Origins: Quiet Mists of Morning/Mysterious Lover

Subject: Origins: The Quiet Mists of Morning
From: Joe Offer
Date: 04 Jun 06 - 02:43 AM

This song is in the Digital Traditon with no background or source information. It doesn't show up in the Traditional Ballad Index or the Roud Index, and all the sources I traced through Google, lead back to the Digital Tradition. So, where's the song from?
-Joe Offer-

For the sake of discussion, here are the lyrics. Note that we don't have a tune (and we'd like one)

HE QUIET MISTS OF MORNING

The elder lass walked out alone In the quiet mists of morning.
The fields were black as the blackest stone and the springtime was a coming

She dipped her hand into a stream In the quiet mists of morning.
To look on how the elders leaned And the springtime were a coming

She met a gently smiling man In the quiet mists of morning.
He took her softly by the hand and the springtime were a flowering

They lay them down in the birchwood glade In the quiet mists of morning.
She were going to be no more a maid and the summertime were a coming

He took her up and held her there In the quiet mists of morning.
She were a bird he were a star And the summer were a blazing

And when she thought to look at him In the quiet mists of morning.
She held an oak tree in her hand And the winter snows were falling

filename[ MISTMORN
AS

Subject: RE: Origins: The Quiet Mists of Morning
From: Peace
Date: 04 Jun 06 - 02:52 AM

http://www.tam-lin.org/tales/tamlin9.html#analysis

In the event you didn't see the above.

Subject: RE: Origins: The Quiet Mists of Morning
From: Joe Offer
Date: 04 Jun 06 - 03:37 AM

Yeah, but the Tam-lin site takes its information from the Digital Tradition, as do many other Websites. Doesn't help when we get circular in our research.
I'm guessing this may be a filk or SCA song, but that's just a guess.
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Origins: The Quiet Mists of Morning
From: Peace
Date: 04 Jun 06 - 03:53 AM

No it doesn't.

Subject: RE: Origins: The Quiet Mists of Morning
From: GUEST,J C
Date: 04 Jun 06 - 06:40 AM

The song is not traditional.
It was originally called The Eldwick Lass and was written some time in the late 1960s by Chris Culbert for a schoolteachers course on songwriting held by Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: Origins: The Quiet Mists of Morning
From: GUEST
Date: 04 Jun 06 - 06:59 AM

The link provided states that the author of the website obtained the words for " The Quiet Mists of Morning" from "Digital Traditions Data base"
That is the 'DT', as Joe Offer suggested.

Subject: RE: Origins: The Quiet Mists of Morning
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 04 Jun 06 - 07:15 AM

G'day Joe, Peace, Jim, GUEST, Uncle Tom Cobbley & all ...

As soon as I saw the thread title I thought of this (Chris Culbert's) song ... because I have an old cassette dub (early '80s ... ?) of an ABC (Australian Broadcasting Commission ... as it was then) broadcast of Ewan MacColl & Peggy Seeger on the subject (~) The Continuing Tradition.

They quote and discuss this song ... describing how the workshop group honed down the original long song ... in something like the "folk process" in overdrive ... to produce a well-balanced, compact song (which I remember as even shorter than the words quoted by Joe.

I can't lay my hands on the cassette, just now, to check ... but it may just be that Peggy only quoted 4 stanzas ...

Regards,

Bob

Subject: RE: Origins: The Quiet Mists of Morning
From: GUEST
Date: 04 Jun 06 - 07:16 AM

Found this info Jim and Joe: The Eldwick Lass

---

Which, of course, is a copy of our own Digital Tradition entry.
-Joe-

MYSTERIOUS LOVER
(Chris Culbert)

An Eldwick lass walked out alone,
In the quiet mist of morning.
The field was black as the blackest stone,
And the springtime was coming.

She dipped her hand into the stream
In the quiet mist of morning,
And looked down where the alders lean,
For the springtime was coming.

There came a gentle smiling man,
In the quiet mist of morning,
He took her lightly by the hand,
And the springtime was flowering.

He laid her down in the birchwood glade,
In the quiet mist of morning,
She was glad to be no more a maid,
And the summertime was flowering.

He drew her up and held her there,
In the quiet mist of morning,
She was a bird -- she was a star,
And the summertime was blazing.

But when she turned to look at him,
In the quiet mist of morning,
She held an oak tree in her arms,
And the winter snow was falling.

Copyright Chris Culbert
@seduction
filename[ MYSLOVER
BR

Subject: RE: Origins: The Quiet Mists of Morning
From: Snuffy
Date: 04 Jun 06 - 08:01 AM

lyric writer - Chris Culbert. Worth a crosslink?

Subject: RE: Origins: The Quiet Mists of Morning
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 04 Jun 06 - 11:22 PM

G'day again,

That version, kinked by GUEST of 04 Jun 06 - 07:16 AM,

is more like what I remember being quoted by Peggy Seeger (stripped of the cutesy non-grammar and SCA [... ?]) overtones.

I haven't laid hands on the cassette - and I have a faint memory of getting it out for someone to hear (did it ever come back ... ?) ... but the tune keeps running through the voids of my mind ... I may get a chance to capture (my memory) of it ...

Regards,

Bob

Subject: RE: Origins: The Quiet Mists of Morning
From: Joe Offer
Date: 05 Jun 06 - 01:21 AM

Thanks to guest 7:16 and everybody else - I think we have this litly mystery solved. Now, if I had just searched for "quiet mist*" in the first place, I would have found out the information is already here.
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Origins: The Quiet Mists of Morning
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Jun 06 - 07:39 AM

Sorry,
It appeared first as 'The Mysterious Lover' as was pointed out.
It was included in a series of beautifully produced broadsides issued by The Singers Club and designed by Belfast artist Dave Scott.
I'm pretty sure Frankie Armstrong recorded it, she certainly sang it.
Best,
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: Origins: The Quiet Mists of Morning
From: Cyparissa
Date: 05 Jun 06 - 12:21 PM

Does anyone know the tune? It looks like a lovely song, but I've never heard it sung.

Cheers,
Pinky

Subject: RE: Origins: The Quiet Mists of Morning
From: Alba
Date: 05 Jun 06 - 01:42 PM

Peggy Seeger can be heard singing this Song on her CD "Love will linger on"...and it is truly beautiful but then we are talking about a lovely Song and Peggy Seeger's stunning voice! A win, win combination everytime in my opinion:)
Alba

Subject: ADD Version: Mysterious Lover (Chris Culbert)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 05 Jun 06 - 09:28 PM

MYSTERIOUS LOVER
(Chris Culbert)

A young girl walked out all alone
In the quiet mist of morning.
The fields were black as any stone
And a winter day was dawning.

She dipped her hand into the stream
In the quiet mist of morning,
She looked down where the alders lean
For springtime was coming.

There came a gentle, smiling man
In the quiet mist of morning,
He took her softly by the hand
And springtime was flowing.

He laid her down in the birchwood glade
In the quiet mist of morning,
She was glad to be no more a maid,
And summertime was blooming.

He drew her up and held her there
In the quiet mist of morning,
She was a bird, she was a star,
And summertime was blazing.

But when she turned to look at him
In the quiet mist of morning,
She held the oak tree in her arms
And autumn leaves were falling.


from the 2000 Peggy Seeger CD, Love Will...Linger On

Subject: RE: Origins: Quiet Mists of Morning/Mysterious Lover
From: GUEST
Date: 30 Jul 18 - 02:06 AM

I heard this beautiful song first from Karen Jolley a student of Ruth Barrett who recorded number of albums with a Pagan/Wiccan bent both by herself and with Cyntia Smith.They all are absolutely beautiful.Karen Jolley also recorded it on an album put out by the sadly long gone Off Centaur Publications.
It has been passed around orally so long in the Pagan community that there are definite signs of the Folk Process in process so to speak.I've heard it refer to "the Elder lass" the "Eldritch lass" the "Alder lass" and the "Aldrich lass".The part were she dipped her hand into the stream has also mutated,I've heard "to look on how the Elders weened (thought)" or "how the Alders leaned" or even "the Old One seen".Most people think its rural Southern so I've heard it sung a lot as "she were a bird" rather than "was a bird" and the season mentioned were "A-coming".Ruth Barrett recently recorded a loveley version on her album "Garden of Mysteries" for those who want a tune.She says that she learned it from Frankie Armstrong but seemed unsure of the author.Many people still think it's traditional and with the variations Im not too surprised.I really enjoyed seeing the very origional version.I love this song, it used to make me tear up.Its magical.

Subject: RE: Origins: Quiet Mists of Morning/Mysterious Lover
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Aug 18 - 03:30 PM

This song was sung regularly 1972/73 at the Fenham Folk club at St Mary;s college Fenham Newcastle upon tune.The singer was a music student there and I have the impression that it could have been writthen either by her mother or herself.Alas I cannot remember her name.The tune is very haunting .Sandra Kerr had one of her students perform it at the Sage in a graduation concert several years ago.