A Bibliography of the writings in Prose and Verse of George Henry Borrow

by Thomas James Wise

(32) [The Tale of Brynild: 1913]

The Tale of Brynild / and / King Valdemar and his Sister / Two Ballads / By / George Borrow / London: Printed for Private Circulation / 1913.

Collation:—Square demy octavo, pp. 35; consisting of: Half-title (with blank reverse) pp. 1–2; Title-page as above (with a notice regarding the American copyright upon the reverse) pp. 3–4; and Text of the Ballads pp. 5–35. There are head-lines throughout, each page being headed with the title of the particular Ballad occupying it. Upon the reverse of p. 35 is the following imprint: “London: / Printed for Thomas J. Wise, Hampstead, N.W. / Edition limited to Thirty Copies.” The signatures are A (a quarter-sheet of two leaves), and B and C (two sheets, each eight leaves), each inset within the other.

Issued in bright green paper wrappers, with untrimmed edges, and with the title-page reproduced upon the front. The leaves measure 8½ × 6⅞ inches.

Thirty Copies only were printed.

Contents.

	page
The Tale of Brynild. [Sivard he a colt has got] Of The Tale of Brynild, two manuscripts are extant, written in 1829 and 1854 respectively. The text of the latter, from which the ballad was printed in the present pamphlet, is immeasurably the superior.	5
King Valdemar and his sister. [See, see, with Queen Sophy sits Valdemar bold]	13
Mirror of Cintra. [Tiny fields in charming order]	34
The Harp. [The harp to everyone is dear]	35

There can be little doubt that the series of poems included in this volume present Borrow at his best as a writer of Ballads.

There is a copy of The Tale of Brynild and King Valdemar and his Sister in the Library of the British Museum. The Pressmark is C. 44. d. 38.

(33) [Proud Signild: 1913]

Proud Signild / and / Other Ballads / By / George Borrow / London: / Printed for Private Circulation / 1913.

Collation: Square demy octavo, pp. 28; consisting of: Half-title (with blank reverse) pp. 1–2; Title-page, as above (with a notice regarding the American copyright upon the reverse) pp. 3–4; and Text of the Ballads pp. 5–28. There are head-lines throughout, each page being headed with the title of the particular Ballad occupying it. At the foot of p. 28 is the following imprint: “London: Printed for Thomas J. Wise, Hampstead, N.W. Edition limited to Thirty Copies.” The signatures are A (six leaves), and B (a full sheet of eight leaves), the one inset within the other.

Issued in bright green paper wrappers, with the title-page reproduced upon the front. The leaves measure 8½ × 6⅞ inches.

Thirty Copies only were printed.

Contents.

	page
Proud Signild. [Proud Signild’s bold brothers have taken her hand]	5
The Damsel of the Wood. [The Knight takes hawk, and the man takes hound]	16
Damsel Mettie. [Knights Peter and Olaf they sat o’er the board] As is the case with quite a number of Borrow’s ballads, two Manuscripts of Damsel Mettie have been preserved. The earlier, composed not later than 1829, is written upon paper water marked with the date 1828; the later is written upon paper water-marked 1843. The earlier version has a refrain, “’Neath the linden tree watches the lord of my heart,” which is wanting in the later. Otherwise the text of both MSS. is identical, the differences to be observed between them being merely verbal. For example, the seventh couplet in the earlier reads: I’ll gage my war courser, the steady and tried, That thou canst not obtain the fair Mettie, my bride. In the later MS. this couplet reads: I’ll gage my war courser, the steady and tried, Thou never canst lure the fair Mettie, my bride.	22

I’ll gage my war courser, the steady and tried,
That thou canst not obtain the fair Mettie, my bride.

I’ll gage my war courser, the steady and tried,
Thou never canst lure the fair Mettie, my bride.

There is a copy of Proud Signild and Other Ballads in the Library of the British Museum. The Press-mark is C. 44. d. 38.