Laboring Man's Daughter, The (The Knight's Dream)

DESCRIPTION: A nobleman dreams of a beautiful girl. After seven years' searching he finds her, a poor laboring-man's daughter. He tells her he has seen her only in a dream, but is confident she will not deny him. He takes out a ring and proposes. (They happily marry)
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1905 (Sharp, JFSS)
LONG DESCRIPTION: A nobleman's son dreams of "the beautiful-est girl in the nation." After seven years' searching he finds her, a poor laboring-man's daughter. He tells her he has only seen her once, as she lay by him in a dream, but he is confident she will not deny him. She asks what is his desire, that he's so afraid of denial; "Although I am poor, no scorn I'll endure/Do not put me under any such trial." He takes out a ring and proposes. (She worries that his parents will look down on her; he replies that they are both dead, and his friends will not object. They marry and are happy)
KEYWORDS: courting love marriage ring travel dream nobility worker beauty
FOUND IN: Britain(England(South,North)) Ireland Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Kennedy-FolksongsOfBritainAndIreland 132, "The Labouring Man's Daughter" (1 text, 1 tune)
Peacock, pp. 540-541, "The Knight and the Labourman's Daughter" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST K132 (Partial)
Roud #595
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Queen Among the Heather" (plot)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
Knight and Labourman's Daughter
NOTES [19 words]: I'm not certain "A Cornish Young Man" is the same song, but Kennedy-FolksongsOfBritainAndIreland lumps it in. - PJS
File: K132

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