Talk:Flowers of the Forest

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English translation[edit]

I am moving the translation here because it is uncited and I think it is wrong. In particular I suspect Ilka Green is Ilkley Moor in the Borderlands and not some random milking-place near you. If there is a proper citation for this translation I would be happy to see it move back. -- cmh^TC 03:32, 15 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I've heard the singing, at the ewe-milking,

Lassies a-singing before dawn of the day;

But now they are moaning on every milking-green;

"The Flowers of the Forest are all withered away".

Sorrow and woe for the order sent our lads to the Border!

The English for once, by guile won the day,

The Flowers of the Forest, that always fought the foremost,

The pride of our land lies cold in the clay.

I've heard the singing, at the ewe-milking,

Lassies a-singing before dawn of the day;

But now they are moaning on every milking-green;

"The Flowers of the Forest are all withered away".

Ilkley Moor is in West Yorkshire, a long way away from the border lands. "Ilka" is Scots for "every"; its use has still not entirely died out. I don't think a word-for-word translation to modern English is necessary - any suggestions for words which might be included in a short glossary? --Mabzilla (talk) 19:10, 25 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Yin o they glosses is awready sourcit inna outwithlinks pairt, this yin.. ;-) . . dave souza, talk 20:00, 25 May 2010 (UTC) aka davie[reply]

Deliberate mistake[edit]

I was told by a piper that there should be at least one deliberate mistake while playing this tune, for reasons of superstition, and that to play it correctly was bad luck. Has anyone else heard this, and are there any references? -MacRusgail (talk) 10:42, 23 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]