Araby Maid, The

DESCRIPTION: "Away on the wings of the wind she flies...." "'Tis an Araby maid who hath left her home To fly with her Christian knight." The song tells how she leaves her home and her faith for love, and notes "None can sever them now but the grave."
AUTHOR: Rev. T. G. Torry Anderson (1805-1856) (Source: Charles Rogers, _The Modern Scottish Minstrel_, volume IV)
EARLIEST DATE: 1857 (Rogers); reportedly composed 1833
KEYWORDS: love courting
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Greig/Duncan5 1007, "The Araby Maid" (4 texts, 3 tunes)
Ord-BothySongsAndBallads, p. 312, "The Araby Maid" (1 text)
Roud #6725
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Turkish Lady" [Laws O26]
cf. "Young Beichan" [Child 53]
NOTES [70 words]: The absence of dialect in this song makes me think it is composed. So does the abject stupidity
[Later: This would appear to be confirmed by the inclusion of the song in "The Modern Scottish Minstrel." Thanks to Jim Dixon for finding this. Ben Schwartz later confirmed the data from Greig/Duncan5] - RBW
Greig/Duncan5 quoting Greig: "There is a story that Bishop Torry's grandson, Tom Torry, fled with the Arab maid." - BS
Last updated in version 2.5
File: Ord312

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