Sir Hugh, or The Jew's Daughter, or Hugh Of Lincoln, Showing The Cruelty Of A Jew's Daughter

Originale	Little Sir Hugh
SIR HUGH, OR THE JEW'S DAUGHTER, OR HUGH OF LINCOLN, SHOWING THE CRUELTY OF A JEW'S DAUGHTER Four and twenty bonny boys Were playing at the ba, And by it came him sweet Sir Hugh, And he playd oer them a’. He kickd the ba with his right foot, And catchd it wi his knee, And throuch-and-thro the Jew’s window He gard the bonny ba flee. He’s doen him to the Jew’s castell, And walkd it round about; And there he saw the Jew’s daughter, At the window looking out. ‘Throw down the ba, ye Jew’s daughter, Throw down the ba to me!’ ‘Never a bit,’ says the jew’s daughter, ‘Till up to me come ye.’ ‘How will I come up? How can I come up? How can I come to thee? For as ye did to my auld father, The same ye’ll do to me.’ She’s gane to her father’s garden, And pu’d an apple red and green; ’Twas a’ to wyle him sweet Sir Hugh, And to entice him in. She’s led him in through ae dark door, And sae has she thro nine; She’s laid him on a dressing-table, And stickit him like a swine. And first came out the thick, thick blood, And syne came out the thin, And syne came out the bonny heart’s blood; There was nae mair within. She’s rowd him in a cake o lead, Bade him lie still and sleep; She’s thrown him in Our Lady’s draw-well, Was fifty fathom deep. When bells were rung, and mass was sung, And a’ the bairns came hame, When every lady gat hame her son, The Lady Maisry gat nane. She’s taen her mantle her about, Her coffer by the hand, And she’s gane out to seek her son, And wanderd oer the land. She’s doen her to the Jew’s castell, Where a’ were fast asleep: ‘Gin ye be there, my sweet Sir Hugh, I pray you to me speak.’ She’s doen her to the Jew’s garden, Thought he had been gathering fruit: ‘Gin ye be there, my sweet Sir Hugh, I pray you to me speak.’ She neard Our Lady’s deep draw-well, Was fifty fathom deep: ‘Whareer ye be, my sweet Sir Hugh, I pray you to me speak.’ ‘Gae hame, gae hame, my mither dear, Prepare my winding-sheet, And at the back o merry Lincoln The morn I will you meet.’ Now Lady Maisry is gane hame, Made him a winding sheet, And at the back o merry Lincoln The dead corpse did her meet. And a’ the bells of merry Lincoln Without men’s hands were rung, And a’ the books o merry Lincoln Were read without man’s tongue, And neer was such a burial Sin Adam’s days begun.	SIR HUGH, OR THE JEW'S DAUGHTER, OR HUGH OF LINCOLN, SHOWING THE CRUELTY OF A JEW'S DAUGHTER IL PICCOLO SIR UGO Traduzione di Cattia Salto [*] “Madre o madre, fammi il letto e preparami il sudario avvolgimi in un manto dorato che io possa riposare” Ventiquattro bei ragazzi giocavano a pallone (1) giunse il piccolo sir Ugo ed era il più bravo di tutti. Calciava la palla verso l’alto calciava la palla verso il basso la calciò oltre il muro del castello dove nessuno osava andare Uscì una dama gaia, vestita di verde (2) “Entra, entra piccolo sir Ugo per riprendere la palla” “Non entro no; non senza tutti gli altri calciatori perchè se lo farò son certo che tu mi caverai il sangue” Lo prese con la bianca mano e lo portò in casa fino alla segreta di pietra (3) dove nessuno lo avrebbe sentito gridare lo mise su una sedia dorata e gli diede degli zuccherini (4) lo stese su un asse da cucina (5) e lo accoltellò come una pecora Uscì il sangue, il sangue denso e uscì quello fluente; uscì il sangue del suo bel cuore finchè non ne rimase più. Lo prese dalla bionda testa e anche dai piedi e lo gettò nel vecchio pozzo profondo cinquanta tese.
	NOTE [*] dalla traduzione di Riccardo Venturi (1) Il gioco della palla è un tipico passatempo dei ragazzi e delle giovinette nelle ballate medievali e veniva praticato nelle vie cittadine o nei parchi dei castelli. (2) La dama verde vestita potrebbe benissimo essere una Fata. (3) Letteralmente una stanza di pietra, che suggerisce l'idea di una cantina. (4) Essendo nel medioevo vien da pensare a dei canditi o a gelées di frutta: sono i dolcetti che la "fata" ha usato per tentare il ragazzo e convincerlo ad entrare. (5) Riccardo Venturi traduce con "tavolo da cucire", è piuttosto un grande tagliere o ceppo di legno.