Auld Robin Gray is the title of a Scots

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

written by the Scottish poet

Lady Anne Lindsay Lady Anne Barnard (née Lindsay; 8 December 17506 May 1825) was a Scottish travel writer, artist and socialite, and the author of the ballad ''Auld Robin Gray''. Her five-year residence in Cape Town, South Africa, although brief, had a signific ...

in 1772. Robin Gray is a good old man who marries a young woman already in love with a man named Jamie. Jamie goes away to sea in order to earn money so that the couple can marry. The woman, who narrates the ballad, tells the story of being compelled by her parents' misfortune to marry Robin Gray while her lover is away. Robin promises to maintain her and her parents in return for her hand. Jamie returns a few weeks after the marriage, looking like a ghost. They have a sad reunion, kiss and tear themselves away from each other. The woman resolves to do her best to be a good wife to Robin, though she is extremely sad at the loss of her true love. The original tune was composed by the Rev. William Leeves. George Thomson commissioned

Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...

to arrange the ballad for piano and soprano, as well as for piano, violin, cello, and soprano.

Popular use

The poem is sung by the "lovely maniac" (88) in

Mary Wollstonecraft Mary Wollstonecraft (, ; 27 April 1759 – 10 September 1797) was a British writer, philosopher, and advocate of women's rights. Until the late 20th century, Wollstonecraft's life, which encompassed several unconventional personal relationsh ...

's novel ''

Maria Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial * 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 * Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, ...

'' (1798). There are echoes of the theme of abandoned women throughout the novel. The short story "Young Robin Gray" (1894) by

Bret Harte Bret Harte (; born Francis Brett Hart; August 25, 1836 – May 5, 1902) was an American short story writer and poet best remembered for short fiction featuring miners, gamblers, and other romantic figures of the California Gold Rush. In a caree ...

alludes to this song but revises the relationships between characters so that the Scottish heroine's virtue is redeemed. In Harte's story, the woman remains faithful to her betrothed, also named Jamie, until he breaks their engagement. She marries for love, not money. An explicit reference to the song occurs in chapter two, during a discussion of nicknames. Wealthy American Robert Gray observes that he would be called Robin Gray in Scotland, and in the brief exchange that follows, another character insists that Robin Gray in the song is "''Auld'' Robin Gray" (381).

External links

* Online a
Bartleby

Sheet Music for ''Auld Robin Gray''

References

*Harte, Bret. "Young Robin Gray". ''Thankful Blossom and Other Eastern Tales and Sketches''. The Writings of Bret Harte Standard Library Edition, Vol. 11. Boston: Houghton Mifflin & Co., 1907. 364–391
Google Books
*Wollstonecraft, Mary. ''Maria: or, The Wrongs of Woman''. Ed. Gary Kelly. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1976. 1772 songs Ballads Scots-language works Scots-language literature 18th-century songs 1772 in Scotland {{Scotland-stub