poem on your course tells the story of a knight, Sir Patrick Spens, who goes to sea on a mission for the king. His descendant, Sir Patrick Spens (1885–1973), was created 1st Lord Spens of Blairsanquhar, Fife, in 1959. O up and spak' an eldern knight, Sat at the king's right knee, "Sir Patrick Spens is the best sailòr, That ever sailed the sea." "To Noraway, to Noraway To Noraway o'er the foam. But there is insufficient evidence of the connection of the ballad with any historical events; and Sir Patrick Spens himself has never been identified. Back to Line. It is another ballad which many have tried very hard to tie to real events; though without managing to prove anything conclusive. O up and spake an eldern-knight, Sat at the king's right knee: "Sir Patrick Spens is the best sailor That ever saild the sea." 'To Noroway, to Noroway, To Noroway o're the faem; The king's daughter o' Noroway, 'Tis thou must bring her hame.' Sir Patrick Spens remains one of the most anthologized of British popular ballads, partly because it exemplifies the traditional ballad form. In the ballad "Sir Patrick Spens," the king of Scotland sends Sir Patrick Spens, a great sailor, on an errand in a ship, and at some point the ship sinks, killing Spens and his noble crew. The King has written a broad letter, And seal'd it with his hand, And sent it to Sir Patrick Spens, who was walking on the strand. The strength of this ballad, its emotional force, lies in its unadorned narrative which progresses rapidly to a tragic end that has been foreshadowed almost from the beginning. 2. THE king sits in Dunfermline town, Drinking the blude-red wine; "O whare will I get a skeely skipper, To sail this new ship of mine?" "Sir Patrick Spens" is one of the most popular of the Child Ballads (No. As Sir Patrick Spens has to complete his mission in winter, he has a sense of doom about it. 58A: Sir Patrick Spens a. Percy’s Reliques, 1765, I, 71: "given from two MS. copies, transmitted from Scotland." The King has written a broad letter And sealed it up with his own right hand, Sending word to Sir Patrick Spens To come at his command. It is a maritime ballad about a disaster at sea. The king has written a braid letter And signed it wi' his hand, And sent it to Sir Patrick Spens, Was walking on the sand. 3. Margaret, the daughter of Alexander III, was married to Eric, King of Norway, in 1281. "O! The King has written a broad letter, And sealed it with his hand, And sent it to Sir Patrick Spens, Was walking on the strand. Dumferling: Dumferline, a town in Fife, on the Firth of Forth. It tells the story of a king who seeks the best and most experienced sailor in his kingdom for a dangerous and certainly life threatening journey. A fragment of this ballad appears in Percy's Reliques (1765) and it was also in David Herd's Scots Songs (1769). It was first published in eleven stanzas in 1765 in Bishop Thomas Percy's 'Sir Patrick Spens is the best sailor That ever saild the sea.' "Sir Patrick Spens is the best sailor That ever sail'd the sea." Patrick Spens is what we would today call a Naval officer, a ship's captain. Our king has written a braid letter, And seald it with his hand, And sent it to Sir Patrick Spens, Was walking on the strand. “Sir Patrick Spens,” like most traditional ballads, relates a sad and tragic story of danger and death. Stained-glass window by Charles Cameron Baillie, c.1930 Background. He has just gotten a letter from the king commanding him to sail a ship across the sea. I. "Sir Patrick Spens is the very best seaman That ever sailed upon the sea" The king has written a broad letter And sealed it up with his own right hand Sending word unto Sir Patrick To come to him at his command "An enemy then this must be Who told a lie concerning me For I was never a very good seaman Nor ever do intend to be" Related. "Sir Patrick Spens is the very best seaman That ever sailed the sea." Versions differ somewhat at this point. Sir Patrick Spens A Ballad-Dialogue for Double Chorus R.L.DE PEARSALL(1795-1856) 1st CHORUS 2nd CHORUS .. Different versions of the poem exist, but they all agree on this basic plot. 14] lauch: laugh. Sir Patrick Spens remains one of the most anthologized of British popular ballads, partly because it exemplifies the traditional ballad form. An enemy then this must be Who told a lie about me, For I never was a good seaman Nor ever do intend to be. Sir Patrick Spens. First recorded in the land history of Scotland as early as the 11th Century , King Robert the Bruce settled the lands of Wormistoune in 1309 in favour of Clan Spens of Crail who were acknowledged as Royal Constables of the Kingdom of East Fife. The name "Sir Patrick Spens" is mentioned by a courtier, and the king despatches a letter. The Scottish king, in Dumferline, wants a sailor to sail his ship. The King of Scotland asks Sir Patrick Spens, the best sailor in the land, to sail him to Norway to fetch back his daughter. The ballad of sir patrick spens. When he starts reading the letter, he laughs, because he thinks the king is joking. Ballads and Songs Nic Jones. 'To Noroway, to Noroway, To Noroway o'er the faem; The king's daughter o' Noroway, 15 'Tis thou must bring her hame.' Back to Line. Eighteen versions of the ballad were collected … Sir Patrick Spens (Child 58, Roud 41) has been rather more widespread in tradition, though only in Scotland and (thence) the USA. Sir Patrick Spens 2. "To Noroway, to Noroway, To Noroway o'er the foam; The King's daughter of Noroway, 'Tis thou must fetch her home." 1. The first word that Sir Patrick read, 'Sir Patrick Spens is the best sailor That ever sail'd the sea.' Left: First published in Bishop Percy's Reliques Right: more modern version (condensed) The king sits in Dunfermline toun, Drinking the blude-red wine o: "O whare will I get a skeely skipper To sail this new ship of mine o?" "Sir Patrick Spens is the best sailor That ever sail'd the sea.' 9] a braid letter: a full, long letter. 58) (Roud 41), and is of Scottish origin. An unknown knight within the king’s company shouts out the name of Patrick Spens, and poor Patrick’s journey to certain death begins. Child's notes are reproduced at The Child / Carthy / Watersons Discography. Our king has written a braid letter, And seal'd it with his hand, And sent it to Sir Patrick Spens, Was walking on the strand. Motherwell was the first to suggest a historical foundation for the ballad. Sir Patrick, though honoured to receive a royal commission, is dismayed at being put to sea in the dead of winter, clearly realising this voyage could well be his last. in the dead of winter. Sir Patrick Spens 1359 Words | 6 Pages. This ballad is Child Ballad #58 (Sir Patrick Spens). It is a very dangerous time of year to take this journey, because of the weather. The first line that Sir Patrick … 'Sir Patrick Spens is the best sailor That sails upon the sea.' And there does lie Sir Patrick Spens With the little lords at his feet. But on the return the ship is lost in a great storm, and the King, his court, and all aboard perish. The Sailing. The Princess fair of Noraway, 'Tis thou must bring her home." Back to Line. Sir Patrick Spens. Artwork page for ‘Sir Patrick Spens’, Elizabeth Eleanor Siddal, 1856 This picture is based on an ancient Scottish ballad. It is early a favourite residence of the Scottish kings. Our king has written a braid letter, And seal'd it with his hand, 10: And sent it to Sir Patrick Spens, Was walking on the strand. THE KING sits in Dunfermline town: Drinking the blude-red wine; ‘O whare will I get a skeely skipper: To sail this new ship o’ mine?’ II. b. Herd’s Scots Songs, 1769, p. 243. Sir Patrick Spens : I. The first line that Sir Patrick read A loud lauch lauched he; The next line that Sir Patrick read, The … Sir Patrick has to fetch the daughter of the king of Norway and sail with her to Scotland. Sir Patrick Spens [Child 58] DESCRIPTION: The King, needing a good sailor, calls upon Sir Patrick Spens to sail (to Norway?) O up and spak an eldern knight, 5: Sat at the king’s right knee: ‘Sir Patrick Spens is the best sailor: That ever sail’d the sea.’ III. who is it has done this deed, And told the King of me? A Critical Analysis of Sir Patrick Spens ‘Sir Patrick Spens’ is, for the most part, an archetypal early ballad being composed in quatrains, with the typical alternating four-stress and three-stress lines and the second and fourth line of each stanza rhyming. "Sir Patrick Spens" is a traditional ballad that may be very distantly based on thirteenth-century events. Dr. Nathaniel Spens (1728–1815), second son of the fifteenth Laird of Lathallan, purchased again Craigsanquhar, Fife (which belonged to the household from 1385 to 1524) in 1792. T he ballad “Sir Patrick Spens” is one of the oldest ballads in western Europe. Patrick Spens was the grandson of Sir Patrick Spens, the first Barons Spens, who had been Britain's last chief justice of India (between 1943 and 1947) and … More on Genius "Sir Patrick Spens" Track Info. 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