Agnes and the Merman
Nov. 20th, 2010 12:20 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
noracharlesLet me tell you this story. I wanted to request it for yuletide, but I forgot. It has illustrations! It's about an English girl and her forbidden love with a creature of darkness.
Agnes stood on the bridge of the high land, and the merman emerged from the blue waves.
Ho, ho, ho, the merman emerged from the blue waves.
His hair was as if of the purest gold, and his eyes were so full of joy!
Ho, ho, ho, his eyes were so full of joy.
"Listen, Agnes, so pretty and fine, will you be my girlfriend?"
Ho, ho, ho, "Will you be my girlfriend?"
"Sure, I'll be your girlfriend, when you take me with you beneath the waves."
Ho, ho, ho, "When you take me with you beneath the waves."
He plugged her ears, and he shut her mouth, and then he led her to the bottom of the sea.
Ho, ho, ho, and then he led her to the bottom of the sea.
Agnes sat by the crib and sang, when she heard the bells of England tolling.
Ho, ho, ho, when she heard the bells of England tolling.
Agnes, she went to stand before the merman: "May I go just once to church?"
Ho, ho, ho, "May I go just once to church?"
"Oh, sure, you may. As long as you come home again to our little kids."
Ho, ho, ho, "As long as you come home again to our little kids."
"But when you step foot in the church, don't go to your mother's chair."
Ho, ho, ho, "Don't go to your mother's chair."
"And when the priest mentions the name of the one above, you may not bow down to him."
Ho, ho, ho, "You may not bow down to him."
He plugged her ears, and he shut her mouth, and then he led her to the grounds of England.
Ho, ho, ho, and then he led her to the grounds of England.
But when she stepped foot in the church, Agnes went to her mother's chair.
Ho, ho, ho, Agnes went to her mother's chair.
And when the priest mentioned the one above, Agnes bowed down to him deeply.
Ho, ho, ho, she bowed down to him deeply.
"Agnes, Agnes, my sweet daughter! Where have you been for so long?"
Ho, ho, ho, "Where have you been for so long?"
"At the bottom of the sea is my home, and there I am faithful to the merman."
Ho, ho, ho, "And there I am faithful to the merman."
"Seven sons have I born him, and the eighth is a little girl."
Ho, ho, ho, "And the eighth is a little girl."
"But now I want to stay on the green ground, and never again will I return to the bottom of the sea."
Ho, ho, ho, "And never again will I return to the bottom of the sea."
The merman stepped in the church door, and all the little icons turned away.
Ho, ho, ho, and all the little icons turned away.
His hair was as if of the purest gold, and his eyes were so full of tears.
Ho, ho, ho, and his eyes were so full of tears.
"Agnes, Agnes, come to the sea with me, your little children miss you!"
Ho, ho, ho, "Your little children miss you!"
"Whatever, they can go on missing me. I'm never going back to them!"
Ho, ho, ho, "I'm never going back to them!"
"Oh, think of the oldest ones! And think of the youngest ones! And most of all, think of the baby who lay in the crib!"
Ho, ho, ho, "And most of all, think of the baby who lay in the crib!"
"No, I'll never think of the oldest or the youngest ones! And least of all of the baby who lay in the crib!"
Ho, ho, ho, "And least of all of the baby who lay in the crib!"
Original lyrics, traditional.
Listen to the song, as performed by Alberte Winding and Povl Dissing. Unfortunately I was not able to find an intact version, so this one has a few barely noticeable skips in it. I love the pathos of the merman, and his sobs and shaking voice, and the way Agnes laughs at him.
Download it from sendspace.
In this version they changed Agnes' mother to her father, so Povl could sing his lines. I think you'll be able to understand the emotions, even if you don't understand Danish.
Agnes stood on the bridge of the high land, and the merman emerged from the blue waves.
Ho, ho, ho, the merman emerged from the blue waves.
His hair was as if of the purest gold, and his eyes were so full of joy!
Ho, ho, ho, his eyes were so full of joy.
"Listen, Agnes, so pretty and fine, will you be my girlfriend?"
Ho, ho, ho, "Will you be my girlfriend?"
"Sure, I'll be your girlfriend, when you take me with you beneath the waves."
Ho, ho, ho, "When you take me with you beneath the waves."
He plugged her ears, and he shut her mouth, and then he led her to the bottom of the sea.
Ho, ho, ho, and then he led her to the bottom of the sea.
Apparently, he also undressed her
Agnes sat by the crib and sang, when she heard the bells of England tolling.
Ho, ho, ho, when she heard the bells of England tolling.
Agnes, she went to stand before the merman: "May I go just once to church?"
Ho, ho, ho, "May I go just once to church?"
"Oh, sure, you may. As long as you come home again to our little kids."
Ho, ho, ho, "As long as you come home again to our little kids."
"But when you step foot in the church, don't go to your mother's chair."
Ho, ho, ho, "Don't go to your mother's chair."
"And when the priest mentions the name of the one above, you may not bow down to him."
Ho, ho, ho, "You may not bow down to him."
He plugged her ears, and he shut her mouth, and then he led her to the grounds of England.
Ho, ho, ho, and then he led her to the grounds of England.
But when she stepped foot in the church, Agnes went to her mother's chair.
Ho, ho, ho, Agnes went to her mother's chair.
And when the priest mentioned the one above, Agnes bowed down to him deeply.
Ho, ho, ho, she bowed down to him deeply.
"Agnes, Agnes, my sweet daughter! Where have you been for so long?"
Ho, ho, ho, "Where have you been for so long?"
"At the bottom of the sea is my home, and there I am faithful to the merman."
Ho, ho, ho, "And there I am faithful to the merman."
"Seven sons have I born him, and the eighth is a little girl."
Ho, ho, ho, "And the eighth is a little girl."
"But now I want to stay on the green ground, and never again will I return to the bottom of the sea."
Ho, ho, ho, "And never again will I return to the bottom of the sea."
What's keeping her?
The merman stepped in the church door, and all the little icons turned away.
Ho, ho, ho, and all the little icons turned away.
His hair was as if of the purest gold, and his eyes were so full of tears.
Ho, ho, ho, and his eyes were so full of tears.
"Agnes, Agnes, come to the sea with me, your little children miss you!"
Ho, ho, ho, "Your little children miss you!"
"Whatever, they can go on missing me. I'm never going back to them!"
Ho, ho, ho, "I'm never going back to them!"
"Oh, think of the oldest ones! And think of the youngest ones! And most of all, think of the baby who lay in the crib!"
Ho, ho, ho, "And most of all, think of the baby who lay in the crib!"
"No, I'll never think of the oldest or the youngest ones! And least of all of the baby who lay in the crib!"
Ho, ho, ho, "And least of all of the baby who lay in the crib!"
The merman and his eight children are still waiting for Agnes.
A merwoman riding her kickass merhorse.
Original lyrics, traditional.
Listen to the song, as performed by Alberte Winding and Povl Dissing. Unfortunately I was not able to find an intact version, so this one has a few barely noticeable skips in it. I love the pathos of the merman, and his sobs and shaking voice, and the way Agnes laughs at him.
Download it from sendspace.
In this version they changed Agnes' mother to her father, so Povl could sing his lines. I think you'll be able to understand the emotions, even if you don't understand Danish.
Re: The song I link to here is awesome even if you don't understand the lyrics, try it!
Date: 2013-10-15 08:58 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2013-10-15 09:04 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2013-10-15 09:26 am (UTC)