The best known (and generally considered the earliest) version of Tam Lin is the Child 39A version, which has quite a bit of Scottish in it and may therefore not be the easiest to understand. Here is a translation of some of the words to the best of my understanding.
| Verse | word or phrase |
| O I forbid you, maidens a' That wear gowd on your hair To come or gae by Caterhaugh, For young Tam Lin is there. |
a' - all gowd - gold gae - go Carterhaugh - area near Selkirk, Scotland. |
| There's nane that gaes by Carterhaugh But they leave him a wad, Either their rings, or green mantles, Or else their maidenhead. |
nane - none wad - something of value mantle - outer garment, cloak (see interpretations) maidenhead - hymen, virginity |
| Janet has kilted her green kirtle A little aboon her knee, And she has broded her yellow hair A little aboon her bree, And she's awa to Carterhaugh, As fast as she can hie. |
kilted - to tuck up kirtle - skirts aboon - above broded - braided bree - eyebrow awa - away hie - go, run |
| When she came to Carterhaugh Tam Lin was at the well, And there she fand his steed standing, But away was himsel. |
at the well - under enchantment fand - found steed - horse |
| She had na pu'd a double rose, A rose but only twa, Till up then started young Tam Lin, Says, Lady, thou's pu nae mae. |
na - not pu - pulled twa - two nae - no mae - more |
| Why pu's thou the rose, Janet, And why breaks though the wand? Or why comes thou to Carterhaugh Withoutten my command? |
thou - you wand - branch, stem withoutten - without |
| 'Carterhaugh, it is my ain, My daddie gave it me; I'll come and gang by Carterhaugh, And ask nae leave at thee.' |
ain - own gang - go leave - permission |
| Janet has kilted her green kirtle A little aboon her knee, And she has broded her yellow hair A little aboon her bree, And she is to her father's ha, As fast as she can hie. |
ha - hall, house |
| Four and twenty ladies fair Were playing at the ba, And out then cam the fair Janet, Ance the flower amang them a' |
ba - ball, a game amang - among |
| Four and twenty ladies fair Were playing at the chess, And out then cam the fair Janet, As green as onie glass. |
onie - any green as glass - off-color, sick |
| Out then spak an aul grey knight, Lay oer the castle wa, And says, Alas, fair Janet, for thee But we'll be blamed a'. |
spak - spoke aul - old oer - over wa - wall |
| 'Haud your tongue, ye auld fac'd knight, Some ill death may ye die! Father my bairn on whom I will, I'll father nane on thee.' |
haud - hold bairn - baby nane - none thee - you |
| Out then spak her father dear, And he spak meek and mild; 'And ever alas, sweet Janet,' he says, 'I think thou gaes wi child. |
gaes wi child - pregnant |
| 'If that I gae wi child, father, Mysel maun bear the blame; There's neer a laird about your ha Shall get the bairn's name. |
maun - must neer - never, none laird - lord get the bairn's name - see interpretations |
| If my love were an earthly knight, As he's an elfin grey, I wad na gie my ain true-love For nae lord that ye hae. |
elfin - elven grey - see interpretation wad na - would not hae - have |
| 'The steed that my true-love rides on Is lighter than the wind; Wi siller he is shod before, Wi burning gowd behind.' |
siller - silver |
| Janet has kilted her green kirtle A little aboon her knee, And she has broded her yellow hair A little aboon her bree, And she's awa to Carterhaugh As fast as she can hie. |
see above |
| When she cam to Carterhaugh, Tam Lin was at the well, And there she fand his steed standing, But away was himsel. |
see above |
| She had na pu'd a double rose, A rose but only twa, Till up then started young Tam Lin, Says Lady, thou pu's nae mae. |
see above |
| Why pu's thou the rose, Janet, Amang the groves sae green, And a' to kill the bonnie babe That we gat us between? |
sae - so gat - got |
| 'Oh tell me, tell me, Tam Lin,' she says, 'For's sake that died on tree, If eer ye was in holy chapel, Or Christendom did see? |
sake that died on tree - Christ eer - ever Christendom - Christianity |
| Roxbrugh he was my grandfather, Took me with him to bide, And ance it fell upon a day That wae did me betide. |
ance - perchance bide - wait wae - woe betide - occur as if fated |
| 'And ance it fell upon a day, A cauld day and a snell, When we were frae the hunting come That frae my horse I fell; The Queen o Fairies she caught me, In yon green hill to dwell |
cauld - cold snell - piercing, windy frae - from |
| 'And pleasant is the fairy land, But, an eerie tale to tell, Ay at the end of seven years We pay a tiend to hell; I am sae fair and fu o flesh, I'm feard it be myself |
end of seven years - see interpretations tiend - tithe, payment |
| 'But the night is Halloween, lady, The morn is Hallowday; Then win me, win me, an ye will, For weel I wat ye may. |
halloween - see interpretations hallowday - all saint's day win - capture an - if weel - well |
| 'Just at the mirk and midnight hour The fairy folk will ride, And they that wad their true-love win, At Miles Cross they maun bide.' |
mirk - dark wad - would |
| But how shall I thee ken, Tam Lin, Or how my true-love know Amang sae mony unco knights The like I never saw? |
ken - know unco - unknown, unfamiliar |
| 'O first let pass the black, lady, And syne let pass the brown, But quickly run to the milk-white steed, Pu ye his rider down. |
syne - then, afterwards black, brown - color of horses related to status in the faerie troop. see interpretations |
| 'For I'll ride on the milk-white steed, And ay nearest the town; Because I was an earthly knight They gie me that renown. |
gie - give renown - fame |
| 'My right hand will be glovd, lady, My left hand will be bare, Cockt up shall my bonnet be, And kaimd down shall my hair, And thae's the takens I gie thee, Nae doubt I will be there. |
cockt - tilted bonnet - hat kaimed - combed thae - that takens - tokens, gie - give |
| 'They'll turn me in your arms, lady, Into an esk and adder; But hold me fast, and fear me not, I am your bairn's father |
esk - eft (a newt) or lizard adder - snake |
| 'They'll turn me to a bear sae grim, And then a lion bold; But hold me fast, and fear me not, As ye shall love your child. |
grim - fierce, savage |
| 'Again they'll turn me in your arms To a red het gaud of airn; But hold me fast, and fear me not, I'll do to you nae harm. |
het - hot gaud - rod airn - iron |
| 'And last they'll turn me in your arms Into the burning gleed; Then throw me into well water, O throw me in wi speed. |
gleed - a coal or glowing wand wi - with |
| 'An then I'll be your ain true-love, I'll turn a naked knight; Then cover me wi your green mantle, And cover me out o sight. |
cover with your mantle - see interpretations |
| Gloomy, gloomy was the night, And eerie was the way, As fair Jenny in her green mantle To Miles Cross she did gae. |
Miles Cross - area near Selkirk |
| About the middle o the night She heard the bridles ring; This lady was as glad at that As any earthly thing. |
bridles ring - faerie horses wore silver rings on the bridle see interpretations |
| First she let the black pass by, And syne she let the brown; But quickly she ran to the milk-white steed, And pu'd the rider down. |
see above |
| Sae weel she minded whae he did say, And young Tam Lin did win; Syne coverd him wi her green mantle, As blythe's a bird in spring. |
blythe - joyous |
| Out then spak the Queen o Fairies, Out of a bush o broom: 'Them that has gotten young Tam Lin Has gotten a stately groom.' |
bush o broom - probably a bush of family cytisus |
| Out then spak the Queen o Fairies, And an angry woman was she: 'Shame betide her ill-far'd face, And an ill death may she die, For she's taen awa the bonniest knight In a' my companie. |
taen - taken bonniest - best |
| 'But had I kend, Tam Lin,' she says, 'What now this night I see, I wad hae taen out thy twa grey een, And put twa een o tree.' |
kend - known een - eye |
Exploring the Ballad of Tam Lin
The Music of Tam Lin
Comparing Tam Lin to Other Tales
Communicating at Tam Lin
Scotland and Tam Lin
Tam Lin Oddities
Search Tam Lin
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