part.
Her husband laughed ae well as they.
It was a joyful merry day.
Finis.
Ballad
Theme: the Practical Joke
MacKenzie (1919) discussed “Kate and Her Horns” within a broader
category of ballads that incorporate the motive of a practical joke to entertain
and humour the audience, invoking sympathy with the contriver of the practical
joke, often the victim of some romantic injustice, who is applauded for the
cleverness with which the scheme is executed (pp.
145-146).
Clothier [Def. 1]. (n.d.). In Merriam-Webster. Retrieved November 12, 2014, from
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clothier
Knave [Def.
2]. (n.d.). In Merriam-Webster. Retrieved
November 13, 2014, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/knave
Lo [Def. 1]. (n.d.). In Merriam-Webster. Retrieved November 12, 2014, from
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lo
Lying-in [Def. 1].
(n.d.). In Merriam-Webster. Retrieved November
13, 2014, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lying-in
Cazden, N., Haufrecht, H., and Studerpp, N. (1982). Folk Songs of the Catskills. Albany, NY: State University of New York
Press.
MacKenzie, W. R. (1919). The quest of the ballad. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Retrieved from
https://archive.org/details/questofballad00mack
Notes
1.
Colchester: A reference to Colchester, England
↵
2.
clothier: middle English, a person that makes clothes
("Clothier," n.d.).
↵
3.
nay: archaic, meaning no
↵
4.
lo: archaic - calling attention to something, an expression wonder or
surprise ("Lo," n.d.).
↵
5.
Lucifer: a reference to the
devil
↵
6.
knave: a tricky, deceitful person
("Knave," n.d.).
↵
7.
lying-in: referring to the old custom
of lying in bed before or after birthing a child ("Lying-in," n.d.).
↵
