Sir Patrick Spens*
The King sits in Dunfermline town,
Drinking the blood-red wine;
"O whare will I get a skeely skipper
To sail this new ship or mine?"
Drinking the blood-red wine;
"O whare will I get a skeely skipper
To sail this new ship or mine?"
O up and spake an elder knight,
Sat at the King's right knee:
"Sir Patrick Spens is the best sailor
That ever sailed the sea."
Sat at the King's right knee:
"Sir Patrick Spens is the best sailor
That ever sailed the sea."
Our King has written a broad letter,
And seald it with his hand,
And sent it to Sir Patrick Spens,
Was walking on the strand.
And seald it with his hand,
And sent it to Sir Patrick Spens,
Was walking on the strand.
"To Noroway, to Noroway,
To Noroway over the faem;
The King's daughter of Noroway,
'T is thou maun bring her hame."
To Noroway over the faem;
The King's daughter of Noroway,
'T is thou maun bring her hame."
The first word that Sir Patrick read,
Sae loud, loud laughed he;
The neist word that Sir Patrick read,
The tear blinded his ee.
Sae loud, loud laughed he;
The neist word that Sir Patrick read,
The tear blinded his ee.
"O wha is this has done his deed,
And tauld the King of me,
To send us out at this time of the year,
To sail upon the sea?
And tauld the King of me,
To send us out at this time of the year,
To sail upon the sea?
"Be it wind, be it weet, be it hail, be it sleet,
Our ship must sail the faem;
The king's daughter of Noroway,
't is we must fetch her home."
Our ship must sail the faem;
The king's daughter of Noroway,
't is we must fetch her home."
They hoysed their sails on Monenday morn,
Wi a΄ the speed they may;
They hae landed in Noroway,
Upon a Wodensday.
Wi a΄ the speed they may;
They hae landed in Noroway,
Upon a Wodensday.
They hadna been a week, a week,
In Noroway but twae,
When that the lords of Noroway
Bigan aloud to say:
In Noroway but twae,
When that the lords of Noroway
Bigan aloud to say:
"Ye Scottishmen spend a΄ our King's goud,
And a΄ our Queenis fee!"
"Ye lie, ye lie, ye liers loud!
Fu loud I hear ye lie!
And a΄ our Queenis fee!"
"Ye lie, ye lie, ye liers loud!
Fu loud I hear ye lie!
"For I brought as much white monie
As gane my men and me,
And I broght a half-fou o gude red goud
Out oer the sea wi me.
As gane my men and me,
And I broght a half-fou o gude red goud
Out oer the sea wi me.
"Make ready, make ready, my merrymen a΄,
Our gude ship sails the morn."
"Now, ever alake! my master dear
I fear a deadly storm!”
Our gude ship sails the morn."
"Now, ever alake! my master dear
I fear a deadly storm!”
"I saw the new moon late yestreen
Wi the auld moo in her arm:
And if we gang to sea, master,
I fear we'll come to harm."
Wi the auld moo in her arm:
And if we gang to sea, master,
I fear we'll come to harm."
They hadna sailed a league, a league,
A league but barely three,
When the lift grew dark, and the wind blew loud,
And gurly grew the sea.
A league but barely three,
When the lift grew dark, and the wind blew loud,
And gurly grew the sea.
The ankers brak, and the topmast lap,
It was sic a deadly storm;
And the waves came o'er the broken ship
Till all her sides were torn.
It was sic a deadly storm;
And the waves came o'er the broken ship
Till all her sides were torn.
"O where will I get a gude sailor
Will take my helm in hand,
Till I get up to the tall topmast
To see if I can spy land?"
Will take my helm in hand,
Till I get up to the tall topmast
To see if I can spy land?"
"O here am I, a sailor gude,
Will take the helm in hand,
Till you go up to the tall topmast,
But I fear you΄ll never spy land?"
Will take the helm in hand,
Till you go up to the tall topmast,
But I fear you΄ll never spy land?"
He hadna gane a step, a step,
A step but barely ane,
When a bout flew out of our goodly ship,
And the salt sea it came in.
A step but barely ane,
When a bout flew out of our goodly ship,
And the salt sea it came in.
"Gae fetch a web of the silken claith,
Another o the twine,
And wap them into our ship's side,
And letna the sea come in."
Another o the twine,
And wap them into our ship's side,
And letna the sea come in."
They fetch΄ a web o the silken claith,
Another of the twine,
And they wapp'd them round that gude ship's side,
But still the sea came in.
Another of the twine,
And they wapp'd them round that gude ship's side,
But still the sea came in.
O laith, laith were our gude Scots lords
To wet their cork-heeled shoon;
But lang or a΄ the play was playd,
They wat their hats aboon.
To wet their cork-heeled shoon;
But lang or a΄ the play was playd,
They wat their hats aboon.
And mony was the feather-bed
That flattered on the faem;
And mony was the gude lord's son
That never mair cam hame.
That flattered on the faem;
And mony was the gude lord's son
That never mair cam hame.
The ladyes wrang their fingers white,
The maidens tore their hair,
A΄ for the sake of their true loves,
For them they'll see na mair.
The maidens tore their hair,
A΄ for the sake of their true loves,
For them they'll see na mair.
O lang, lang may the ladyes sit
Wi their fans into their hand,
Wi their fans into their hand,
Before they see Sir patrick Spens
come sailing to the strand.
And lang, lang may the maidens sit,
Wi their kaims in their hair,
A΄ waiting for their ain dear loves,
For them they'll see na mair.
A΄ waiting for their ain dear loves,
For them they'll see na mair.
O forty miles of Aberdour,
'T is fifty fathoms deep,
And there lies gude Sir Patrick Spens,
With the Scots lords at his feet.
'T is fifty fathoms deep,
And there lies gude Sir Patrick Spens,
With the Scots lords at his feet.
*The ballad exists in several versions.
Sir Patrick Spens
Ül a király Dumfermlinben,
Bort iszik, vér-pirost;
„Ó, hol kapok egy jó tengerészt,
Szép új hajómra, most?”
Feláll és mond egy ősz lovag
Király jobb térdinél:
„Sir Patrick Spensnek párja nincs,
Ha ő tengerre kél.”
Nagy levelet ír a Király,
pecsétet nyom reá,
Sir Patrick Spensnek küldi azt; –
Parton jár fel s alá.
„Norvég felé, Norvég felé,
Norvégba menni kell:
Norvégia királyleányt
Szállítani vízen el.”
Az első szót hogy olvasá,
Nagyot, nagyot kaczag;
A másik szót hogy olvasá,
Szemébe könny fakad.
„Ki dolga ez? ki tette ezt?
Ki mondta ezt neki,
Hogy a Király, télvíz időn,
Küldjön tengerre ki?
Ha fú, ha fagy, esik, szakad:
Hajómnak menni kell,
Norvégiai királyleányt
Szállítanom vízen el!”
Hétfő reggel a vásznakat
Eresztik szabadon;
Norvégba ők kiszállanak
Egy szerdai napon.
Míg egy hetig sem voltak ott,
Sem egy, sem két hetig:
Hát már a fő norvég urak
Mind ezt hányják, vetik:
„Héj! a Királyt s Királynét már,
Skótok, kiélitek?...”
„Hazudsz, hazudsz, hazug poronty!
Én mondom: értitek?”
„Hoztam fehér pénzt, a mivel
Kitartsam emberem;
Szép sáraranyat is, jó rakást,
A széles tengeren.”
„Hamar, hamar, legényeim!
Készülni! s holnap el!”
„Nincs mér΄, sietni, jó uram,
Félek vihar kap el!”
„Mult este az uj hold szarva közt
Látszott a régi hold:
Ha most, uram, tengerre szállsz,
Félek, baj ér utól.”
Alig egy mérföldet halad,
Kettőt, hármat alig:
Hát elborul, hát zúg a szél,
A hab fodrozódik.
Horgony szakad, árbocz lelóg,
Oly iszonyú a vész;
Hullám veri a tört hajót,
Nincs épen semmi rész.
„Hol egy legény, hogy a kormányt
Fogná meg azalatt,
Míg felmegyek az árboczra,
Ha látnék szárazat?”
„Itt vagyok én: és a kormányt
megtartom az alatt;
Félek, uram, az árboczról
Sosem látsz szárazat!”
Egyet se lép, egyet ha lép,
Csak egyet fölfelé:
Hát a hajó kapcsa szakad.
Sós víz zuhog belé.
„Hozzátok azt a vég selymet,
A vásznat is elé:
Tömjük a rést, hogy a sós víz
Ne jöhessen belé!”
Mindjárt hozzák a vég selymet,
A vásznat is elé:
Tömik a rést, de a sós víz
Azért csak jön belé.
Hej! röstelék a skót urak,
Hogy ázik a czipő:
De, míg jól széttekintenek,
A víz fejökre nő.
S hány szép pehelyvánkos lebeg
A hab közt tétova!
S hány édes urfi nem kerül
Honába, de soha!
Sok hölgy töri fehér kezét,
Sok lány tépi haját
A kedvesért, hű jegyesért,
Kit már sose lát.
Soká, soká ülhetnek ott,
Kezökben legyező
E hölgyek, míg Sir Patrick Spens
Hajója partra jő.
Soká, soká ülhetnek ott,
Hajokban fésü, szép,
E lányok, míg egy is bizony
Meglátja kedvesét.
Feljül, feljül Aberdooron,
A mélység ötven öl;
Ott fekszik a jó Patrick Spens,
Az urak is, körül. –
Fordította: Arany János
