Ballad

Definition

 A Ballad is a song that is transmitted orally and tells a story; the author is usually unknown (Abrams & Harpham, 2013). Structurally, ballads commonly follow four-line stanzas with a rhyme scheme of ABCB (The Poetry Foundation, 2024). Ballads are a big part of the oral tradition and were popular, especially in the medieval period. According to Betts (2021), ballads can be divided into three categories: narrative (generally tell a story), imagery (vivid and expressive imagery) and musical (can be easily adapted to music). The most prominent themes in ballads are romance, crime, tragedy and the supernatural (Friedman, 2024).

Examples

Ballads written as poetry: La Belle Dame Sans Merci by John Keats, The Ballad of Reading Gaol by Oscar Wilde

Ballads written as songs: I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You by Elvis Presley, Candle in the Wind by Elton John

La Belle Dame Sans Merci by John Keats (A, B, C, B)

I saw pale kings and princes too,                      A

       Pale warriors, death-pale were they all;   B

They cried—‘La Belle Dame sans Merci          C

       Thee hath in thrall!’                                          B

I saw their starved lips in the gloam,                A

       With horrid warning gapèd wide,                 B

And I awoke and found me here,                       C

       On the cold hill’s side.                                    B

Sources              

Abrams, M. H. & Harpham, G. G. (2013). A Glossary of Literary Terms. Cengage Learning, 25. https://www.furkatingcollege.edu.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/%CE%9D%CE%95%CE%9F-%CE%9B%CE%95%CE%9E%CE%99%CE%9A%CE%9F-%CE%A6%CE%99%CE%9B%CE%9F%CE%9B%CE%9F%CE%93%CE%99%CE%9A%CE%A9%CE%9D-%CE%9F%CE%A1%CE%A9%CE%9D-ABRAMS-HARPHAM.pdf

Betts, J. (2021). Examples of ballads in History: From poetry to songs. YourDictionary. https://www.yourdictionary.com/articles/examples-ballads-history-poetry-songs

Friedman, A. B. (2024, August 9). Ballad. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/art/ballad

The Poetry Foundation. (2024, April 30). Ballad. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/education/glossary/ballad

Adéla Štěpánková, 537744