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ds_flashfictionTitle: The Mountie and the Skogsrå
Pairing: Fraser/Victoria
Rating: PG-13
Length: 21 verses
Genre: Traditional folk ballad
Notes: The Fraser/Victoria story seemed very suited to the folk ballad format, but I had a hard time finding an appropriate ballad at first. Among the Scandinavian folk ballads, there are many ballads on the theme of a supernatural female creature (for example a fairy, a troll or a sea creature) courting a human man (by means of spells, gifts, persuasion, or threats). It usually ends badly. This theme doesn't seem nearly as common in English ballads. Among the Child ballads, there's Allison Gross, which has a witch courting a man, but the emphasis is on the ugliness of the witch, and there's also Tam Lin, but that story has other themes as well. So I went with the Swedish medieval ballad Herr Olof och Havsfrun. Obviously it's hard to capture the style of a Scandinavian ballad in English--for example, there are set phrases that don't translate well. But the meter should be the same (with rhymes and some alliteration), and I also tried to capture the formal back-and-forth style of conversation. The "skogsrå" of the title is a female supernatural creature which looks like a beautiful woman, but is treacherous and has a hollow back (thus the line "Her back was hollow, her heart was black").
Also, you can download a recording of me singing the ballad here. I'm quite fond of the melody--it has an A part in a minor key and a B part in a major key. It's a dancing tune called a "schottis". If you're curious about the original lyrics, there's a version here where someone has helpfully subtitled it in English.
I'd like to thank![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
exeterlinden and 2corbies for helpful betas!
A cold wind blew on a winter's night
The moon shone down on a woman's flight
A man came searching on her track
To find her and bring her back
She climbed through the hills and climbed through the snow
And ever more cold did the storm winds blow
He caught her at last and he kept her warm
As they lay in each other's arms
They lay for a night and a day and a night
Came out in the day when the sun shone bright
He said, "You must face what you have done,
You can no longer run."
"I would give you my heart, I would give you my hand,
And all of the riches that you could demand
If you will save me from lock and key
And leave me to wander free."
"I cannot claim your heart nor hand
And neither can I your riches demand
For I must follow my duty's call
No matter what else may befall."
For ten years' time she dwelled in the dark
And she cursed his name both wide and far
For he had left her lost and betrayed
But she would be free one day
When ten years' time had passed and gone
She left the dungeon, pale and wan
She sought for him in the north and the south
'Til she had found him out
Despite the hooks she had left in his soul
He thought his life was beyond her control
With a loyal friend and a wolf by his side
And the work in which he took pride
Then he saw her standing amid the crowd
A ghost from his past, so fair and proud
He thought a dream had come in the day
When he saw her face again
Her skin was fair and her lips were red
Her voice was full of things unsaid
Her hair was black like the darkest coal
He loved her, heart and soul
She said, "When both our lives allow
Will you not love me better now?
When I am free from the dark at last
Will you forget the past?"
"The past we never can undo
But I would make a life with you
I gladly would love you in every way
If you would only stay."
But her back was hollow, her heart was black
And false was her face as she smiled back
Deep in the dark she had spun her spell
And now she had cast it well
"Now where is your duty and where is your friend,
And how shall you your good name defend?
Where is your wolf and what is your fate
When love is mixed with hate?"
"My friend is gone, my wolf is hurt
And my good name you have dragged in the dirt
You have done by me as I have done by you
Will you damn me to darkness, too?"
"I will have you for my own
Or you can go to hell alone
When nothing is left of all you hold dear
What can keep you here?"
"Why do you take my love by force
When you know my heart is already yours?
But though you bind me to your will
My duty holds me still."
But when she cried "Come!" he could not stay
She held his whole life in her sway
He came running to reach for her hand
And at her side to stand
His friend had seen him in his fall
When he could not resist her call
And thought to stop her as she flew
But the bullet went askew
His flight was halted by iron cold
Her spell was broken, it could not hold
He faltered and fell and lost his breath
And lay as if in death
She left without him, on her own
And no one knows where she is flown
He lives still, with the iron mark
That kept him from the dark
Pairing: Fraser/Victoria
Rating: PG-13
Length: 21 verses
Genre: Traditional folk ballad
Notes: The Fraser/Victoria story seemed very suited to the folk ballad format, but I had a hard time finding an appropriate ballad at first. Among the Scandinavian folk ballads, there are many ballads on the theme of a supernatural female creature (for example a fairy, a troll or a sea creature) courting a human man (by means of spells, gifts, persuasion, or threats). It usually ends badly. This theme doesn't seem nearly as common in English ballads. Among the Child ballads, there's Allison Gross, which has a witch courting a man, but the emphasis is on the ugliness of the witch, and there's also Tam Lin, but that story has other themes as well. So I went with the Swedish medieval ballad Herr Olof och Havsfrun. Obviously it's hard to capture the style of a Scandinavian ballad in English--for example, there are set phrases that don't translate well. But the meter should be the same (with rhymes and some alliteration), and I also tried to capture the formal back-and-forth style of conversation. The "skogsrå" of the title is a female supernatural creature which looks like a beautiful woman, but is treacherous and has a hollow back (thus the line "Her back was hollow, her heart was black").
Also, you can download a recording of me singing the ballad here. I'm quite fond of the melody--it has an A part in a minor key and a B part in a major key. It's a dancing tune called a "schottis". If you're curious about the original lyrics, there's a version here where someone has helpfully subtitled it in English.
I'd like to thank
exeterlinden and 2corbies for helpful betas!A cold wind blew on a winter's night
The moon shone down on a woman's flight
A man came searching on her track
To find her and bring her back
She climbed through the hills and climbed through the snow
And ever more cold did the storm winds blow
He caught her at last and he kept her warm
As they lay in each other's arms
They lay for a night and a day and a night
Came out in the day when the sun shone bright
He said, "You must face what you have done,
You can no longer run."
"I would give you my heart, I would give you my hand,
And all of the riches that you could demand
If you will save me from lock and key
And leave me to wander free."
"I cannot claim your heart nor hand
And neither can I your riches demand
For I must follow my duty's call
No matter what else may befall."
For ten years' time she dwelled in the dark
And she cursed his name both wide and far
For he had left her lost and betrayed
But she would be free one day
When ten years' time had passed and gone
She left the dungeon, pale and wan
She sought for him in the north and the south
'Til she had found him out
Despite the hooks she had left in his soul
He thought his life was beyond her control
With a loyal friend and a wolf by his side
And the work in which he took pride
Then he saw her standing amid the crowd
A ghost from his past, so fair and proud
He thought a dream had come in the day
When he saw her face again
Her skin was fair and her lips were red
Her voice was full of things unsaid
Her hair was black like the darkest coal
He loved her, heart and soul
She said, "When both our lives allow
Will you not love me better now?
When I am free from the dark at last
Will you forget the past?"
"The past we never can undo
But I would make a life with you
I gladly would love you in every way
If you would only stay."
But her back was hollow, her heart was black
And false was her face as she smiled back
Deep in the dark she had spun her spell
And now she had cast it well
"Now where is your duty and where is your friend,
And how shall you your good name defend?
Where is your wolf and what is your fate
When love is mixed with hate?"
"My friend is gone, my wolf is hurt
And my good name you have dragged in the dirt
You have done by me as I have done by you
Will you damn me to darkness, too?"
"I will have you for my own
Or you can go to hell alone
When nothing is left of all you hold dear
What can keep you here?"
"Why do you take my love by force
When you know my heart is already yours?
But though you bind me to your will
My duty holds me still."
But when she cried "Come!" he could not stay
She held his whole life in her sway
He came running to reach for her hand
And at her side to stand
His friend had seen him in his fall
When he could not resist her call
And thought to stop her as she flew
But the bullet went askew
His flight was halted by iron cold
Her spell was broken, it could not hold
He faltered and fell and lost his breath
And lay as if in death
She left without him, on her own
And no one knows where she is flown
He lives still, with the iron mark
That kept him from the dark
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no subject
Date: 2010-11-05 02:28 pm (UTC)But, I just wanted to add that the recording is wonderful - it really completes the whole thing, the genre, the atmosphere - it's a beautiful melody and you sing it beautifully :)
no subject
Date: 2010-11-05 03:13 pm (UTC)Thank you again!
This is wonderful!
Date: 2010-11-06 12:53 am (UTC)And this...
"Why do you take my love by force
When you know my heart is already yours?
But though you bind me to your will
My duty holds me still."
Is so perfect! I would love to assemble an ensemble to back up your singing — guitar and flute or violin!
Hurrah!
Re: This is wonderful!
Date: 2010-11-06 09:28 am (UTC)The poetry is just the right register for a ballad — not too simple, not too fancy.
This is good to know! I did find myself rejecting a lot of words because the style didn't seem right. And I was happy with that verse, I'm glad you liked it, too. And yes, some accompaniment would have been great. My sister usually helps out with that, but sadly, we're in opposite ends of the country now.
Also, I love your icon--I just want to scratch that dog around the ears.
no subject
Date: 2010-11-06 06:23 pm (UTC)Some of the lines make me so sad, just like in the show. The past we can never undo / But I would make a life with you Also, Why do you take my love by force / When you know my heart is already yours Oh, poor Fraser!
There's also some really great imagery, like where you describe Victoria after Fraser sees her again.
no subject
Date: 2010-11-07 04:32 pm (UTC)There's also some really great imagery, like where you describe Victoria after Fraser sees her again.
If you mean the bit where her lips are red and her hair black as coal, I tried to make that as much like a fairy tale or ballad as possible. : )
no subject
Date: 2010-11-06 09:55 pm (UTC)I admit that I have an unabashed love for traditional folk music, and, of course, Due South, so this is a winning combination. I never thought of it before, but the Fraser/Victoria story really does have the perfect set of elements to make up a folk ballad, and you've translated it very admirably. Between this and all the podfic, I seem to be accumulating rather a lot of your work on my iPod. :)
Since I totally fail at going back and commenting on podfic, I really should take the opportunity to tell you how much I appreciate yours. You're an excellent reader, and you have a lovely voice.
no subject
Date: 2010-11-07 04:36 pm (UTC)Since I totally fail at going back and commenting on podfic, I really should take the opportunity to tell you how much I appreciate yours. You're an excellent reader, and you have a lovely voice.
Hey, thank you so much! I really appreciate the feedback. : )
no subject
Date: 2010-11-08 12:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-11-08 07:52 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-01-08 09:30 am (UTC)I'd like to make a request if I may - I put together the songbook for Conflikt, a Pacfic Northwest Filk convention. I'd love to include this song if I may. Please let me know if that would be alright.
no subject
Date: 2012-01-08 01:25 pm (UTC)The thing is, I have no contact with other people who do filk, and so I'm really doing it in isolation (well, not that I've done a lot of it). So I'm happy to know that other people will be singing it!