Polly Van - Trad. - sung by Paul Clayton on Folkways 'Bay State Ballads' 1956. This hauntingly beautiful ballad with its overtones of the supernatural is probably derived from ancient mythology, though the first appearance in print of the ballad itself was not until the end of the 18th century. Version collected by Paul Clayton. SheetMusic
All ye brave huntsmen who follow the gun,
Beware of a shooting at the setting of the sun,
For her true love went a-hunting and he shot in the dark,
But, oh, and alas, Polly Van was his mark.
For she'd her apron wrapped about her and he took her for a swan,
But, oh, and alas, it was she, Polly Van.
He run up beside her when he found it was she,
His legs they grew weak, his eyes scarce could see,
He embraced her in his arms when he found she was dead,
And a fountain of tears for his true love he shed.
For she'd her apron wrapped about her and he took her for a swan,
But, oh, and alas, it was she, Polly Van.
He took her in his arms and home ran he,
Crying, "Father, dear father, I've shot fair Polly;
I've shot that fair female in the bloom of her life,
And I always intended to make her my wife."
For she'd her apron wrapped about her and he took her for a swan,
But, oh, and alas, it was she, Polly Van.
At midnight in his chamber Polly Van did appear,
Crying "Jimmy, dear Jimmy, you have nothing to fear,
But stay in your country till your trial comes on,
And you shall not be convicted for what you have done."
For she'd her apron wrapped about her and he took her for a swan,
But, oh, and alas, it was she, Polly Van.
In the midst of his trial Polly Van did appear,
Crying, "Uncle, dear uncle, Jimmy Randall must be clear."
The judges and lawyers stood around in a row,
Polly Van in the middle like a fountain of snow.
For she'd her apron wrapped about her and he took her for a swan,
But, oh, and alas, it was she, Polly Van.
In 1799, Robert Jamieson, who thought little enough of the ballad, wrote the following in a printed circular letter of his: "The author remembers having, when a child, heard a silly ditty of a young man, who, returning homeward from shooting with his gun, saw his sweetheart and shot her for a swan. This is all he remembers of this piece, of which he has not been able to procure a copy. In 1806, Jamieson again wrote of this ballad, in the meantime having procured a copy as taken down from the recitation of a friend's maidservant. His comment on this second occasion was even more severe: "This seems to be one of the very lowest description of vulgar modern English ballads, which are sung about the streets in country towns, and sold, four or five for a halfpenny, to maidservants and children; and lowe an apology to my readers for attempting to introduce such paltry stuff to their notice .... "
Though correct in his description of this ballad as being popular in broadside form (early 19th century broadsides of this ballad have been collected both in England and America) his criticism of it as ballad poetry appears to have been unjustified. Indeed,
modern scholars are inclined to disagree both with Jamieson and Francis James Child, who did not believe it worthy of inclusion in his great collection. If the popularity of the ballad may be considered an index of its worth, then the folk have made a strong claim for rising it to a new level of consideration. The song has been collected throughout the British Isles and even more widely in the U. S. where it is still being sung. Bluegrass Messergers