The Highway Man

[Kiji]

Does anyone remeber the old poem the Highway Man. About the robber in love with a innkeepers daughter. Betrayed a trap was set for the highway man knowing that he had promised to come to see his love the next night. To warn him the girl shot her self with the mussket she'd been tied up with. And he rode away to saftey, not know she'd died. The poem I have as it end there but today I was listening to some Loreena McKennit and realized she had a song that was almost just like poem...expect for that he found out she'd been killed and came riding back bent on revenge.

Does anyone know how many verisons of the poem there is or who the orginal author was?

Kiji

[Ysobelle]

"The Highwayman" was written by Alfred Noyes in, I believe, 1906, and Loreena actually left a few verses out about how the lovers were betrayed by a jealous ostler at the Inn, and the soldiers, and a few other things.

Take a look at this interesting page--full poem/lyrics and a bit o' discussion:

http://www.xs4all.nl/~josvg/cits/lm/lorecd85.html


And if you want more information than anyone'd know what to do with:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=alfred+noyes+highwayman


There's also a live version that Loreena has on her double live album. Yum.

[Kiji]

Thanks! This is such a enchanting, romantic,but sad poem.

kiji

[Morte]

That's one of my fave Loreena McKennit songs and that live evrsion kix butt! thanks for the links Ysobelle! I've always known it was based on the poem .but i love reading about that sort fo stuff..

great now it's stuck in my head...

The road was a ribbon of moonlight....

*hum hum*