from Heron in

[wytchcroft]

so it's Beltane and time for a catch up methinks. (Yes, Bean, fantastic text timing there m'dear)
so... it's Beltane and time to spread the love and, uh, spread the lurgy since i am in fact full of both.
Yes, thank you V. (love them sisters).

anyhoo, here are a few rambling and magic elements of stuff.
Oh, plus Nuns (for Rouka and Sidherian, you may want to skip to that bit further down).



i'm working on a piece at the moment inspired by two folk songs which have meant a great deal to me down the years.
One is Two Magicians and the other is Tam Lin. Both of these songs deal with transformation; becoming animals or trees etc.

Here is a fragment from the thing i'm scribbling right now, since it may change or get cut in the editing/drafting process, especially since (unlike the rest of the piece) it isn't prose but deliberately in a traditional rhyming style that i hope amy will approve of (heh heh) and it nods as well to a third song called When the Boat Comes in (for any James Bolam fans out there).


heron i:

and like the Heron, to stand
with one foot on the water and
one on land

these shallow rocks and stones
the weight of my gaze
i could stare for days
waiting for the flicker of a silvery fish
serve it on a dish
with butter

that would be delicious
if i knew about dishes
and i knew about butter
if i knew about anything
but fish and the flutter
of my feathers
in the wind.

..................................

hope you liked that.

Without further ado here are the songs;

Two Magicians

she looked out of the window as white as any milk,
and he looked in at the window as black as any silk.

hello, hello, hello, hello you coal black smith.
you have done me no harm.
you never shall have my maidenhead.
that i have kept so long.
i'd rather die a maid.
ah, but then she said and be buried all in my grave,
than to have such a nasty, husky, dusky, fusky, musky.
coal black smith
a maiden i will die

she became a duck, a duck all on the stream,
and he became a water dog and fetched her back again.

hello, hello, hello, hello you coal black smith.
you have done me no harm.
you never shall have my maidenhead.
that i have kept so long.
i'd rather die a maid.
ah, but then she said and be buried all in my grave,
than to have such a nasty, husky, dusky, fusky, musky.
coal black smith
a maiden i will die

she became a star, a star all in the night,
and he became a thundercloud and muffled her out of sight.

hello, hello, hello, hello you coal black smith.
you have done me no harm.
you never shall have my maidenhead.
that i have kept so long.
i'd rather die a maid.
ah, but then she said and be buried all in my grave,
than to have such a nasty, husky, dusky, fusky, musky.
coal black smith
a maiden i will die

she became a rose, a rose all in the wood,
and he became a bumble bee and kissed her where she stood.

hello, hello, hello, hello you coal black smith.
you have done me no harm.
you never shall have my maidenhead.
that i have kept so long.
i'd rather die a maid.
ah, but then she said and be buried all in my grave,
than to have such a nasty, husky, dusky, fusky, musky.
coal black smith
a maiden i will die

she became a nun, a nun all dressed in white,
and he became a canting priest and prayed for her by night.

hello, hello, hello, hello you coal black smith.
you have done me no harm.
you never shall have my maidenhead.
that i have kept so long.
i'd rather die a maid.
ah, but then she said and be buried all in my grave,
than to have such a nasty, husky, dusky, fusky, musky.
coal black smith
a maiden i will die

she became a trout, a trout all in the brook,
and he became a feathered fly and catched her with his hook.

hello, hello, hello, hello you coal black smith.
you have done me no harm.
you never shall have my maidenhead.
that i have kept so long.
i'd rather die a maid.
ah, but then she said and be buried all in my grave,
than to have such a nasty, husky, dusky, fusky, musky.
coal black smith
a maiden i will die

she became a corpse, a corpse all in the ground,
and he became the cold clay and smothered her all around.

hello, hello, hello, hello you coal black smith.
you have done me no harm.
you never shall have my maidenhead.
that i have kept so long.
i'd rather die a maid.
ah, but then she said and be buried all in my grave,
than to have such a nasty, husky, dusky, fusky, musky.
coal black smith
a maiden i will die

................

Tam Lin

I forbid you maidens all
that wear gold in your hair
To travel to Carterhaugh
for young Tam Lin is there

None that go by Carterhaugh
but they leave him a pledge
Either their mantles of green
or else their maidenheads.

Janet tied her kirtle green
a bit above her knee
And she's gone to Carterhaugh
as fast as go can she.

She'd not pulled a double rose,
a rose but only two
When up then came young Tam Lin
says "Lady pull no more"

"And why come you to Carterhaugh
without command from me?"
"I'll come and go" young Janet said
"And ask no leave of thee".

Janet tied her kirtle green
a bit above her knee
And she's gone to her father
as fast as go can she.

Well up then spoke her father clear
and he spoke meek and mild
"Oh and alas Janet" he said
"I think you go with child."

"Well if that be so" Janet said
"Myself shall bear the blame
There's not a knight in all your hall
shall get the baby's name.

For if my love were an earthly knight
as he is an elfin grey
I'd not change my own true love
for any knight you have."

So Janet tied her kirtle green
a bit above her knee
And she's gone to Carterhaugh
as fast as go can she.

"Oh tell to me Tam Lin" she said
"Why came you here to dwell?"
"The Queen of Fairies caught me
when from my horse I fell

And at the end of seven years
she pays a tithe to hell
I so fair and full of flesh
and fear'ed be myself

But tonight is Halloween
and the fairy folk ride,
Those that would their true love win
at mile's cross they must hide.

First let pass the horses black
and then let pass the brown
Quickly run to the white steed
and pull the rider down,

For I'll ride on the white steed,
the nearest to the town
For I was an earthly knight,
they give me that renown.

Oh they will turn me in your arms
to a newt or a snake
But hold me tight and fear not,
I am your baby's father.

And they will turn me in your arms
into a lion bold
But hold me tight and fear not
and you will love your child,

And they will turn me in your arms
into a naked knight
But cloak me in your mantle
and keep me out of sight".

In the middle of the night
she heard the bridle ring
She heeded what he did say
and young Tam Lin did win.

Then up spoke the Fairy Queen,
an angry Queen was she
"Woe betide her ill-farred face,
an ill death may she die

Had I known Tam Lin" she said
"This night I did see
I'd have looked him in the eyes
and turned him to a tree."

...............

Nuns;

having Sidherian mention bad habits reminded me that i haven't shared a somewhat comic/surreal encounter that took place just recently in a car park of all places.
i was waiting for a lift and, being blind, was stood by the entrance peering vainly at the passing cars.
i knew to look for two women, most likely waving. 
Sure enough i noticed a very clean small red four-by-four coming my way - and one of the passengers was waving and both looked to at least have long hair...
Car pulls up at the gate, i bend down, window opens - and it's two nuns! Yes, here in the middle of where-the-fuck northern england, outside a car park, two nuns in a car and one somewhat dazed wytch.
Nun number 1 is looking at me, stern but kind, in a sort  of 'Yes son of Adam, how may i help you?" way.


the second nun was all this;


holy wow!
thinks i, and no offense there your ladynesses but - this must be the modern way to ensure a confession; Good Nun, Bad Nun! "It's for the salvation of your soul as the Lord loves you."
"Or else you'll burn motherfekker!"

Well i was ready right there to cop to almost anything but lucky for me, perhaps, the waving had actually been the driver
genuflecting and after a couple more passes she put her foot to the floor and the car sped away.

Were they real i wonder? Were they off to a convention - late for service, or a sound of music sing-a-long? 
Or a leaping competition???
Only the lord in his infinite wisdom will know.

MERRY BELTANE EVERYONE :)))

Love and thanks to Julie 0 without whom this piece... etc etc.

Comments

[bttrflyscar.livejournal.com]

wow.

[wytchcroft.livejournal.com]

LOL! :))

[reginaclarejane.livejournal.com]

hey, it's the nun from the sound of music- i loved her! ;)
heh, heh... this was funny... you could have done worse, my friend...;)

and i loved, loved , loved heron 1... it's so good- and cheers for the two folk songs. would they have sung them at any beltane celebrations?

happy beltane to you!
:D

[wytchcroft.livejournal.com]

ha ha, well, Tam Lin is a Samhain song really, but - ach, it's the rest that counts.

i'm glad you liked the heron bit - i'm having fun right now writing a man who may be a duck who might have been a tree!

blessed be :D

[wytchcroft.livejournal.com]

ps, i love nuns and to meet two so unexpectedly was... well... (see above!)

[reginaclarejane.livejournal.com]

it's always neat to meet with nuns who actually look like nuns these days- i have a cousin and an aunt who are nuns and really, you wouldn't be able to tell them apart from any other middle to late aged woman... ;)
good on you, w.!

[sidherian.livejournal.com]

It was Samhain down here :)
Ha, nuns are funny. In Vietnam they ride several to a bike and speed through traffic lights.

[wytchcroft.livejournal.com]

fab! are there races?? :)))

[stoshagownozad.livejournal.com]

! Beltain or whatever, we have so soft and pleasant weather here, and my mother planted a hell of flowers this year, so merry May 1 and let the nuns of all world unite and bless us (as they are proletarians of blessings)

[wytchcroft.livejournal.com]

heee! that's lovely :))

good wishes to you and yes, all nuns as well :))

[avosurt.livejournal.com]

Two Magicians: i love this song - it is simple and unusual at the same time))

[wytchcroft.livejournal.com]

i'm very glad you liked it :))

[muzlich.livejournal.com]

круто