"The Two Ravens"

The Two Ravens		The Twa Corbies (1803)

As I was walking all alone,		As I was walking all alane,
I heard two ravens making a moan;		I heard twa corbies making a mane;
One said to the other,		The tane unto the t'other say,
"Where shall we go and dine today?"		"Where sall we gang and dine to-day?"

"In behind that old turf wall,	5	"In behint yon auld fail dyke,	5
I sense there lies a newly slain knight;		I wot there lies a new slain knight;
And nobody knows that he lies there,		And naebody kens that he lies there,
But his hawk, his hound and his lady fair."		But his hawk, his hound, and his lady fair.

"His hound is to the hunting gone,		His hound is to the hunting gane,
His hawk to fetch the wild-fowl home,	10	His hawk to fetch the wide-fowl hame;	10
His lady's taken another mate,		His lady's ta'en another mate,
So we may make our dinner sweet."		So we may mak our dinner sweet.

"You will sit on his white neck-bone,		"Ye'll sit on his white hause-bane,
And I'll peck out his pretty blue eyes;		And I'll pike out his bonny blue een;
With one lock of his golden hair	15	Wi ae lock o his gowden hair	15
We'll thatch our nest when it grows bare."		We'll theek our nest when it grows bare.

"Many a one for him is moaning,		"Mony a one for him makes mane,
But nobody will know where he is gone;		But nane sall ken where he is gane;
Over his white bones, when they lay bare,		Oer his white banes, when they are bare,
The wind will blow for evermore."	20	The wind sall blaw for evermair."	20

Study Questions

Who speaks in this ballad?
Who knows of the "new slain knight"?
How do different performances affect the meaning of the ballad, for example in terms of irony or sentiment?

Media		Norm Martin, "Two Ravens" (2014; 5:06 min.)
		The Violet Moon, "Twa Corbies" (2:50 min.)
		Gentleman Soldier, "The Two Ravens" (4:35 min.)
		Pied Pipers, "," Music from Ireland and Scotland (2010; 5:54 min.)