Lyr Add: William and Diana

Subject: Lyr Add: WILLIAM AND DIANA
From: pavane
Date: 28 Jun 01 - 03:21 AM


WILLIAM AND DIANA

Printed between 1789 and 1820 by G. Thompson of Liverpool

It's of a Liquor Merchant in London did dwell
He had but one daughter, a beautiful girl
Her name was call'd Diana scarce 14 years old
But she had a large portion in silver and gold

Besides a large portion when her mother did die
Which caus'd many sweethearts to ride & draw nigh
As Dinia was walking in the garden one day
Upstep't her old father & thus to her did say

Diana go and dress yourself up fine and gay
For I've met with a young man gallant and gay
I've met a young man worth 10,000 a year
And he says he make you his bride & his dear

Dear honoured father I am but a child
And to marry so early I cannot abide
Dear honoured father, your will I adore
But let me live single for three years or more

Begone you bold strumpet, her father replied
Since you've denied to be this young man's bride
I'll give thy Portion to the next of thy kin
You shall ne'er reap the benefit of one single pin

She went to sweet William with all haste indeed
And told to her true love what her father had said
And their parting that night was mournful to tell
Fare you well, dearest William, forever farewell

Early next morning he search'd the groves round
And found his dear Diana laid dead on the ground
With a cup of strong poison & a note laying near
It was my cruel father caus'd my death here

Then he kissed her cold lips above once twice o'er
And he called her his Jewel 10,000 time more
He drank of the poison like a true lover brave
So Diana and William were laid in one grave
NHJ

Apparently the earliest version of the song on which Villikins and Dinah was based.
(I have included the spelling mistake Dinia from the original text)

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: William and Diana
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 28 Jun 01 - 10:50 AM

Transcribed from a copy at  Bodleian Library Broadside Ballads.  See also this thread:  This remind you of Villikins & Dinah?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: William and Diana
From: pavane
Date: 28 Jun 01 - 11:05 AM

Sorry, I forgot to refer to the source.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: William and Diana
From: pavane
Date: 29 Jun 01 - 06:00 AM

Hey, every time I look at the Bodleian Library site, I find new items of interest just by random search. For example, looking for The Arethusa led to a sheet which contained that and also Lambkin, a version of Long Lankin.
BTW Is there a project under way anwhere to transcribe these songs, or is it just as and when people find them? Should transcriptions be returned to the library for their use? What about copyright?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: William and Diana
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 29 Jun 01 - 10:46 AM

As I understand it, the situation is this: copyright in the images belongs to the Bodleian, and use of them must be properly licensed.  They have no objection to hyperlinks direct to images, though obviously courtesy demands that the source be specified; I always try to provide an additional link to their homepage.  The status of textual content is less clear, but I see no reason to suppose that transcriptions are a problem, though clearly they need to be made with care, and any uncertain readings indicated as such.

It is worth mentioning that some examples are difficult to read, and in these cases you really do need proper image manipulating software which will allow you to zoom in, adjust contrast and so on.  Older examples in particular often employ symbols and abbreviations which are now rarely used; in those cases some additional background knowledge is required.  Detailed information on the copyright situation is available at the Bodleian site: Copyright & Bodleian Images.

My personal feeling is that any attempt at wholesale posting of trancriptions here would be a bad idea; broadsides very often do not specify identifiable melodies, and we already get far too many songs without tunes posted.  However, there are certainly times when a broadside text can add worthwhile information to a particular discussion; I usually just provide a link direct to the image, but an accurate transcription accompanying such a link might be very helpful for people who are able to view them only via a browser.  Of course, I speak for myself only; Joe Offer would be the best person to advise.

As to whether the Bodleian has any interest in the kind of (inevitably amateur) transcriptions that you or I are able to make, I have no idea, though I rather doubt it; you could always contact the project director, Mike Heaney, via the website (Project page).

Malcolm

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: William and Diana
From: pavane
Date: 29 Jun 01 - 11:55 AM

I think I have worked out that the actual WORDS on any of these must be in the public domain, as they were printed so long ago. I can also see that the images are copyright. I agree that postings must be selective and significant, for example where the earliest William and Diana example destroys the argument that it is related to Maria Marten.