[wood! footnotes to CANADIAN FOLKSONGS 87 



Other primitive forms survive in the refrains of more modern balhids^ 

 like the slogan of Hawiclv 



Teribus y teri Odin 



which is a curious Pagan invocation and now belongs to a famous Boi'der 

 riding-song. Others again are to be found in all kinds of trade-songs, 

 like the ancient songs for grinding, weaving and reaping, or those 

 specially composed to be sung by the rowers in the galleys. These last 

 were doubtless like those in vogue among boatmen all the world over : 

 the Sonaris when Avading and hauling sing a sort of " Cheerily my boys," 

 with a chorus of " Yoho Eàm " ; the Malagasy canoemen chime in with 

 an equally meaningless chorus of " Hé ! mis}^ va " at regular intervals" ; 

 and our own voj^ageurs have plenty of choruses like " Ma, luron, lurette," 

 which have no pretension to any definite meaning at all, and several others 

 whose meaning it is hard for the non-elect to understand ; for instance, 



Tortille niorfll, 

 Arrangeur de faucilles, 

 Tribouille marteau, 

 Bon soir, lutin ! '^i 



Many entire rhymes are almost as primitive in form, though a little 

 clearer in meaning, whether they are rounds for dancing like 



Dans ma main droite je tiens rosier,"- 



or enumeratives like 



C'est Pinson avec Condrouille,'''^'' 



or cumulatives like our old nursery rhyme about the cow with the 

 crumpled horn that tossed the dog that worried the cat whose actions, in 

 their turn, were the result of a long train of events. The chief points to 

 notice in all these primitive forms of verse are that they are in no sense 

 literary, but dependent for their very existence on the game, or dance, or 

 other action they accompany, and that they are always of less importance 

 than the music. The little value attached to the meaning of the words is 

 strikingly illustrated by the Kookies of Northern Cachar and the "VYatch- 

 andies of Australia, who both sing in unknown dialects ; '- and little 

 habitants can hardly attach much meaning to the words of the nnrsery 

 rhyme, un /', un l, quoted above. 



The popular Ballad may be generally taken as the typical form of 

 the folksong. As their name shows, all ballads were originally danced 

 as well as sung. A medieval ballad of Poitou has this refrain — 



Alavi, alavie, jalous, 

 Lassaz nos, lassaz nos 

 Ballar entre nos, entre nos ; ■'■' 



and peasants almost always use some soi't of appropriate action up to the 

 present time. I have seen the habitants in the back country of Temis- 



