Henry's Songbook

The elf-knight sits on yonder hill
Fine flowers in the valley
He blows his horn both loud and shrill
As the rose is blown

He blows it East, he blows it West
Fine flowers in the valley
He blows it where he liketh best
As the rose is blown

Lady Isabel sits a-sewing
Fine flowers in the valley
When she heard the elf-knight's horn a-blowing
As the rose is blown

Would I had that horn a-blowing
Fine flowers in the valley
And yon elf-knight for to sleep in my bosom
As the rose is blown

Scarcely had she these words spoken
Fine flowers in the valley
When in at the window the elf-knight's broken
As the rose is blown

It's a very strange matter, fair maid, said he
Fine flowers in the valley
I cannot blow my horn, but you call on me
As the rose is blown

But will you go to the greenwood side
Fine flowers in the valley
If you will not go, I'll cause you to ride
As the rose is blown

He leapt on his horse and she on another
Fine flowers in the valley
And they rode on to the greenwood together
As the rose is blown

Light down, light down, Isabel, said he
Fine flowers in the valley
For we're come to the place where you are to die
As the rose is blown

It's seven kings daughters, here have I slain
Fine flowers in the valley
And you shall be the eighth of them
As the rose is blown

Sit down a-while, lay your head on my knee
Fine flowers in the valley
That we may rest before I die
As the rose is blown

She stroked him so fast the nearer he did creep
Fine flowers in the valley
And with a small charm, she's lulled him to sleep
As the rose is blown

With his own sword-belt so fast she's bound him
Fine flowers in the valley
With his own dagger so sore she's stabbed him
As the rose is blown

If seven kings daughters here have you slain
Fine flowers in the valley
Then lie you here, a husband to them all
As the rose is blown

As sung by Steeleye Span

[1959:] This ballad has many titles. Scholars know it as Lady Isobel and the Elf Knight or May Colvin, but An Outlandish Rover, The Highway Robber, The Old Beau, are among the titles preferred by folk singers. Child, who published it as No. 4 in his collection, noted it as one of the most widespread of ballads, with relatives in Poland, Germany, Scandinavia, France, the Netherlands (as Halewijn), and elsewhere, as far afield as Australia. It is also among the most persistent, being not infrequently sung today. Some scholars see in it traces of the Bluebeard story, others believe it may be an off-shoot of the legend of Judith and Holofernes. Perhaps more plausible is the theory that the ballad is descended from a folk-tale about a malevolent water-spirit who transforms himself into a knight and marries a girl with the intention of carrying her off to his watery home. [...] Within this century, besides our Norfolk set [EFS80], versions have been printed from Westmorland, Yorkshire, Herefordshire, Herts, Sussex, Wilts, and Somerset (Sharp reported that he had found twenty-three sets of it in that county), Devon, and Cornwall. [Also a] fragmentary version in Manx. (Penguin Book of English Folk Songs 120)

[1979:] [The False-hearted Knight] A man, or a demon in human guise, murders several women, but is eventually killed by a potential victim who is too clever for him. The theme can be simply stated, but it has held the popular imagination for centuries. Gradually, the original supernatural elements have been rationalized, apparently without reducing the story's appeal. Scores of versions of the ballad, which Professor Child called Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight, have been found, all over Europe. Several books have been written on the subject, including H. O. Nygard's 'The Ballad of Heer Halewijn' [...]. The earliest known English text is a street ballad of about 1710. (Palmer, Country 109)

[1996:] Words Trad. Tune written by Bob Johnson [...] A simple but vivid story, this ballad evokes many powerful images - a hazy afternoon in late June when the roses are full blown - Lady Isabel sitting alone in a castle room, with a shaft of sunlight playing on the tapestry that she is weaving - somewhere out there, beyond this world and the 'fields we know', the elf-knight sits, arrogant, dark and brooding. He blows his horn and enchants her - she breathes a wish for him - in an instant he has broken through the barrier - two worlds collide, reality and fantasy, good and evil ... (Notes Steeleye Span, 'Time')

See also
Gabriele Haefs, 'Der Reisende und der Mörder (Zwei Typen im Volkslied)', Folk Michel 25, S. 31ff
The Elf Knight
Penguin: The Outlandish Knight
question on Outlandish Knight